Difference Between Spinel And Ruby
Spinel is most famous for its deep red variety that closely resembles ruby these two gemstones can be very difficult to distinguish.
Difference between spinel and ruby. How to differentiate between red spinel ruby. Rubies nicknamed the king of gems are the best known of the three gemstones and are the most sought after and widely used in fine jewellery. The allure of red rubies has captivated collectors for thousands of years yet not all red gems are in fact rubies. Diagnostic differences spinel ruby sapphire today gemologists understand that there are significant differences between spinel and corundum the mineral of ruby and sapphire.
When shopping for that deep rouge hue it might also be worth considering whether red spinels or rubellites are the right stone for you. Optical properties can also be used to distinguish spinel from corundum. Until the late 19th century there was no distinction made between ruby and red spinel as they look identical and are found in the same localities. Although extremely similar to the naked eye the fundamental differences between ruby and spinel are profound.
Red spinel generally has better clarity than ruby and treatments are not used to enhance their color. Being singly refractive the only other stones that are are diamond and garnet they have a higher dispersion which can display a fire that can t be compared but they are not as hard as ruby being an 8 on the mohs scale of hardness versus. Their similarity in appearance chemical composition and the fact that they grow in the same areas made it difficult for exact distinctions to. As nouns the difference between spinel and ruby is that spinel is mineralogy any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours while ruby is a clear deep red variety of corundum valued as a precious stone or ruby can be a pronunciation.
Ruby is a doubly refractive material meaning that light is split into two rays as they pass through the body of the ruby and each separate ray has a different color hue. Spinels can also be blue. Ruby and spinel can be extremely difficult to distinguish from each other. The diagnostic differences are summarized in the chart on this page.