Spinel and garnet

Spinel loose stone image by Nomad’s Co., gemsbynomads.com

Garnet loose stone image provided by ICA

Connoisseurs prize these sleeper gems

Although not widely known by consumers, demantoid garnet (from Russia, especially) is much sought after for its ethereal “horsetail” inclusions, internal features made of fine, hair-like strands of asbestos. Equally sidelined, perhaps in part due to its rather anatomical-sounding name, spinel is a hit with gem experts, not only for its color and hardness, but also for its new availability. The finest material comes from Burma, but a striking new deposit of vivid red spinel was unearthed in Tanzania in 2007; Germany’s Paul Wild reportedly sold a parcel in Basel for a record $3 million.

Ruby’s twin A 9.5-carat Tanzanian spinel ring by New York dealer Jeffrey Bilgore. The 31.98-carat loose spinel from Bangkok’s Nomad’s Co. was also sourced in Tanzania, a new find that’s giving some stones from Burma, the traditional source of the finest spinel, a run for their money.