Explore Spinel jewellery in Adelaide for that elegant, “pulled together” feeling, even in a simple outfit.
Shop Spinel jewellery, including rings, earrings, and necklaces. Handcrafted in our Burnside studio with a lifetime guarantee. Enquire or book an appointment.
Shop Spinel jewellery, including rings, earrings, and necklaces. Handcrafted in our Burnside studio with a lifetime guarantee. Enquire or book an appointment.
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl group, just like emerald. However, unlike its fellow gemstone, it has greater transparency and clarity, with high-quality stones being completely see-through with no cloudiness. There are some specimens with a slight icy blue hue, while others tend to have a bluish green color.
Aquamarine has a distinct appearance compared to other blue gemstones.
Aquamarine is used extensively in jewellery as it is quite durable for regular wear. This gemstone’s hardness rate falls between 7.5 and 8 on the Mohs scale, which means it can be used for rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets.
Today, most aquamarine gems in jewellery are mined in Brazil, Madagascar, and Nigeria. The higher the clarity of an aquamarine stone and the stronger its color, the higher its value.
Aquamarine rings have a fresh and light appearance and do not carry the weight that some other dark stones have.
While some customers choose a vintage style featuring engraving, a milgrain edge or even filigree, others opt for a simple, elegant design, one which puts the emphasis on the stone. Both designs will work well depending on the type of aquamarine used and its color.
Aquamarine earrings look beautiful worn near the face while adding color without being too heavy or formal. Our aquamarine earrings collection is diverse and includes traditional as well as modern designs with various sizes of stones. Contact us to explore what models of aquamarine earrings are currently available in our collection.
Aquamarine necklaces are admired for their soft blue-green colors and brightness. An aquamarine pendant will bring color and decoration to a jewellery collection.
We have a variety of aquamarine necklaces, ranging from elegant single stone pendants to luxurious cluster pendants.
Contact us for a custom-made aquamarine necklace or pendant.
What every property actually means for the jewellery you wear every day
| Property | Value | What It Means for You |
|---|---|---|
|
Hardness (Mohs) |
7.5–8 |
Very durable and suitable for everyday wear in rings, bracelets, and pendants |
|
Transparency |
Transparent |
Light passes through the stone completely from one side to the other, which is what creates that luminous, glowing quality aquamarine is known for. The cleaner and more transparent the stone, the more light it holds and the more alive it looks when worn |
|
Luster |
Vitreous |
The surface reflects light the way polished glass does, bright, clear, and sharp. This is what gives aquamarine that clean, refreshing appearance that catches the eye even in low light |
The Detail
| Property | Value | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness (Mohs) | 8 | Very durable and well suited to everyday jewelry including rings, bracelets, and earrings |
| Crystal System | Cubic (Isometric) | Highly symmetrical internal structure that allows for excellent light return and brilliance from all angles |
| Transparency | Transparent to opaque | Fine quality stones are completely clear and vivid, while lower grades may appear slightly cloudy |
| Color | Red, pink, blue, purple, orange, black | One of the most color diverse gemstones available, with red and vivid pink being the most valued varieties |
| Mineral Group | Oxide (Spinel group) | Belongs to its own distinct mineral group, separate from corundum and beryl, with a long and prestigious history |
| Primary Sources | Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, Tajikistan | Myanmar and Sri Lanka produce some of the finest red and pink stones, while Tanzanian spinels are known for vivid blues and purples |
Lighter aquamarine stones have a subtle icy hue and will suit everyday jewellery designs.
This colour is a popular choice for aquamarines. Gemstones in this category will give off a bright, vivid, and bold blue colour.
The darker aquamarine stones offer a rich blue-green hue with high visibility and are often used in statement pieces.
Colour
The spinel stone's colour range is one of the things that surprises people most when they first encounter the gemstone properly. Most people associate spinel with red or pink because those are the colours that drove centuries of mistaken identity with ruby. But the full spinel colour range is far broader than that, and each end of the spectrum has its own devoted following among collectors and jewellery lovers who know the stone well.
The original. Deep, warm, and vivid, red spinel is the colour that fooled kings and gemologists for centuries. The finest red spinels from Myanmar's Mogok Valley are virtually indistinguishable from top rubies to the untrained eye, and significantly more affordable to the trained one.
Vivid, joyful, and impossible to ignore. Pink spinel ranges from soft rose all the way through to the neon hot pink of the legendary Jedi spinels from Mogok. In this colour, spinel has no real competition. Nothing else produces the same saturation at this level of brilliance and in an untreated natural stone.
Among the rarest and most expensive spinel colours. True cobalt blue spinel from Vietnam or Sri Lanka produces a blue of extraordinary intensity that puts it in the conversation with the finest sapphires, at a fraction of the price per carat.
Soft, feminine, and genuinely unusual. This colour range has a romantic quality that is impossible to replicate in any other natural stone. It suits a wide range of skin tones and has a particular versatility that makes it one of our most frequently requested spinel colours for custom commissions.
The contemporary collector's choice. Dark spinel in grey and black has found enormous popularity in modern fine jewellery for its graphic, architectural quality. It reads as bold and sophisticated in equal measure, and it pairs beautifully with white diamonds and platinum.
Spinel rewards expertise. It is a stone where the difference between a mediocre example and an exceptional one is enormous, and where knowledge of colour, origin, and treatment status matters significantly to the value and beauty of what you are buying. At Coloured Gemstones Australia, every spinel stone in our collection has been assessed in person by our team before it is offered for sale. We evaluate colour saturation, brilliance, treatment status, and cut quality for every stone, and we are transparent about all of it.
Good to Know
Spinel is a distinct mineral species, magnesium aluminium oxide, that produces some of the most vivid and brilliant coloured gemstones in the world. The reason most people have not encountered it is that for most of recorded history, spinel gemstones were misidentified as rubies and sapphires. Several of the most famous gemstones in the British Crown Jewels are spinels, not rubies. Modern gemological testing only confirmed spinel's separate identity in the eighteenth century, and public awareness has been catching up ever since. In the specialist coloured gemstone market, spinel has been highly regarded for decades.
Almost never. The vast majority of spinel gemstones available commercially are completely untreated, which makes them genuinely exceptional in the fine coloured gemstone market where heat treatment, oiling, and other enhancement processes are standard practice for most stones. The colour, saturation, and brilliance of a spinel stone is natural. We disclose treatment status on every stone we carry and can provide laboratory certification on request.
Yes, for several reasons. Spinel rates 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, which makes it durable enough for daily wear in a ring. Its natural untreated status means the stone is genuine in the fullest sense. Its brilliance is extraordinary for a coloured stone. And the range of colours available means you can find a spinel engagement ring that is genuinely unlike anything else on the market. The right setting is important: a bezel or halo provides the best protection for daily wear, and we will advise on the best option for your lifestyle.
Yes. We work with clients across Australia, including clients in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and beyond. The process begins with an enquiry and an initial consultation, which we conduct by phone, video, or email depending on your preference. We present stone options with detailed photography and video, guide you through the design process remotely, and deliver the finished piece to your door. Every custom piece is backed by our lifetime guarantee.
Contact us directly with what you are looking for: the colour, the piece type, the setting style you have in mind, and your budget. Because spinel is sourced individually rather than from a standardised stock list, availability changes regularly. We will tell you what we currently have, what we can source, and what the custom commission options are for a piece that is not yet in the collection.
Spinel was officially added to the August birthstone list in 2016, joining peridot and sardonyx in one of the most significant updates to the modern birthstone calendar in decades. The recognition was long overdue. The spinel birthstone brings something to the August list that the other stones simply do not: a colour range broad enough to suit every taste, a brilliance that performs beautifully in jewellery, and a history distinguished enough to justify the designation. For anyone born in August who has always felt that peridot did not quite speak to them, the spinel birthstone is the alternative that was always there, waiting to be recognised.
As a gift for an August birthday, spinel birthstone jewellery is a choice that feels current and considered rather than conventional. The person receiving it is unlikely to have been gifted spinel before, which means you are giving them something genuinely new rather than another version of what they already own. And because spinel gemstones come in such a wide range of colours and settings, there is a spinel birthstone piece for every personality, every style, and every budget. Enquire to discuss the options and we will help you find the one that is right for the person you are buying for.
Aquamarine is actually a member of the beryl family which includes emerald and morganite. The blue-green color of aquamarine is due to small amounts of iron within its molecular structure, while the natural transparency of the stone creates exceptional sparkle and shine in the finished piece of jewelry. It’s a reliable gemstone that retains its beauty in every light.