Multi Spinel 3mm Banded Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch Origin_Peru/Mexico green and brown to the

green and brown to the more rare violet and pink

and was prized in ancient times for the ultramarine dye derived from it

It has been discovered with artifacts from cultures of the Neolithic Period

Chrome-bearing fuchsite (a variety of muscovite mica) is the classic inclusion

It won 1st price and has been used ever since in sculpture

Multi Spinel 3mm Banded Faceted Round - 15-16 Inch Origin_Peru/Mexico green and brown to theSpinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminum oxide, and comes in a range of other colors, but those varieties are transparent. Black Spinel not only has the dark color, but it is opaque as well, rendering its black especially deep and mysterious. Sometimes called the "Black Prince's Ruby" for its role in the English crown. It has been mistaken for ruby and sapphire at times, but can be distinguished by its structure and its lower relative hardness.