gems, spinel, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Burma, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique

The aim of this review is to present state-of-the-art information on the geology and mineralogy of pink and red gem spinel deposits. It provides the opportunity to present the first database that enables the characterization of the geographic and main productive and historical sources of gem spinel. The combination of trace elements with the O-composition of spinels from different areas provides new insights into the traceability of historical spinels such as those from Kuh-i-Lal.