Spinels
The red of chromium, the purple of iron and chromium, the blue of cobalt and the grayish blue of iron.
Each gem in four tones: the hue it is named by, its light part, its deepest part and the sparkle where light bounces off the facets. The colors are our own approximations, not laboratory standards.
Red spinel
Spinel colored by chromium
Intense reds and pinks are caused by traces of chromium: the more chromium, the stronger the red.
Pink to red spinel is in high demand among connoisseurs. According to CIBJO, spinel is only occasionally heated.
Red spinel · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Red spinel, faceted, hue
RGB(200, 30, 58)
Red spinel · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Red spinel, faceted, light
RGB(224, 74, 98)
Red spinel · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Red spinel, faceted, deep
RGB(138, 14, 36)
Red spinel · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Red spinel, faceted, sparkle
RGB(240, 122, 142)
Purple spinel
Spinel colored by iron and chromium
Orange and purple spinels owe their color to a mixture of iron and chromium.
The same mineral runs from orange and an intense red through pink and every shade of purple, blue and violet to bluish green.
Purple spinel · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Purple spinel, faceted, hue
RGB(138, 74, 158)
Purple spinel · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Purple spinel, faceted, light
RGB(176, 122, 194)
Purple spinel · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Purple spinel, faceted, deep
RGB(90, 42, 110)
Purple spinel · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Purple spinel, faceted, sparkle
RGB(210, 174, 224)
Cobalt spinel
Spinel colored by cobalt
For the laboratories of the LMHC: a magnesium-aluminum spinel of blue color with traces of cobalt, whose blue comes mainly from cobalt absorption bands.
If the cobalt was introduced by a treatment, such as diffusion or filling fissures with cobalt glass, the stone does not qualify for the name.
Cobalt spinel · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Cobalt spinel, faceted, hue
RGB(30, 80, 200)
Cobalt spinel · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Cobalt spinel, faceted, light
RGB(74, 120, 224)
Cobalt spinel · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Cobalt spinel, faceted, deep
RGB(16, 50, 138)
Cobalt spinel · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Cobalt spinel, faceted, sparkle
RGB(134, 168, 240)
Grayish blue spinel
Spinel colored by iron
Iron (Fe2+) gives spinel a grayish blue color.
When the iron bands dominate over the cobalt ones, a blue spinel is not called cobalt spinel, even with traces of cobalt: such stones are usually grayish to slightly greenish blue (LMHC).
Grayish blue spinel · hue
The main hue, the color the gem is named by.
Material: Grayish blue spinel, faceted, hue
RGB(110, 134, 160)
Grayish blue spinel · light
The light part, where the stone is thinnest or light passes straight through.
Material: Grayish blue spinel, faceted, light
RGB(154, 174, 194)
Grayish blue spinel · deep
The deepest part, in the facets in shadow.
Material: Grayish blue spinel, faceted, deep
RGB(70, 88, 110)
Grayish blue spinel · sparkle
The sparkle, where light bounces off the facets back to the eye.
Material: Grayish blue spinel, faceted, sparkle
RGB(194, 208, 222)
Pigmentoria is an independent color atlas. Gem, variety, place and trade names (for example «pigeon's blood» or «Paraíba») are used descriptively only and do not indicate the origin, quality, treatment or certification of any stone. The colors are our own digital approximations, not official standards of any laboratory. GIA, CIBJO, LMHC, SSEF, Gübelin and the other organisations cited belong to their owners; Pigmentoria is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.