4.76 Ct. Spinel from Burma (Myanmar)

This specimen is a transparent 4.76 carat oval purple spinel, with calibrated dimensions of 11.09 by 9.25 by 6.12 millimeters and a length to width ratio of approximately 1.20. The cutter has executed a mixed brilliant cut, employing a brilliant-style crown to maximize scintillation and a modified, more faceted pavilion to promote even light return across the long axis of the oval. Measured depth relative to average diameter is approximately 60 percent, a proportion that balances face-up spread with internal light performance and yields a lively interplay of pinpoint facets and larger facet flashes. Color is described as medium intense purple, presenting a stable, even saturation across the table and crown facets with no obvious zoning when viewed face up. Clarity is graded as very very slightly included when evaluated at eye level, indicating inclusions are minute and do not materially interrupt the stone’s overall transparency or the crispness of facet junctions. The polish is excellent, producing sharp facet bearding and bright, mirror-like facet planes that accentuate the gem’s brilliance and contrast pattern.

From a gemological treatment and wearability perspective, this spinel has been heat treated, a common and stable enhancement in the trade performed to optimize tone and remove undesirable brownish or grayish overtones. Heat treatment in spinel is widely accepted when fully disclosed because it typically improves color homogeneity without materially affecting durability; spinel’s inherent hardness of approximately 8 on the Mohs scale and stable crystal structure mean that routine heat treatment does not compromise wearability for everyday jewelry. The mixed brilliant faceting combined with an excellent polish produces strong return of white light and controlled scintillation rather than excessive windowing or extinction, making the gem well suited to open-style prong mounts or mixed-metal settings that allow the pavilion to interact with ambient light. For professional setters and designers, the oval outline and 11.09 by 9.25 millimeter face dimensions offer a generous face-up area for a 4.76 carat weight, allowing design flexibility for solitaire, halo, or multi-stone compositions where proportional symmetry and finger coverage are critical considerations.

The documented origin of this spinel as Burma Myanmar significantly augments its intrinsic and market value because Burmese spinels, particularly material from classic Mogok-related marble-hosted occurrences, are historically and geologically esteemed for producing stones with pure hues and fine crystal clarity. Provenance from Burma signals a geological history of recrystallization in high-grade metamorphic environments where trace transition elements are incorporated in a way that often yields desirable color expression; in purple spinel specifically, trace chromium and iron combinations commonly influence tone and saturation, producing stable medium to strong purples that are both attractive and rare in larger sizes. Collectors and connoisseurs place a premium on Burmese provenance due to the long-established pedigree of Mogok-area material in museum and private collections, and because origin can be corroborated through advanced gemological analysis such as trace element fingerprinting and inclusion typology. The Natural Gemstone Company fully discloses this origin and the heat treatment status to ensure transparent market representation. In practical terms, provenance combined with sound cutting, eye-level clarity, and an excellent polish yields a gem that is desirable for both high-end jewelry applications and as a collectible investment-grade spinel, where rarity of color, size, and documented Burmese origin traditionally command a measurable uplift in market desirability.