Gemmological Characteristic of Hot Pink Spinel from Man Sin, Myanmar

In recent years, spinel has come into people's sight with its unique charm, especiallythe hot pink spinel produced in Man Sin, Myanmar and Tanzania which has been greatly welcomed by market because of the craze of spinel.However, while the hot pink spinel has hit the market, the gemmological and spectroscopic studies of this gem are few. In order to underst and the gemmological and spectral characteristics of the hot pink spinel, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDXRF) and Fourier transform spectrometer are used. The hot pink spinel samples were tested by modern testing techniques such as transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopy. The samples from Man Sin, Myanmar and Tanzania were compared. The results show that MgAl₂O₄, the main terminal component of Man Sin spinel samples, contains trace elements such as Cr, V, Fe, Zn and Ca. The mass fraction of Ca in Man Sin samples is 0.017%-0.034%, and that in Tanzania spinel samples, the mass fraction of Ca is about 56 times of its average. In ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectra, Cr³⁺ causes 686 nm strong absorption peak, V³⁺ causes 435 nm absorption peak, and Fe²⁺ causes 370 nm and 585 nm absorption peak. The main chromogenic elements of hot pink spinel provide a scientific basis for the identification of localities because of the great differences in the contents of Cr, V, Fe and Ca.