5.14 Ct. Spinel from Burma (Myanmar)

This 5.14 carat cushion shape spinel measures 10.56 x 9.65 x 6.55 mm, it is transparent with a mixed brilliant cut, and it exhibits a medium intense pinkish red hue that is particularly well suited to classic and contemporary settings, the mixed brilliant faceting combines a brilliant crown with a precision faceted pavilion to maximize internal light return and scintillation, the cutter has employed a balanced table size and carefully angled crown facets to enhance both color saturation and dynamic brilliance, clarity is graded very slightly included at eye level, polish is excellent, enhancement is heat treated, origin is Burma Myanmar, this specimen displays clean facet junctions and a pleasing distribution of color across the crown without the directional color zoning that can complicate other materials.

From a gemological perspective this spinel stands apart from more common gemstones in several technical ways, spinel has a refractive index near 1.718 and is singly refractive, this results in crisp, undoubled facet images that translate into a distinctly clean and lively appearance, corundum species such as ruby and sapphire have higher refractive indices around 1.76 to 1.77 and can show pleochroism which affects apparent color depending on orientation, diamond has a much higher refractive index near 2.417 and greater dispersion, therefore diamond displays more fire, however spinel combines excellent transparency with saturated color, because spinel is isotropic it does not exhibit pleochroism, this means the pinkish red tone appears consistent as the gem is moved, the modest dispersion of spinel produces restrained fire but allows the pure chromatic brilliance of the medium intense color to dominate, the result is a stone that reads as vivid and lively rather than overtly flashy, for the buyer who values color fidelity and clean optical performance this Burmese cushion spinel from The Natural Gemstone Company offers superior color saturation and a precise, gem cutter driven faceting scheme, the combination of 5.14 carat weight, excellent polish, very slightly included clarity, and considered mixed brilliant cutting makes this spinel an exceptional choice for a color forward centerpiece that will outperform many common alternatives in perceived color and crispness.