Spinel

Info: For his beauty and hardness spinel is often used as precious gemstone. Spinel is found in different colours, depending on what chemical elements contains. Most commonly his colour is determined by iron, which in big quantity gives the spinel a ruby-red colour. Crystals of this mineral have a glass shine, and are usually found in eight-sided cubical forms. Very often the spinel is found in the form of twins. Inside the mineral often are found other minerals, closed in small pockets. Those minerals usually are crystals of calcite, dolomite, apatite, zirconum, olivine or ruitile.

How to recognize: In UV-light the mineral spinel have very strong fourescence. When exposed to high temperatures, red spinel changes his colour to yellow. After cooling the spinel's colour return to red.

Found: In Russia, Australia, USA, India, Barma, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Italy. In Czech Republic spinel is found in small formations bind with some marbles, it is found near Jizerka river and in České Středohoří.

Used for: Spinel is used mainly in jeweliry, but some crystals are also used for sharpening of metal.