The Nivoda Gemstone Encyclopedia
The World's
Gemstone Vault,
On Demand.
From rough to cut - the history, science, treatments and care of every gemstone traded on the Nivoda marketplace.
Photo: Chip Clark, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Photo courtesy of Omi
From the rough · August
The gemstone mistaken for ruby for a thousand years.
Spinel is August's second birth gemstone - and history's great impostor. The Black Prince's Ruby in the Imperial State Crown and the Timur Ruby are both spinels, only unmasked once modern gemmology could tell them apart. Untreated by nature and singly refractive, the finest reds and hot pinks come from Myanmar's Mogok valley, Tanzania and Tajikistan.
Read the spinel entryMembers only
Join GemClub - the Nivoda educational programme.
Monthly briefings, on-demand webinars and curated education for retailers, designers and collectors of fine gems.