Synthetic spinel was first produced in 1847, but little was used in jewelry until the early 1900s. By the 1930s, synthetic spinels in a wide variety of colors were being made by the Verneuil and flux growth processes. These colored spinels were given trade names such as “tourmaline green spinel” and “cobalt blue spinel”. Much of the early birthstone jewelry was set with imitation stones that were actually synthetic spinel. Today very little synthetic spinel is sold as an alternative stone for natural spinel. However, lots of synthetic spinel is still mounted in inexpensive settings and sold as birthstone jewelry.