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Beautiful, durable and affordable, the dark sparkle of Black Spinel Beads makes them very popular with jewelry artists. Spinel is plentiful and found in many places throughout the world, and it forms naturally in an array of different colors. This hard gem has a look that rivals diamonds, rubies and sapphires, yet costs much less. If you want affordble beads online, the Bead Traders has it. Because we buy beads in volume, you will always get everything you need in beading supplies for a great price.
One Tough Gem
Spinel is composed of aluminum and magnesium and is mined in Asia, South America, Africa and the United States. It forms a cubic crystal--usually with eight sides--in the form of two pyramids connected base to base. With a hardness index of 8 on Moh’s Scale, black spinel beads stand up well to everyday use.
Singly Refractive
This versatile stone is one of the few singly refractive gems--two others are diamond and garnet--which means that when a beam of light enters a cubic crystal, it will remain a single beam and not split into two. Each type of gemstone has a refractive index, and this is one of the ways that types of gems are identified.
Gorgeous Color
This gem variety is available in red, blue, yellow, pink, lavender, orange and black spinel beads, and spinel can be cut into many shapes for maximum sparkle, such as round brilliants, emerald cuts or ovals. Spinels usually don’t have inclusions, but in rare cases they can display a star effect. The red and blue colors of spinel are so vibrant that they have been mistaken for other gemstones, especially rubies and sapphires. Despite its beautiful colors and amazing clarity, spinel is plentiful and affordable.
Beautiful Impostor
Red and blue spinel were so difficult to distinguish from rubies and sapphires that they were included in many collections of royal jewels. The most famous example of this confusion is the “Black Prince’s Ruby” a large and beautiful piece of red spinel that is the frontispiece of the Imperial State Crown of England. It is believed to have been mined in Afghanistan and was first seen in Spain. Edward, Prince of Wales--also known as the Black Prince--was awarded the gem as payment after a victory in battle. Also in the collection is a large spinel called the “Timur Ruby” which is over 350 carats. The confusion between rubies and spinel continued until the late 18th century when mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome de Lisle devised a way to tell spinel from ruby.
Some other famous spinel gemstones include the Samarian Spinel, which is part of the Iranian Crown Jewels, the Mogul Names Necklace, on which three Mogul emperors had their names inscribed, and the Indian Noor Jahan, which means “Light of the Universe.”
Purchasing Spinel
When you purchase black spinel beads from the Bead Traders, they will be covered by our Three-Part Value Pledge to provide you with the best beads at the best price, and never substitute beads of lesser quality in your order. Buy your gorgeous black spinel beads from the Bead Traders today.