Spinel with Chondrodite - image 1

Spinel with Chondrodite

Help improve this record

No owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.

Sign in to contribute
An interesting combination of well crystallised plum purple Spinel with smaller clove brown Chondrodite crystals on a rusty brown matrix from Luc Yen in Yenbai Province, Vietnam. This well known deposit of predominantly Spinel and Ruby is within the Lo Gam metamorphic zone located in northern Vietnam. The deposit, comprising of Cambrian marble units overlying mica-schists, is also abundant with many other gem species including garnet, tourmaline, apatite. The accompanying video shows this specimen in white LED light and ultraviolet light, under which the Spinel fluoresces a stunningly deep and bright blood red scarlet!

Product details

SpeciesSpinel, Chondrodite
SizeMiniature
Dimensions3.2 x 3.2 x 2.5 cm
Added on12/02/2024
LocalityVietnam, Yên Bái Province, Luc Yen Mine
Current owner
Unknown Owner
Acquired
Jul 2026
Price paid
$500.00
Previous owners
DateCollectorAcquisition price
—Crystal ClassicsNot disclosed

Learn more

Spinel
Mineral guide
Learn about Spinel
, color range from ruby red to cobalt blue, sharp octahedral form, hardness 8, rare gemmy crystals on marble, prized by collectors for rarity and luster.
Spinel
Regional guide
Spinel from Luc Yen Mine, Vietnam
Luc Yen spinel, Vietnam — marble-hosted red to cobalt-blue crystals; paragenesis with calcite and clinohumite, making this locality prized by collectors.
Locality guide
Luc Yen Mine
Luc Yen Mine, Vietnam — a gem locality producing ruby, spinel, pargasite and tourmaline in marble, known for vivid color contrasts and cobalt-blue spinel.