Natural Spinel, cut bead necklace, 9ct Gold finish. The above beads have their source in Sri Lanka. The above Natural Spinel beads are all full of inclusions, which both adds to their character and marks them as natural. Historically the gemstone Spinel has been much appreciated in Central Asia, where its ancient source was the border regions of what is now Afghanistan and Tajikistan, in the Badakhshan area. It is a tough gemstone, and beautiful, and comes in various colours, in shades of pinks and greens and mauves, and can also be found in a fine translucent ruby red, which all the way up to the 1700s was always considered Ruby.
Indeed, some of the most famous “Rubies” in the world are actually fine red Spinel, two of the most famous examples of which are the Black Prince and the Timur, in the crown jewels of Great Britain.
The above Natural Spinel beads are cut in an interesting way, all individual in the lines and angles of their planes, looking as if they might have been panned in a mountain stream just so.