This beautiful purple Spinel comes from the Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan.
The specimen #011 measures about 6 x 4 x 5.5cm and weighs about 170g, the well-defined large crystal octahedron has an edge length of about 3cm. The matrix consists mainly of Feldspar.
Since the 16th century different spellings of the mineral Spinel have been used, e.g. Spynell, Spinella and Spinellus. Today the spelling Spinel is common, occasionally Spinnell can be found. A misleading synonym for lavender spinel is Almandine Spinel. The purple color is caused by different admixtures, e.g. chromium, iron or cobalt.
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