Selling a spinel
Sell your spinel without losing a large share to the spread
Fine spinel has a following of its own, and most of it is sold untreated, but a buyer still pays only for what a report can show. Document your stone, sell it to a buyer who has passed KYC, and settle safely through Everystone, for a 0–5% commission rather than a cash buyer's discount.
IllustrationWhat sets the price
What a buyer pays for in a spinel
Five things decide most of the price. A fair offer accounts for all of them; a low one usually prices in doubt about one of them.
Color
Vivid red and hot pink lead the market, alongside rare cobalt-blue spinel; purple, lavender and gray stones sell well at lower prices. As with ruby, buyers pay for pure, saturated color without brown.
Treatment
Most spinel on the market is unheated, which is part of its appeal. Heating does occur and lowers the value, so a report stating no indications of heating supports the price.
Origin
Burma (Myanmar), Mogok in particular, and Tanzania's Mahenge produce the most sought-after red and pink spinel; Sri Lanka and Tajikistan have long histories too, and Vietnam has produced fine spinel since the late 1980s. Origin reports for spinel are newer than for ruby or sapphire and becoming more common.
The lab report
Synthetic spinel has been made for about a century, often to imitate other stones. A report from a recognized lab confirming a natural spinel, and stating any treatment, is the basis of a fair price.
Size
Fine red and pink spinel above a few carats is scarce, and as with ruby the price per carat climbs with weight.
A stone with a history
Not a cheaper ruby
For centuries spinel was mistaken for ruby; several famous “rubies” in royal collections are spinels. Today it is valued in its own right. Collectors like that most spinel is untreated, and a fine red spinel usually costs less than a ruby of the same look.
That last point cuts both ways for a seller. Some buyers still think of spinel as a ruby substitute, so your listing should lead with what makes the stone good on its own terms: color, an unheated report, an origin if the lab gave one, and size.
The spread
Why the first cash offer is below what a buyer would pay
A dealer who buys your spinel for cash is buying risk as well as a stone. They don't know how long it will take to resell, their money is tied up until then, and without a recent lab report they must allow for the chance that the treatment or origin is not what you were told. The discount that covers all of that is the spread.
Auctions are not much kinder. At the major auction houses, as of October 2026, the seller's standard commission is about 10% and the buyer pays a 28% premium on top of the hammer price up to $2 million; what a buyer pays in premium comes out of what they are willing to bid.
Much of the spread is the price of doubt. A stone whose report has been checked against the lab's records, whose treatment is stated plainly, sold to a buyer whose money is held until they confirm, leaves far less room for it.
Selling through Everystone
How your spinel gets from the drawer to a buyer
Everystone does not buy stones. We check the stone and its paperwork, put it in front of buyers and settle the sale safely.
Illustration- 01
Tell the desk what you have
The stone, its report if there is one, and where it is now. The desk comes back within one business day with the route that fits its value.
- 02
Check the stone and its paper
The report is cross-checked against the lab's own records. If you want a passport, the stone itself is inspected against the report: $750 once per stone, optional at any price.
- 03
Put it in front of buyers
Privately through the sale-desk, or on the open shop: listed from your cabinet, or through a vetted dealer. Every buyer passes an identity check (KYC), and you are paid only after the buyer confirms the stone.
- 04
Protected payment, then payout
The buyer pays, and the money is held. When they confirm the stone, it is released to you: in full below $10k while we launch, less a 5% commission from $10k.
What it costs
What you pay, and when
A Registry record: free
For an individual owner: the stone's certificate cross-checked against the lab's records, with a QR page. A sensible first step at any value.
Listing it for sale: $20/month
You list the stone from your cabinet and pay the account when you list it; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. A lot is not published without it, and it is hidden again if the month lapses.
A passport, if you want one: $750
Optional at any price, once per stone: the stone inspected against its report, and a passport stating that this paper describes this stone. Order it to sell faster; otherwise a buyer can.
Commission on a sale: 0–5%
None below $10k while we launch: the buyer's premium pays our fee. 5% from $10k, charged only when the stone sells. The buyer pays their own premium (3–7% by deal value) and the settlement fee.
Custody from $30k: 3.5% a year
Optional, after a one-time custody onboarding: a free-zone vault in Bangkok, insurance at documented value, and a sale that never moves the stone.
Questions people ask
Is my red stone a ruby or a spinel?
Only testing can say. The two can look alike and often come from the same deposits, but they are different minerals, and a gemologist separates them with standard tests. A lab report settles it, and decides which market you are selling into.
Does an unheated spinel sell for more?
Yes, at the same quality. Most spinel is untreated, so buyers expect a report to say so; a heated spinel is priced lower, and one without a report is priced as if it might be heated.
Does Everystone buy spinels?
No. Everystone holds no stock and buys nothing on its own account. We check the stone and its paperwork, bring buyers and settle the sale safely. If you need cash today, a dealer will pay it, at the spread described on this page.
Can I list it on the shop myself?
Yes. Open the stone in your cabinet, choose "Sell this stone", set your price and pay the $20/month account; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. You can also sell through a vetted dealer. Either way the deal settles safely through Everystone.
What does it cost to sell?
Registering a stone is free. To sell it, list it from your cabinet and pay the $20/month account; the lot goes live once the desk confirms the payment and reviews it. The commission is charged only when the stone sells: none below $10k while we launch (the buyer's premium pays our fee), 5% from $10k. A passport is optional at any price: the stone checked against its report, $750 once per stone. The buyer pays their own premium and the settlement fee.
Ready to sell your spinel?
Tell the desk what you have. You'll hear back within one business day with the route, what it costs and what a buyer will ask to see.