2.88 Ct. Spinel from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

This purplish blue spinel begins its story deep within the heart of Ceylon Sri Lanka, where veins of metamorphic rock cradle crystals that have formed over millions of years. From the moment it was discovered, this stone held a quiet promise, its transparent body catching a hint of twilight color beneath the dust and earth. At The Natural Gemstone Company we watched that promise become reality, as skilled hands and patient eyes traced the outline of what this material yearned to be. Its rough was selected for character, not weight alone, because the right piece of spinel reveals its best in the way it returns light. The miners who unearthed it know these places well, and their knowledge is part of the gem. Each facet of this 2.88 carat cushion shape stone remembers the patient pressure of the earth, and the journey from subterranean darkness to brilliant light gives it a presence that feels almost like a memory made visible.

When the rough was brought to the lapidary, the cutter saw an opportunity to celebrate the spinel s natural strengths. The gem was fashioned as a cushion shape with a mixed brilliant cut, a combination that draws on the best of both worlds, soft pillow like contours with a scintillating arrangement of crown and pavilion facets. Its dimensions of 8.92 x 7.12 x 5.20 mm were carefully preserved to maintain weight and proportion, the cutter balancing depth and table size so that every internal reflection would be optimally directed back to the eye. A mixed brilliant cut allows the pavilion facets to act like mirrors, while the crown facets break and scatter light into lively sparks. The result is a gem that sits quietly on the hand, then wakes with movement, sending flashes of cool blue violet and electric purple across a surface that seems to breathe light. With an excellent polish, the surface is glass smooth, and each facet edge is crisp, so when natural daylight or candlelight strikes the stone, the light seems to combust and dance with an intensity that is rare.

The inherent structure of spinel is part of what gives this stone its exceptional sparkle. Spinel crystallizes in the isometric or cubic system, which means its internal lattice is highly symmetrical. This symmetry produces uniform optical behavior in every direction, allowing light to be returned evenly and vibrantly from the many facets of a well cut stone. In practical terms, that means when you tilt the gem, flashes of color change and return consistently, with no unexpected dark zones. Spinel s refractive properties lead to bright return and lively scintillation. Because there is essentially no pleochroism to disrupt its color, the purplish blue remains concentrated and clear across the entire table, so color and sparkle act in concert rather than competing. In this particular specimen the intense color intensity amplifies every return of light, creating a sense of depth and inner fire, while the very slightly included clarity evaluated at eye level means that the stone reads clean to the naked eye, preserving uninterrupted brilliance.

There is also a subtle but crucial interplay between the gem s material purity and its cut geometry. The mixed brilliant design in this cushion shape permits generous pavillion facets that funnel light, and a well proportioned crown that releases that light into crisp, scintillating flashes. The excellent polish ensures that no microabrasions diffuse the light, so reflections remain sharp and alive. Because this spinel has no enhancements, every beam of light that plunges into it is interacting with natural crystal chemistry, with natural distribution of trace elements that give it the remarkable purplish blue hue. That unaltered chemistry is something collectors and connoisseurs prize, because it means the color and sparkle you admire today will remain a truthful record of where the gem came from. In the hand the gem feels like a finished thought. It is not loud, but it refuses to be ignored, catching attention with a mature and elegant scintillation that often invites a second, slower look.

Owning a gem like this ties you to a lineage of appreciation that stretches across cultures and centuries. Spinel from Ceylon Sri Lanka has been treasured in royal courts and private collections alike, often mistaken in earlier times for other gemstones before gemology could tell their stories apart. Here at The Natural Gemstone Company we honor that history by offering stones that carry both provenance and integrity. This 2.88 carat cushion shape purplish blue spinel, with its dimensions, mixed brilliant cut, very slightly included clarity grade at eye level, intense color intensity, and excellent polish represents a single, unenhanced voice from an ancient place. It is a gem to be set and worn, to be admired and sometimes to be held up to the light and remembered for all the hands and horizons that brought it into being.