Spinel

Spinel – MgAl2O4
Elements: Magnesium, Aluminum, Oxygen
Class: Oxides
Crystal System: Cubic
Hardness: 7.5-8
Topaz
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Extremely hard. Harder than most gemstones.
Origin: Pein-Pyt, Mandalay Region – Myanmar
Did you know?

Spinel can be grown in a lab into sheets as clear as glass and far tougher, and the military uses it as transparent armor, windows and domes that shrug off sand, shock, and blows. The same mineral that fooled kings as a false ruby now guards aircraft sensors and armored glass.