Spinel is a colored gemstone that comes in numerous colors and nicknamed ‘the great imposter’ because spinels and rubies were thought to be the same stone for hundreds of years. In its pure form, spinel is colorless, but when trace elements acting as chromophores (such as chromium, iron, and cobalt) are present, spinel can take on many beautiful colors. Unlike other jewelry gems where the colorless variety is the least expensive, colorless spinel is rarer than colored spinel, making the colorless stone a valuable collector’s gem.
