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Once known as “imposters,” spinels were often confused
with rubies in ancient times, and were recognised as a
separate gem species in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1587.
In the Mughal era, they were considered special enough to
have paintings dedicated to their beauty. “As one of the few
large, transparent red stones, red spinel’s impressive size was
preserved simply by polishing its surface to bring out its true
colour. In that baroque form it was used in Indian jewelry
and mounted on objects.” (Oppi Untracht, “Balas Ruby:
Red Spinel,”
Traditional Jewelry of India
, New York: Harry N.
Abrams, Inc., 1997, p. 324) The near‒perfect spinels mined
in Myanmar are sometimes known as
nat thwe
, or “polished
by the spirits,” in Burmese. Today, they are also found in Sri
Lanka, Tanzania, and Tajikistan in a wide range of spectacular
colours, and are now rarer than the rubies they were once
mistaken for.
50
SPINEL AND DIAMOND RING
Of a stylised lotus motif, the ring is centred on a
pear‒shaped spinel flanked by oval and pear‒shaped
diamond rose‒cuts on either side forming the outer
petals. The lotus unit has a slight movement to adapt
to the movement of the finger it is worn on; and is
connected to a diamond‒set shank with a diamond‒
set stem, mounted in 18K white gold.
Stamped ‘VAK’
Spinel: 2.09 carats
Diamond: 1.46 carats
Gold: 3.88 grams
Lotus unit: 1.4 cms wide
Ring Size: American 6, English L 1/2
$ 4,395 ‒ 5,745
Rs 3,25,000 ‒ 4,25,000
With report number 19100597‒001 dated 10 September 2019
fromGemmological Institute of India stating that the brownish
red pear‒shaped stone weighing 2.09 carats is a natural spinel.
51
PINK SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING
Designed as a stylised rose set with diamonds at the
centre, and nine overlapping petals set with pink
sapphires. This ring can be converted into a brooch,
mounted in 18K white gold.
Pink Sapphire: 6.51 carats
Diamond: 2.00 carats
Gold: 31.93 grams
Ring Size: American 7 1/4, English O1/2
$ 4,055 ‒ 5,410
Rs 3,00,000 ‒ 4,00,000
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