jewellers, yet their commercial value is far less than that of the
true ruby. The spinel is deficient in the prismatic play of
colors owing to its small refractive and dispersive powers, but,
aside from this imperfection, it rivals the corundum gems as an
ornamental stone.
Various opinions have been given about the origin of the
name balas; Marco Polo thought it was derived from Ballaheia, a mountain in India. Chardin believed it came from
Baluchani, a place in Pegu ; hence it is called " the stone of
Balachan," the Persian name for ruby. King traces its origin to
Balashan, in the neighborhood of Samercanxl, where it is found ;
while another writer says, with some hesitation, that the name
balas, or balais, is a derivative of Beloochistan, which was
formerly called Balastan, where the mineral was discovered in
the thirteenth century. The term almandine applied to a
variety of spinel of the hue of the almond blossom, is simply an
epithet to designate color, and is also given to a variety of the
garnet.
Spinels suitable for jewelry are found in many different
countries—Burmah, Siam, Ceylon, Sweden, Bohemia, Austria, and the United States. A few very good gems, of
small size, have been found in California, and specimens of
smoky blue, green, and dark claret, weighing not more than
two carats, have been discovered in New Jersey, while Sweden
yields a blue variety, and Mount Vesuvius a black ; but the
finest and largest spinels, occasionally weighing from twentyfive to one hundred carats, are obtained from India. Mr.
Streeter mentions two stones of Indian origin imported into
England in 1861, which weighed, respectively, one hundred
and two and one-fourth carats, and one hundred and ninetyseven carats. De Berquem refers to a table balas belonging
to the Shah of Persia, which weighed two ounces. Fine
