Spinel – a gemstone takes center stage
For a long time, spinel remained in the shadow of more famous gemstones such as ruby and sapphire—it was not uncommon for historical spinels to be mistaken for rubies.
Cover image: Spinel (Ruppenthal)
This is not surprising, as its color spectrum is exceptionally broad, ranging from intense red and pink tones to violet and blue to lavender, gray, and black. Particularly sought after are strong red shades and cobalt blue variants, which are among the most fascinating colored gemstones due to their luminosity and transparency.
In fact, however, it is an independent gemstone from the oxide group (magnesium aluminum oxide), which is characterized by a remarkable combination of brilliance, hardness, and color variety. With its high clarity and vibrant light effect, which gives it an elegant yet modern look, and a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, spinel is extremely durable and therefore ideal for use in jewelry.
Colored gemstone of the year 2026
Against this backdrop, it comes as little surprise that spinel has been chosen as the gemstone of the year for 2026. The decision draws attention to a gemstone that was long considered a rarity and was therefore used relatively sparingly in jewelry design.
However, new deposits, particularly in Tanzania and Mozambique, have significantly improved availability. As a result, spinel can now be offered in almost all color shades and in a wider range of price segments—including the particularly sought-after blue and red tones. This opens up opportunities for designers and jewelers to integrate a historically significant yet modern gemstone more strongly into contemporary collections.
INHORGENTA as a driving force for the industry
The award is presented annually by the Düsseldorf-based publishing house Markt Intern, and the selection of the colored gemstone of the year was announced at INHORGENTA, underscoring the role of the Munich trade fair as an important trendsetter in the international jewelry and gemstone market. Such initiatives set specific thematic accents and draw the industry’s attention to materials and developments that could gain importance in the future.
Demand for new gemstone options
The extent of current interest in new gemstone options was also evident among exhibitors at the trade fair. The approximately 320-square-meter booth shared by Ruppenthal and its subsidiary ERNST STEIN attracted an exceptionally high number of visitors in the very first hour of the first day of the fair.
Goldsmiths, jewelry designers, and jewelers with their own workshops in particular used the trade fair specifically to optimize their product ranges and search for innovative materials. A clear trend emerged: there is growing demand for jewelry designs with a lower gold content, in which gemstones play a greater role in the design.
In this context, spinel is also gaining additional relevance. With its high hardness, variety of colors, and improved availability, it offers attractive prospects for specialist retailers—as a gemstone with historical appeal and growing potential for modern jewelry design.
