Specific gravity 3.6-4, Refractive index 1.72-1.8

Red spinel can substitute for ruby and blue spinel for blue sapphire. Spinels can be purple, pink, pink tinged with orange, green, and more rarely, blue. Red spinel is the most valuable. It is rare to find a spinel that weighs more than five carats. Spinel are beautiful, durable gemstones without cleavages and with a moderate dispersion.

Spinel is most commonly a brilliant red, and is often found where rubies are found. Thus people often mistake red spinel for ruby. Some of the well-known "rubies" in the British Crown jewelry collection are actually spinel. Spinel is mined mainly in Myanmar (Burma), although they are also found in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

There are many synthetic spinels on the market, and people are often fooled.

Spinel is said to help the wearer financially, and can protect the wearer from unexpected losses.

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