August Is the Month of Superb Spinel

By Brittany Siminitz | August 07, 2024

I first learned about spinel many years ago when I worked in retail, a job that was a crash course on gemstones in many ways.

At that time, I thought of spinel as one of the “red stones.” I was well acquainted with ruby, then came garnet, and then yet another—spinel, which is most commonly seen in a reddish pink shade.

As time has passed, my love for spinel has grown. It’s one of my all-time favorites. Considering spinel’s color variety, its fan base should be far-reaching, but I feel it still flies well under the radar.

Perhaps that’s because it’s such a tricky stone: Often confused with other gems, spinel can be difficult for anyone but an expert to identify. It doesn’t have the instant recognition of, say, sapphire or emerald, and its hues aren’t necessarily as universally appealing as theirs.

Yet I love a purple spinel. It’s a stone you just don’t see often, and it’s also hard to find other gems in that color, ranging from violet to blue.

Below, many reasons to consider spinel over peridot (or both) as the ultimate August birthstone.