Black spinel: what kind of stone is it, magical properties, who can wear it

Black spinel - history of the name

We talked about what spinels are and how, under the guise of rubies, this stone adorned royal crowns for centuries in our previous article , now we will focus on the most mysterious variety of pleonaste or black spinel.

The mineral was first discovered in Ceylon (hence the name ceylonite), the stones found surprised first geologists, then mineralogists around the world - the crystals had hundreds of facets, neatly grew on top of one another and shimmered in all shades of black.

The name pleonast, translated from Greek, means abundance and generosity; under this name the stone was familiar to the magicians of Europe, but it came to them already in a cut form, and no one saw how black spinel is formed in nature.

Where is it used?

Traditionally, spinel is valued in the jewelry industry. Gems decorate royal regalia and religious utensils, and when decorating the royal chambers, pink varieties of the mineral were often used. The dark red stone crowns the crown of Catherine II, and the museum's "Ruby of the Black Prince" and "Ruby of Timur" were classified as flawless spinel upon inspection.

Now crystals are a valuable jewelry material from which inserts for jewelry are made. The gem is combined with diamonds, pearls, and precious metals.

The artificial subspecies is a fire-resistant material. Used in ceramics, in the manufacture of durable paints for ceramics.

Black spinel: physical and chemical properties

Spinel is a hard gem, rating 8 on the Mohs scale, but it is also very fragile. It melts at a temperature of 2135 degrees, and heating to 900 degrees causes a disordered distribution of atoms of the main elements - aluminum and magnesium. The noble (pure) variety of the mineral has no color, and the presence of certain impurities causes the gem to turn different colors.

At different illumination intensities and directions of light rays, pleochroism is observed in the nugget. Some crystals are characterized by asterism - due to the arrangement of inclusions along the axes of internal order, a star effect is found on the stone.

1. Formula - MgAl2O4.
2. Depending on the content of certain elements, it can be red, blue, cyan, yellow, orange, lilac-violet, pink, black, green, colorless and multi-colored, with a grayish-white streak.
3. Possible impurities: titanium, iron, zinc, manganese, calcium, chlorine, chromium.

Black spinel - pleonast stone, hercynite, picotite

The class of ordinary black spinels includes the three most common varieties:

1. Hercynite is a deep black spinel, opaque, often with a green tint;
2. Picotite - in the composition of the mineral, aluminum atoms are partially replaced by chromium, due to this the stone has all shades of gray; depending on the amount of impurities in nature, you can find transparent light gray spinel picotite and dark gray opaque stones.

3. Pleonaste or ceylonite can be dirty-brown, blue-black and dirty-green stone.

Ceylon is considered the world's main supplier of black spinel; deposits of the mineral are found in Russia in the Urals (Shishimskaya and Nazyamskaya mountain systems) and in Yakutia (Fedorovsky mine), the USA, Europe, Australia produces gray transparent stone picotite, which is used in industry.

Place of Birth

The largest spinel crystal - weighing five kilograms, one hundred grams - was mined in the historical adits of the Tajik Kuhi-Lal (Ruby Mountain) deposit in 1985.

On the territory of Russia, industrial deposits of the noble mineral are located in Yakutia, the southern regions adjacent to Lake Baikal, and the Southern Urals.

The world's deposits are located in India, Afghanistan, Thailand, Ceylon, practically close to the places where fossil rubies are found. The most valuable varieties of the jewelry mineral, red spinel, are mined in the depths of Myanmar. Blue stone was discovered in the mines of Sri Lanka. Black (non-decorative) spinel is mined in Australia.

Black spinel in jewelry

Spinel in any color is very well cut into various forms of cutting, but jewelers have a strong prejudice against the black mineral; for almost 300 years in Europe, jewelry with black spinel was made only for funeral ceremonies, pendants were used to decorate the coffin, the clothing of the deceased, etc.

Large stones of black spinel were used by alchemists and sorcerers; the mineral was shaped into a ball, and many masters of the 17th century claimed that already while polishing the stone they “smelled the presence of otherworldly forces.”

Therapeutic effect

Let's consider the healing properties of the stone. They will be useful for those who have chronic diseases or suffer from temporary deterioration in health.

The healing effect of spinel has been proven by experts. Among his abilities are:

• strengthening the immune system;
• activation of blood circulation;
• acceleration of wound healing and recovery in the postoperative period;
• reduction of muscle tension;
• accelerating the healing process during colds;
• improving the quality of intimate life.

The stone improves overall well-being, treats skin diseases, eliminates joint pain, improves vision and treats eye diseases.

When choosing the healing properties of a gem, you need to pay special attention to the color.

Cutting black spinel for jewelry

Today, superstitions about black spinel in jewelry are gradually disappearing; rings, necklaces and pendants with the shining mineral look original at evening receptions and special events. Jewelers in most cases cut spinel into cabochon form and insert it into pendants and earrings; the stones are processed with a diamond cut of 57 facets or in steps; the technique helps the stone glow from within and shine in all shades.

Application area

Since the stone is very rare and expensive, it is used only to decorate noble jewelry. However, in the modern world, artificial spinel is produced, created in laboratory conditions. Such minerals are valued for their optical and dielectric properties, and therefore are used in fine technology and industry.

Synthetic black spinel

For a long time, geologists believed that there is no perfectly black stone in nature; the crystal will always contain an inclusion of a different color, which will create an undertone. But the discovery of ceylonite refuted the theory; ceylonites, costing from $100 per carat, are distinguished by a pure black matte color with a dull glow.

At the beginning of the 20th century, chemists learned to create a synthetic stone; the mineral was not sold for sale; the samples served as raw materials for the production of other synthetic stones, such as rubies and sapphires.

Black spinel is rarely counterfeited, but craftsmen have learned to sell black onyx under the guise of spinel, the stones are almost identical in appearance and tactility, but vary greatly in price, onyx is 3-5 times cheaper. By the way, onyxes are also faked, but here they use plastic and glass as materials.

Magic properties

The black semi-precious stone is under the auspices of Venus, Jupiter and the Sun, hence the inconsistent power of the stone, in some cases amulets or talismans will not bring any benefit, sometimes they will work at full power, it all depends on your zodiac sign.

Gold reveals the magical properties of the gem; if you need to concentrate, wear a pendant or ring with a black spinel framed in gold. A man's ring in silver will enhance libido and help a man stay strong for a long time.

Women choose black spinel earrings to quickly start a family; it is believed that the mineral helps to choose the right life partner.

Interesting Facts

1. For creative people - musicians and artists, it is recommended to wear rings with spinel on the ring or index finger of the left hand, and wear earrings with a stone. It will give inspiration, new ideas, and help create a unique masterpiece.
2. It is necessary to become a sincere and kind owner for the stone - then it will reveal all its positive qualities. It is dangerous to deceive and hide the truth from spinel.
3. You shouldn’t wear the stone every day - you can go into a fantasy world.
4. If a person has a nervous job, you can talk out all the problems to the spinel or just think about them while looking at the stone. Calm will come, thoughts will be put in order and a way out of any situation will be found.
5. Spinel should not be worn with other stones, otherwise the mineral may cause harm.

Sources

• https://jgems.ru/dragotsennye/chyornaya-shpinel
• https://okaratah.com/drugoe/chernaya-spinel.html
• https://planeta-mineral.ru/gadanie/chernaya-shpinel.html
• https://zakamnem.ru/vidy/chernaya-shpinel
• https://gems-and-jewels.ru/chto-takoe-chernyj-shpinel.html
• https://zsigns.ru/kamni/shpinel-kamen-magicheskie-svojstva-znak-zodiaka.html
• https://TheMineral.ru/dragotsennye/shpinel-chto-eto-za-kamen
• https://astroson.com/svoystva-kamney/shpinel-magicheskie-svoystva-kamnya/
• https://proobereg.ru/kamni/shpinel-talisman-magicheskie-svojstva-znak-zodiaka.html
• https://ogems.ru/dragotsennye/spinel
• https://socketmira.ru/dragocennye-kamni/shpinel.html
• https://kamniguru.ru/dragocennye-kamni/shpinel

Who is suitable according to their zodiac sign?

The favorites of the black stone are Leos ; for representatives of this sign, the gem will always bring only benefits: it will preserve health, help in their career, and will serve as a guiding star when making difficult decisions.

The second most important for black spinel are representatives of two other fire signs - Sagittarius and Aries . Those born under these signs will receive improved health, help in business, and career advancement from the gem.

For Pisces, the mineral will bring peace in the family, but only if the representative of the sign is in a legal relationship. Spinel in all shades of black will be a faithful talisman for Libra and Taurus ; they can count on the help of the stone during travel and when making difficult decisions. Black spinel is not suitable as an amulet for other zodiac signs.

A synthetic gem, although it serves as a beautiful stone in jewelry, does not have any magical or healing properties and is only suitable for highlighting the toilet.

The magic of black spinel in the Eastern tradition

The black variety of spinel is called Pleonast and differs from other ornamental stones in its variety of crystalline forms. Despite the amazing deep color, the black stone is not very popular among jewelers, as it maintains the gloomy, depressive aesthetics of the finished product.

In the East, it is believed that the magical fluids of a black crystal accumulate the life force of the owner and return it if necessary, replenishing the energy deficit.

Gifted jewelry with black decor can pose a serious danger, as it forms a channel through which witchcraft damage can be induced. A faceted earth-colored stone has a calming effect on the psyche, balances emotions, promotes concentration, and strengthens willpower.

Transparent black spinel fascinates with the shimmering shine of its edges, refracting light, giving inspiration to impressionable creative people. Poetic works, colored with depressive emotions, sing of black crystal rosaries, inducing a meditative mood with their reflections.

Recommendations when choosing a product with ornamental stone

When purchasing jewelry in a jewelry store, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. When purchasing jewelry with a stone (spinel), you must request a sales receipt with detailed characteristics of the inlaid insert.
2. Take several color photographs of the product.

The investment attractiveness of precious stones makes them very popular in the financial environment, as the commercial price of natural gems is steadily growing. Noble spinel has aesthetic appeal, as well as an excellent market reputation.

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How to care for stone

It is recommended to store black spinel in a separate box, so the stone will retain its magical abilities. Despite its hardness, the mineral remains brittle and can crack under a strong impact. Spinel does not like cleaning with abrasives and aggressive agents - the gem may become cloudy and lose its shine.

Clean the spinel with a lint cloth soaked in a weak solution of vinegar and salt or soapy water every six months; this will restore the shine and cleanliness of the stone.

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Care

Spinel is a very fragile stone that requires careful handling and careful maintenance.

It is necessary:

1. Store separately in a box (preferably with a soft inner lining).
2. Take pictures during physical work and household chores.
3. Avoid falls and impacts.
4. Avoid contact with aggressive chemical media.
5. Clean with a soft brush and mild soap solution once every 3-5 months.

How to care for stone

Spinel is undemanding in terms of cleaning and returning shine.
It should be washed no more than three, maximum four times a year. To do this, use a weak soap solution, a soft sponge and a large amount of clean running water. The stone “rests” and is energetically “refreshed” in the dark. All the difficulties of care for the spinel owner lie in careful handling of it when wearing and storing:

• The stone is afraid of exposure to chemicals, sunlight and high humidity. From the influence of these factors, it can fade, crack and even crumble.
• It is also undesirable for human sweat to come into contact with it, since as a result the intensity of the stone’s shine decreases.
• Impacts and falls of the stone are unacceptable, and it must be stored separately from other gems and in a box with soft walls, since the edges of the spinel can wear off.