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Blue Spinel · Unheated
Sri LankaCertified
$220
Insured worldwide shipping included.
This unheated greyish blue spinel from Ratnapura came to us as 1.885 ct of rough and is now an eye clean 0.51 ct emerald cut.
From the buying desk
By Crestonne
We bought this stone as rough: a greyish blue spinel crystal from Sri Lanka, weighing 1.885 ct before any cutting. He found it at a gem market, which is still where much of the island's best rough changes hands. The colour did not shout. Greyish blue rarely does, and that is a large part of its appeal: a cool, steel-toned blue that looks different under a window than under a lamp. Rough like this is bought on two things, what you can read through its surface and what you are prepared to lose in the cutting.
The first answer came at our own bench, where the crystal was preformed. This is the stage where the outline is set and a lump of rough starts to show its proportions. The weight fell from 1.885 ct to 1.035 ct, which is the honest arithmetic of buying rough: a good part of the crystal has to go before the stone inside is visible. It is also where a buyer learns whether the first reading of the colour was sound. Here it was, and the work went on.
Cutting and polishing were done by a lapidary we trust, and the stone came back at 0.515 ct. The finished stone is a 0.51 ct emerald cut measuring 4.33 x 4.31 x 3.56 mm, close to square in outline. The long, clean steps of the cut suit a colour this quiet, and the cut grade is Very Good. It is a little over a quarter of the weight we started with, and every step of that reduction was one we watched.
What you see now is what the ground gave us. The stone is unheated, so the greyish blue is its natural colour, and it is eye clean. We then had it examined by TGL, and the certificate section on this page carries the full report. From rough in Sri Lanka to the stone on this page, it has stayed in our hands throughout.
Certification
The stone ships with its original TGL report. To see it now, including the report number, enter your email and we send the link immediately.
Report No. •••••••
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Common questions
The questions buyers ask about this particular stone, answered against its own report and measurements.
Ask questions about this stoneNo, this stone is unheated, and the certificate that comes with it records that. Heat is a normal and perfectly respectable practice in the gem trade, but a stone with no heat at all sits in the premium tier, so it is worth knowing about. For a greyish blue spinel like this one, it means the colour you see is the colour the stone came out of the ground with.
I bought the rough at 1.885 ct, and the finished emerald cut weighs 0.51 ct, a little over a quarter of the original weight. That is a normal outcome when rough is cut for a clean, well-shaped stone rather than for maximum carats. I would rather offer you a smaller stone that is eye clean and properly cut than a heavier one with compromises.
The long, flat step facets of an emerald cut give a calm, glassy look rather than a sparkly one. That suits a muted greyish blue, because the colour reads evenly across the table instead of breaking into flashes. The cut grade is Very Good, and the outline is almost perfectly square at 4.33 x 4.31 mm.
No. Eye clean means I cannot see inclusions with the naked eye when looking at the stone face up at a normal distance. Under magnification you may still find tiny natural features, which is common for a natural, unheated stone. In an emerald cut the open steps make clarity easier to see, so eye clean matters more here than in a brilliant cut.
Spinel is a hard, durable stone, so it can take a ring with sensible everyday care. At 0.51 ct and about 4.3 mm square, it is a modest size that works well as a small solitaire or in a simple setting. It would be equally at home as a pendant, where it is less exposed to knocks.
Shipping and returns
Free standard shipping worldwide. Every stone leaves Sri Lanka fully insured, with a tracking number, and normally arrives within 7 to 10 business days. Customs duties and import taxes, where they apply, are the buyer's responsibility.
Changed your mind? Tell us within 14 days of receiving the stone, and we send you the return paperwork. Send it back unset, unaltered and undamaged, with everything that came with it, fully insured and tracked at your cost. We refund the full price you paid, with no fees. If anything is unclear, just ask.
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