Edwardian Ceylon pink spinel and diamond coronet cluster ring. Set with a cushion shape old cut natural unenhanced Ceylon pink spinel to centre with an approximate weight of 4.10 carats in an open back rubover millegrain setting, encircled by a single row of round eight cut diamonds in open back rubover settings and two further set to the shoulders in grain settings, twenty four in total with an approximate combined weight of 0.35 carats, to an elegant openwork cluster design featuring millegrain edging, an ornate lattice pierced gallery and fancy shape open backholing, flanked by split scrolling shoulders and tapering down to a solid ridged shank. Marked platinum, French control mark, circa 1910, accompanied by Gemmological Certification Services report (GCS) #80247-65.

The name 'Spinel' is actually derived from the Latin word “spinella”, meaning little thorn, due to their sharp crystal formation. Like diamonds, Spinel are part of the cubic crystal system and they form in perfect octahedrons. A hard and durable gemstone, spinel scores an 8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, making it a perfect choice for a piece of jewellery.

Spinels can come in a myriad of colours, including red, pink, orange, blue, violet, green, and black. The finest spinels exhibit a bright and brilliant red, which can be similar in appearance to ruby, leading to historical confusion between the two gemstones. It was only in 1783 that mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome de Lisle developed a test to differentiate between ruby and spinel.

The so-called 'Black Prince's ruby', found on the British Imperial state crown is one of the most famous examples of a Spinel that was confused as a Ruby for centuries!

This ring is in excellent condition.