English

Known of since antiquity, spinels have often been confused with rubies due to their exceptional, bright red colouring, but this has not prevented the spinel from appearing in numerous royal fineries and rulers’ ornamentation. The spinel also exists in other, equally bright and extraordinary colours including pink, orange, violet, blue and purple, with stronger or more subtle nuances, depending on the stone. Philippe Tournaire has worked with spinels across his original collections and enjoys giving them the limelight they deserve; they are his gem of choice thanks to their brilliance and beauty. Spinels form part of the oxide-minerals family. They are listed at 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means that they are very hard gems and therefore much appreciated in jewellery-making. As an uncut stone, this wonderful range of gems, as with diamonds, has a double-pyramid, frequently with welldefined contours. Spinels may also be found as flat crystals, which can make working with them difficult for the lapidaries who must cut that particular shape to a very shallow point, so as to retain the maximum number of carats possible.

2011-03-03 12:29:08