What are the red stones in this bracelet by Cicada Jewelry, which I photographed at a Las Vegas Couture show? They are not rubies. They are red spinels set with green tourmalines and diamonds in platinum. It took two years to create this splendid bracelet.
In 2016, the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America added spinel as an August birthstone to the Official List of Birthstones which was first established by Jewelers of America in 1912. Before 2016, peridot and sardonyx were the only August birthstones.
The name “spinel” comes from the Latin word “spinella” meaning little thorn, in reference to its pointed crystals. The mineralogist Jean-Baptiste Louis de Rome de L’Isle is usually credited for identifying spinel as a different mineral from ruby in 1783. Before then, red spinels were identified as rubies or Balas rubies. However, James Evans FGA, founder of Lustre Gemmology, has noted that the Arab scholar Al-Beruni distinguished spinel from ruby by the year 1035 on the basis of its density and referred to spinel as “Ruby of Badakhshan” after the location of its discovery in modern-day Tajikistan/Afghanistan. For more information go to https://lustregemmology.com and click on Research and then Gemmology Bulletin Summer 2020.
Cicada Jewelry has been creating exclusive high jewelry for 40 years in the jewelry district of New York City. All design and production take place in their own workshop with a team of expert jewelers. A list of the boutiques that sell their pieces is on their website www.cicadajewelry.com,
More information on spinel and other colored gems is my book “Gemstone Buying Guide: How to evaluate, identify, select & care for colored gems.” www.reneenewman.com/gemstone.htm
Guest articles by Renée Newman:
https://gem-spectrum.com/category/renee-newman
Articles about COUTURE:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/couture
About the author:
Renée Newman is a gemologist (GG, GIA), lecturer, writer and author of 15 books on gems and jewelry. Her goal is to provide consumers and jewelry professionals with unbiased, affordable information on how to buy, evaluate and appreciate gems and jewelry. She can be reached through her website:
