For once, Galerie Pénélope is moving away from the birthstones to perfect your knowledge of gemology and jewelry history with spinel.
Antique Mughal Jade and Gold Pendant
Despite its frequent use in Indian jewelry - the gem was particularly prized by the Mughal emperors (16th-19th centuries) - it is globally rare in European jewelry. A few examples can be found in 18th- and 19th-century jewelry, where the main colors used were redred blue (called gahnospinelle), violet violet and colorless. If you come across it in the jewellery collections of the various Courts, it's often in its currant hue, as spinel was long mistaken for a variety of ruby.
It wasn't until 1783, when the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de l'Isle discovered that spinel was a mineral species in its own right, that the treasures of the royal families were viewed in a new light.
Stefano Torelli, Coronation Portrait of Catherine II, 1763-1766, Saint Petersburg, Hermitage Museum.
One of the most famous spinels is that adorning the crown of Catherine II of Russia. Acquired in China in 1676 as part of a trade, it is one of seven historic stones in the jewel collection assembled by Peter the Great. Having taken the throne from him, Catherine II succeeded her husband; she had the head jewel by the jewelers Posier and Eckart. The nearly 400-carat spinel was set on the future empress's crown, accompanied by almost 5,000 diamonds and 74 pearls. The head jewel was subsequently worn by all the Tsars until Nicholas II, proclaimed Emperor in 1896.
Did you know? Still considered a Crown jewel, it is forbidden to take the crown jewel out of the Kremlin, except in cases of force majeure and by personal order of the Russian President. In other words, if you want to see the crown, you'll have to make do with a replica... and then some.
Characteristics of spinel
The etymology of the name "spinel" remains uncertain: it could come from the Latin " spinella ", meaning "little thorn" and referring to the octahedral shape of its crystals, or from the Greek " spinther ", meaning "spark".
Spinel is an Aluminum-Magnesium Oxide, rated 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Remember that when we talk about the "hardness" of a mineral, we're referring to its ability to scratch another mineral, not its resistance to impact. If you'd like to know a little more about this subject, we mention the Mohs scale in our article on diamond sizes. diamond sizes. And when you get to the point of wanting to learn it by heart, here's a fun mnemonic: Ton Gigolo Conte Fleurette A (H)Ortense, Qui Te Cocufie Diablement! (Talc/ Gypsum/ Calcite/ Fluorite/ Apatite/ Orthose/ Quartz/ Topaz/ Corundum/ Diamond) And for our English speakers: Tall Girls Can Flirt And Other Queer Things Can Do! 😉
Our spinel is therefore as resistant to scratches as corundum. Wouldn't that be a first point in common with the ruby ? Remember, ruby is a corundum in the same way as sapphire. The latter exists in virtually every color of the rainbow, except red, since a red is a ruby. Have we lost you? Go to Ruby Land, home of the birthstone of July!
But let's get back to our spinels, lest rubies continue to steal the show. One of the advantages of the gem is that it is little or untreated (unlike, for example, topaz). topaz whose blue hue is obtained by irradiation), and exists in a wide spectrum of colors. Some have specific names, such as gahnospinelle blue mentioned above, as well as the pleonaste, whose color is green dark to black.
Generally speaking, there are very few large stones. Even rarer are star spinels (4 to 6 branches)... another feature in common with rubies !
In fact, spinel is found in alluvial deposits alongside corundum, which may explain the confusion between red spinel and ruby. What's more, both gems often crystallize in marble and derive their hue from chromium oxide.
The main origins of spinel include Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Tajikistan.
Did you say "carbuncle"?
If the ruby is common, red spinel can also be confused with garnets almandine and pyrope garnets. Before the development of gemology, any brilliant red stone was called an "escarboucle", from the Latin " carbunculus" meaning "little ember". At the time, color was a key characteristic in the differentiation of gems. Remember: initially, it was thought that all topaz were yellow, and that all yellow stones were topaz.
Spinels are sometimes misleadingly referred to as "broom rubies", "sweeping rubies" or "spinel rubies". A misleading designation that fosters confusion.
Quite a few red spinels, thought to be rubiescan be found in the jewel collections of European crowns.
Marguerite Spinelle Red Ring with Diamonds
The most famous ruby spinel is undoubtedly the "Black Prince's Ruby", set in the Crown of England. Like opalHowever, the British monarchy seems to be doing rather well, with the power couple William-Kate ready to take over from Charles, who is making the most of his throne (he's waited 70 years for it, so you can't really blame him).
Our spinel is said to have been a gift from Peter the Cruel to Edward of Woodstock, son of England's King Edward III, posthumously nicknamed "the Black Prince" - it's not clear whether his nickname comes from his black armor. black armor or his feats of arms. The fake ruby is said to have been snatched by Peter the Cruel himself from the Sultan of Granada in 1371. Set in the English crown in the 15th century, it wasn't until the 1850s that the secret was out: the "Black Prince's ruby"... is a spinel. Shocking! And best of all, it's not the only one in the British royal family's jewel collection: the "Timur ruby", weighing over 350 carats, is also a spinel.
One of France's crown jewels, the "Côte de Bretagne", is no exception to the ruby spinel rule. We'll come back to this in the last part of our article, but as you can see, it's nothing to brag about to our friends across the Channel!
By the way, do you know which Englishman paraded before Francis I with his "ruby" necklace?
Henry VIII: spinels and manspreading
After Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII, 1540-1547, late copy attributed to Hans Eworth (original lost).
This time, we're not going to pull any more tricks on you: Henry VIII's great "ruby" necklace is also said to be set with spinels.
Known as "Bluebeard" because of the sulphurous destinies of his six wives, he is the heir to a crown that was not quite obtained in the regular way (his father, Henry VII, having ensured that the last male heir of the Plantagenets could not claim his rightful access to the throne).
Henry VIII therefore needed a way to shape his image as king and consolidate his power, and to this end he turned to appearance in particular. Feathers, silver cloaks, precious fabrics - nothing was too good to express the king's magnificence. And the jewelry were not to be outdone: "Anxious to dazzle Francis I at their first meeting, [Henry VIII] flamboyantly glittered and sparkled", adorned in particular with an "indecent necklace of jewels", as we read in Yvane Jacob's Sapé comme jadis. Could this be the famous spinel-ruby necklace depicted in Holbein the Younger's portrait of the king?
In the 17th century rubies were highly prized. Because of their redassociated with fire and blood, the gemstone symbolizes passion and courage. So it's no coincidence that Henry VIII chose the gem to adorn his fabulous necklace, expressing his power as much as his wealth. Without knowing, of course, that the rubies were actually spinels.
Another element of the monarch's costume helps demonstrate his power: his fly. Aka manspreading, Renaissance version.
Ferrara School, The Engagement, 1470, Berlin, Gemäldegalerie.
While in principle Galerie Pénélope prefers to concentrate on gold jewelry than on family jewels, we have to admit that we wanted to find out more about this astonishing fly... by opening our fashion history books! Until the middle of the 14th century, men and women alike wore loose-fitting tunics, as in the painting of the engagement shown above. With the exception of ecclesiastical and academic circles, men's dress evolved with the Hundred Years' War. Chausses (a kind of opaque tights) and pourpoint , or gipon, gave men greater mobility. The latter, which became shorter and shorter over the years, eventually revealed the opening in the socks that molded the private parts. A costume element had to be found to conceal them... but what an idea!
From the 16th century onwards, full steam ahead! A symbol of conquest and virility, the fly was made of several layers of fabric, padded and fastened with a strap. What's more, it was sometimes topped by a coquet adorned with ribbons and/or jewels. In a context of emulation that is easy to imagine and denounced by Montaigne, who speaks of a "ridiculous piece" that "increases their natural greatness by falsehood and imposture" in his Essais. In English, "to brag" means "to boast". Coincidence? We'll leave you to ponder! The fly could also be used as a purse, a storage space for handkerchiefs, missives and other small objects. Did you know that?
With the Protestant Reformation, the fly became less and less present, and finally disappeared altogether in the 18th century, in favor of bridged pants.
The Côte de Bretagne, jewel in the crown of France
Enough about the English, in France too; we've had our fill of spinels among the Crown Jewels. First, how about a quick varnish on the subject?
After Jean and François Clouet, Portrait de François Ier, roi de France (1515-1547), 17th century, Chambord, Domaine national.
François I was responsible for the creation of the "Diamants de la Couronne". With all due respect to his misplaced wit, note that he too is wearing a fly in the painting by Jean and François Clouet. Thanks to Galerie Pénélope, you'll never look at Renaissance male portraits the same way again!
In 1530, the King of France decided to officially found the institution of Crown Diamonds by selecting eight jewels from the royal possessions acquired by his predecessors since the Middle Ages, to form the basis of the collection. As a reminder, the ruby was very popular at the time. No less than three spinels, in fact rubies, joined the lot: the "Œuf de Naples", the "Fève de Naples" and finally the "Côte de Bretagne", on which we'll be taking a closer look.
Did you know? The spinel, cut during the reign of Louis XV, can now be seen at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The Galerie d'Apollon houses part of what remains of the French Crown Jewels.
François I inherited the "Côte de Bretagne" on the death of his first wife Claude de France, who inherited it from her mother Anne de Bretagne. Claude's grandmother, Marguerite de Foix, is the owner of the oldest known gem to date.
At the time, in 1530, spinel was set in a "hanging ring", or "cottoire". Almost thirty years later, on the occasion of the accession of François II (1559), a new mounting, a triangle adorned with pearls was made for the gem.
Gouache of the Golden Fleece, 2008.
The three Crown spinels were re-cut under Louis XV. The "Côte de Bretagne" was chosen to adorn the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece, commissioned from the jeweler Jacquemin in 1749. The gem was cut into the shape of a dragon by Jacques Gray. Unfortunately, it has not come down to us in its entirety, as the legendary creature's wings and tail were originally adorned with diamonds. From the dragon's mouth hung the diamond Louis XIV's blue diamond, from which hung the golden fleece. A blue blue... sound familiar? Well done, we tell you all about its tumultuous journey to Washington's Smithsonian Institute in our diary. A second diamond, weighing 32 carats, and 2 topazes and 84 brilliant-cut diamonds red completed the set.
The jewel was stolen and butchered in 1792, during the French Revolution. A replica now exists in the Galerie de Géologie et Minéralogie of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris).
After many twists and turns, the proclamation of the Third Republic sounded the death knell for the French Crown Diamonds. On January 11, 1887, the law on the alienation of the Crown Diamonds was promulgated, with the consequence of "removing a property or a right from the patrimony of the person who is its current owner or holder" (Dictionnaire juridique). The result, from May 12 to 23, 1887 at the Louvre, was a "heritage garage sale" aimed at "getting rid of souvenirs of the French monarchy" ([Dir]. Guillaume Glorieux, Idées reçues sur le bijou), in which the Crown Diamonds flew to the four winds. With a few exceptions, however: a handful of pieces were excluded from the auction and divided between the Musée du Louvre, the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle and the Ecole des Mines.
Marguerite Spinelle ring set with diamonds
Spinel has only been recognized as a gem in its own right since the late 18th century. And in a way, we're glad that it was mistaken for a ruby until then, since it's no doubt thanks to this that it's now an integral part of European heritage collections.
This in no way detracts from its intrinsic qualities, and in fact the stone is highly prized in jewelry today. We promise you won't hear the last of it, so you can casually slip in one of our anecdotes to your audience. And to nonchalantly provoke conversation... our ring above is still available. But don't delay too long, as all antique jewelry it's as rare as it is unique!