1.73 Ct. Purple Spinel from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

This pear shape purple spinel weighs 1.73 carats, a weight that immediately positions it within a collectible and investment grade bracket, and its dimensions of 8.40 by 6.94 by 4.42 millimeters reflect an excellent balance between visual presence and optical performance. The combination of weight and proportions yields a gem with substantial face up area and strong saturation, characteristics that are highly prized in natural spinel. The material is transparent with an intense color intensity, and its clarity grade is very very slightly included evaluated at eye level, which in practical terms means the stone reads as eye clean while retaining natural internal character when examined under magnification. The cutting style is faceted with a mixed brilliant design, and the finish is executed to an excellent polish, resulting in crisp facet junctions, controlled light return, and a lively scintillation across the pear outline. There has been no enhancement to this spinel, and its reported origin is Ceylon Sri Lanka, a locality known for producing finely saturated and well crystallized spinel material. As offered by The Natural Gemstone Company this specimen represents an unenhanced, naturally intense purple spinel in a desirable weight class.

From a gemological and lapidary perspective the mixed brilliant cut used on this pear shape is deliberately chosen to optimize both color saturation and brilliance, particularly in a material with the refractive and dispersion properties of spinel. The crown employs brilliant style facets to disperse light and create lively fire, while the pavilion facets are arranged to balance light return and maintain strong color depth. The recorded dimensions produce an approximate depth ratio of fifty eight percent when depth is compared to the average of the length and width, a proportion that supports both a generous visual table and controlled internal light leakage. Spinel is singly refractive and lacks strong pleochroism, so the cutter can orient the pavilion and crown to maximize face up color without compensating for differential color directions, and the result in this stone is an even, intense purple across the table and crown. The material exhibits a specific gravity approximately 3.60, which means two stones of identical dimensions may differ in weight when compared to other gem species, and here the 1.73 carat weight confirms the cutter retained optimal rough weight while achieving premium optical performance. The very very slightly included clarity grade indicates inclusions are minimal, often isolated crystal inclusions or healed fractures that do not impede light performance, and the excellent polish further enhances apparent transparency and sparkle.

Weight is a primary driver of rarity and value in colored gemstones, and the 1.73 carat weight of this purple spinel materially elevates its market position relative to smaller sizes. In the spinel market price per carat typically increases nonlinearly with weight, as larger clean stones combine visual impact with scarcity of suitable rough, and this effect is amplified for stones with intense saturation and natural origin without treatments. From a rough yield standpoint, achieving a well proportioned pear of these dimensions requires high quality rough with even color distribution and sufficient size, and the cutting decision to preserve weight while producing a mixed brilliant facet scheme demonstrates an informed balance between weight retention and optical quality. Collectors and connoisseurs value unenhanced Ceylon spinel for its consistent and saturated hues, and a near two carat purple specimen with eye clean clarity and excellent polish commands attention in both jewelry and investment contexts. At The Natural Gemstone Company we can provide further technical documentation on proportions and cutting geometry, recommend mounting approaches that preserve optical performance, and discuss third party grading or conservation of this unheated, intense purple spinel for long term retention of value.