From Afghanistan to England’s Tower of London, the Black Prince’s Ruby has traversed time and lore. Yet, despite the popular name marking it as a ruby, the gemstone has been identified as a red spinel weighing approximately 170 carats. The spinel is uncut, set in its rough form as a 5 cm irregular octahedron with rounded edges and a beautiful bright pigeon-blood red colour. The stone has a marked imperfection: A drill hole in one corner which reveals that it had, at some point in its lifetime, been used as a pendant. As it currently stands, the drill hole has been plugged with a small cabochon ruby in a gold slip mount.