Spinel shines as August’s modern birthstone in vibrant designer jewels

Spinel is the August birthstone for people who want a little more edge than peridot can offer. GIA lists peridot, spinel and sardonyx for the month, with sardonyx as the original birthstone and spinel a later addition; AGTA describes spinel as a gem that can run from orange to lavender to mauve, rates it 8 on the Mohs scale, and notes that the best-known sources are Myanmar and Sri Lanka, with Tanzania and Tajikistan supplying smaller amounts.

That combination of history, color and durability is why spinel has moved from gemological insider favorite to a far more persuasive modern birthstone buy. The Glossary’s edit turns that argument into a shopping map, with 18 designer pieces that show how spinel can look classic, avant-garde, wearable or wildly opulent depending on the cut, the setting and the price bracket.

1. Bulgari white-gold high jewellery ring

Bulgari’s ring, set with spinel, aquamarine and diamond in white gold, is the cool-toned end of the spectrum and the most overtly high-jewelry gesture in the group. If you want spinel to read as a collector’s stone rather than a ruby alternative, this is the kind of composition that does it.

2. Piaget Limelight Sunlight Journey cuff bracelet

Piaget’s gold cuff gives spinel a sleek architectural frame, and the bracelet format makes the gem feel kinetic rather than precious in a fussy way. This is the piece that works best when you want a birthstone jewel to sit with tailoring and still hold its own at evening.

3. Chaumet Escales ring

Chaumet’s Escales ring mixes white gold and pink gold with spinel, sapphire, tourmaline and diamond, which makes it the most chromatic ring in the edit. The blend of metals and stones gives spinel a fashion-forward role, less solitary centerpiece than part of a vivid, deliberate palette.

4. Margot McKinney spinel and diamond brooch

At £75,000, Margot McKinney’s brooch is pure high jewelry, and brooches are where spinel can feel especially polished because the form favors scale and craftsmanship. If you are buying for longevity rather than trend, this is the sort of piece that can anchor a collection for decades.

5. Emily P Wheeler Unicorn Earrings

Emily P Wheeler’s rose-gold Unicorn earrings bring warmth to spinel and push the gem into a more playful, talismanic register. At £18,696, they are still a serious purchase, but earrings at this level are often the easiest way to live with a vivid stone because they frame the face instead of dominating the hand.

6. David Morris Electra ring

David Morris sets spinel beside pink opal and diamond in white gold, which softens the stone’s punch and gives the ring a more romantic, slightly surreal finish. It is a good example of how spinel can move beyond the ruby comparison and become part of a more painterly jewel.

7. Artemer hexagon-cut spinel and diamond engagement ring

Artemer’s 18ct gold hexagon-cut spinel and diamond engagement ring, priced at £5,800, makes the strongest case for spinel as a nontraditional center stone. The geometric cut keeps the look clean and contemporary, so the color can stay the story without overwhelming the hand.

8. Rahaminov Diamonds cushion-cut spinel ring

A platinum cushion-cut spinel ring with diamonds reads as the most classic of the solitaire-adjacent options, especially because cushion cuts tend to flatter saturated color. With price on request, it sits firmly in the fine-jewelry tier where cut and stone quality matter more than overt branding.

9. Kalthams Pavilion spinel and diamond ring

At £2,335, Kalthams Pavilion offers one of the most approachable entry points into designer spinel without losing the sense of a proper ring. This is the smart buy if you want the birthstone story in a format you can wear often, not just on special days.

10. Nak Armstrong Ruffled Ear Lassos earrings

Nak Armstrong’s rose-gold Ruffled Ear Lassos are a reminder that spinel can be sculptural, not just saturated. The £7,900 price reflects the complexity of the silhouette, and the result feels like a modern way to wear color without resorting to a pendant or a cocktail ring.

11. Yi Collection Cascade earrings

Yi Collection’s gold Cascade earrings, set with spinel and diamond at £5,100, bring movement into the conversation. They are the kind of earrings that let spinel work at dinner and then keep working with a white shirt the next morning, which is exactly why the gem is gaining new appeal.

12. Lydia Courteille Rosa Del Inca earrings

Lydia Courteille takes the most exuberant route, pairing spinel with rhodochrosite, sapphire and ruby in the Rosa Del Inca earrings. The piece feels intentionally layered and sensual, ideal if you want your birthstone jewelry to behave more like artful color blocking than a neat single-stone study.

13. Nakard Triple Line Earrings

Nakard’s sterling-silver Triple Line Earrings, priced at £1,650, prove that spinel does not need a grand setting to make an impression. The mix of spinel and opal keeps the look light and wearable, which is often the better long-term choice than chasing the biggest stone.

14. Greenwich St Jewelers Bequia Toi et Moi Ring

Greenwich St Jewelers’ Bequia Toi et Moi ring, at £995, is the most accessible ring in the edit and one of the easiest to style daily. The Toi et Moi format gives spinel a romantic edge, but the clean gold setting keeps it from veering precious or saccharine.

15. Pippa Small gold spinel ring

Pippa Small’s gold spinel ring is stripped back in the best way, letting the gem and the metal do all the work. At £2,085, it belongs to the category of pieces that feel deeply personal because they rely on proportion and finish rather than ornament.

16. Anne Sisteron Square ring

Anne Sisteron’s square ring, priced at £2,317, gives spinel a sharper, more graphic outline. The shape makes it easy to wear as a signature ring, especially if you prefer something that feels crisp beside a watch or stacked band.

17. Harwell Godfrey red spinel earrings

Harwell Godfrey’s 18k rose-gold earrings with red spinel and diamonds, priced at $1,800, are the closest thing here to a traditional ruby mood. For anyone drawn to spinel because of its ruby history, this is the most legible and flattering way to wear that legacy.

18. Amáli Jewelry Burmese lavender spinel necklace

Amáli Jewelry’s necklace in 14k yellow gold and blackened sterling silver uses 0.85 carat of Burmese lavender spinel, with diamond, and that cool-toned contrast makes the gem feel distinctly contemporary. At $2,200, it is the kind of necklace that shows spinel at its most editorial, especially if you want color that looks deliberate rather than decorative.

Spinel’s strongest case is not simply that it is rarer than peridot or historically tangled with ruby, but that it wears beautifully across the full range of jewelry forms. With a Mohs hardness of 8, broad color range and stones above 2 carats relatively uncommon, the best buys here are the ones that balance memorable color with a setting you will still want to wear years from now.