.34" Lustrous Cobalt-Blue Spinel (Cobaltoan) Crystal - Vietnam

What we have here is a breathtaking and quite rare, cobalt-bearing spinel crystal. This electric blue spinel comes from a location near Chai Creek in the Yên Bái Province of Vietnam.

Comes with a small acrylic display case.

Cobalt-bearing spinel, or blue spinel, is a bright to deep blue variety of spinel.

Spinel is a metamorphic magnesium-aluminum oxide known for deep reddish-pink octahedral crystals. Before minerals could be identified through chemical tests, spinels were considered rubies. Also like corundums, spinel takes well to lab growth: light blue lab-grown spinel is often an inexpensive alternative for aquamarine.

Spinel is colored by impurities, and the blues in cobaltoan spinel come from a higher ratio of cobalt to iron impurities. The most gemstone-quality specimens come from the Lục Yên District of Yên Bái Province in northern Vietnam.

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DETAILS
SPECIES
Spinel var. Cobaltoan Spinel
LOCATION
Chai Creek, An Phu Hills, Dong Banh, Yên Bái Province, Vietnam
SIZE
.34 x .3"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#273715