I found these beautiful neon red spinels from my trip to Burma (Myanmar) last Spring. Found traditionally and mainly in Afghanistan, Burma, and Sri Lanka, spinels have been discovered more recently in Tanzania, Australia, Russia, and Vietnam. However, this special color with a neon glow can only be found in Burma. Such bright color would go very well with any color of 18K gold, but I think the contrast is most interesting with this very black matt gold that I used in “Countess D.”. Black and red, in western culture, are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood or anger, and black is that of darkness or death. Being a very visually striking combination, they can also convey a sense of power, mystery and is a favorite color for villainous characters to dress in such as vampires, and hence the title of my collection, “Countess D.”, for the mysterious wives of Count Dracula.
