A bright lustrous unattached partial cube with octahedral modicifications. Some specimens may include minor sphalerite crystals to 3 mm and calcite crystals to 5 mm. Photo by Doug Miller. The spinels vary in size, and can be less than 1 cm in diameter, or as large as 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Many of the specimens found contain clusters of spinels on a diopside matrix.
Specimens range from thumbnails to large cabinet size.
Some spinel specimens can be a bit fragile, and extra care is required. Spinel itself is a magnesium aluminum oxide mineral, with a Mohs hardness ranging between 7.5 and 8. The spinels from this locality are rounded, unlike the fine sharp crystals found at the Ross Township locality in Ontario. Spinels on diopside, from near MacDonald Island, Nunavut. This specimen is a floater group with two well-exposed spinels to 1.5 cm and diopsides to 1.7 cm.