5/18/24, 2:23 AM Ruby - The Gemology Project

Ruby
From The Gemology Project

Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. When corundum occurs in
any other color it is referred to as a sapphire. Rubies are mined primarily in Ruby
Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kenya, Tanzania, Chemical
Mozambique, Madagascar, India, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. More important Al2O3
composition
than the gem's locality of origin is the actual color and clarity of the stone.
Crystal system Trigonal
Rubies that are the most valuable will be pure red in color, without any
modifying tones of violet, orange or brown and are transparent in clarity. A Habit Prismatic, tabular
fine ruby is among the most expensive of any stone in the world. None, twinned
Cleavage stones may show
The brilliant red color of the ruby has given birth to a number of myths and parting
3.30 ct heated Mong Hsu ruby legends. One is that rubies store vast quantities of heat and when placed in
Photo by Jeff Scovil water, they will cause the water to boil. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but Fracture Conchoidal
Courtesy of R.W. Wise Goldsmiths some swear if you hold a ruby in your left hand, you'll feel bursts of heat. Hardness 9
Ruby, none the less, is a powerful stone and has long been considered a Optic nature Uniaxial -
magnet for prosperity, attracting abundance both materially and spiritually.
Refractive 1.762-1.770
The word ruby is derived from the Latin rubeus, meaning "red". index (+.009,-.005)
Birefringence 0.008-0.010
Dispersion Low, 0.018
Contents Specific
4
gravity
1 Diagnostics Vitreous to
1.1 Spectrum Lustre
subadamantine
1.2 UV Fluorescence
2 Phenomena Strong; puplish-red
Pleochroism
3 Occurrence to orangy-red
4 Synthesizing Methods
5 Inclusion images
6 Enhancements
7 GIA's Video on Lead Glass Filled Ruby
8 Sources

Diagnostics
Spectrum

Spectrum of ruby: both natural and synthetic.

UV Fluorescence

The chromium present in ruby causes a natural red fluorescence which is stimulated by both visible and invisible (ultraviolet) light. However, when a ruby
contains a significant amount of iron in addition to the chromium, the fluorescence is reduced. Rubies naturally fluoresce stronger to long wave UV than short
wave. Stones with the strongest fluorescence are often a pinkish red color in daylight.

Phenomena
Asterism: 6-rayed stars are common in ruby; rarely, 12-rayed stars have been found.
Chatoyancy: Although cat's eye rubies have been reported, true cat's eye rubies (where silk forms in a single direction) have not been found.
Trapiche: Rubies that display a fixed six-spoke pattern of inclusions similar to trapiche emeralds have been found in Mong Hsu, Burma.

Occurrence
The most famous source of fine rubies is Upper Burma, now known as Myanmar. The ruby mines of Myanmar are older than recorded history; Stone Age and
Bronze Age mining tools have been found in the mining area of Mogok. Rubies from the legendary mines in Mogok often have a pure red color, which has been
described as "pigeon's-blood" although that term is more fanciful than an actual practical standard in the trade today. Myanmar also produces intense pinkish

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5/18/24, 2:23 AM Ruby - The Gemology Project
red rubies which are almost electric in color. Many of the rubies from Burma have a strong fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet rays like those in sunlight.
Fine rubies are also found in Myanmar at Mong ('Maing') Hsu and at Nanyazeik (Namya).

Much lesser known are deposits of ruby found in Afghanistan. Although reports of rubies mined in Afghanistan were first chronicled by Marco Polo, the mines
have long been shrouded in secrecy and mystery. The mines he referred to are for "balas rubies" (spinels). The actual locality is at Kuh-i-Lal in present-day
Tajikistan, just opposite the Afghan border. True ruby is also mined in eastern Tajikistan at Snijnie (aka Snagnyi or Snezhnoye).

The crystal on the left, is semi-translucent and heavily included. It can be described as a subhedral ruby crystal nestled in a
matrix of white calcite/dolomite marble, dotted with pseudo-hexagonal books of muscovite. It is very strongly fluorescent
displaying bright red with LWUV, and weaker red with SWUV.

True rubies are found in Afghanistan at Jegdalek, east of Kabul, which is located in a continental collision zone between the
Asian and Indian plates. The deposits occur in metamorphosed limestone (marble) which are found on both plates.

Next to Myanmar, the most important historic source of ruby is Sri Lanka. In modern times, fine rubies have been found
along the Thai/Cambodian border between Chanthaburi (Thailand) and Pailin (Cambodia). These deposits were the most
important in the world between about 1965 and 1995. Today they are exhausted.

An additional source of ruby is Vietnam. Fine stones have been found at both Quy Chau (along the Lao border) and Yen
Ruby from Afghanistan Bai, north of Hanoi.

East Africa has been a major source of ruby since the 1960's, with a number of sources existing in Kenya, Tanzania and
Mozambique. In addition, Madagascar has a number of ruby deposits of varying importance.

Synthesizing Methods
Flame fusion (aka Verneuil): This is the most common synthetic ruby.
Flux melt (Chatham, Kashan, Ramaura, Knischka, Russia)

Flux grown synthetic Ramaura ruby,

displaying hexagonal patterns and flux
relics.
Photo courtesy of Alberto Scarani

Czochralski (pulling)
Floating zone (Seiko)

Inclusion images

Distorted calcite guest crystals in

Apatite in untreated Mogok ruby Apatite in untreated Mogok ruby Rutile silk in untreated Mogok ruby
untreated Mogok ruby
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk

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5/18/24, 2:23 AM Ruby - The Gemology Project

Heat treated Mong Hsu ruby Partially dissolved rutile silk in heat Rounded calcite guest crystals with Growth lines, guest crystals and un-
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk treated Vietnamese ruby 'treacle' colour swirls in un-heated disolved rutile silk in un-heated
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Mogok ruby Mogok ruby
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk

Treacle colour swirls, growth lines Unusual acicular guest crystal and
Rounded calcite guest crystals in un- Distorted calcite guest crystal in un-
and guest crystals in un-heated small particle inclusions in un-heated
heated Mogok ruby heated Mogok ruby
Mogok ruby Mogok ruby
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk

Apatite and calcite guest crystals

Guest crystals in un-heated Mogok
reflecting within an un-heated Mogok
ruby
ruby
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Apsara.co.uk

Enhancements
Common enhancements to rubies include:

Heat treatment: This is one of the earliest ruby treatments, and has been performed for over 1000 years. Heating at about 800–1200°C in an oxidizing
atmosphere removes the blue tint from ruby, making the stones appear more red. Higher temperature heating (1400–1800°C) can also improve clarity by
dissolving rutile silk. Heating in the presence of a flux can artificially heal fissures with tiny quantities of synthetic corundum.
Bulk ('lattice') diffusion: The diffusion of coloring agents (chromium, in the case of ruby) into the stone via high-temperature heating. Diffusion rates for
chromium are very slow; thus only a surface layer of color is found. The same process can diffuse titanium into the stone, producing an artificial asterism.
Fracture filling: Oil, wax or plastic (with or without dye)
Lead glass filling: Hides fissures, improves color and increases weight

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5/18/24, 2:23 AM Ruby - The Gemology Project

Natural ruby, displaying a surfacing area of

Blue flashes in a glass filled ruby,
glass filling with bubbles
diagnostic for lead-glass filing.
Photo courtesy of Alberto Scarani
© Tim Spauwen

GIA's Video on Lead Glass Filled Ruby

Sources
Gem-A (1987) Diploma Course Notes.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. RWH Publishing, Boulder, CO, 512 pp.
Hughes, R.W. (2001) Seeing red: A guide to ruby connoisseurship (http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/ruby_connoisseurship.htm). www.ruby-sapphire.com.
Hughes, R.W. (2004) Fluxed up: The fracture healing of ruby (http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/flux_healing_mong_hsu_ruby.htm). www.ruby-
sapphire.com.
Hughes, R.W., Emmett, J. (2005) Heat seeker: UV fluorescence as a gemological tool (http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/heat_seeker_uv_fluorescence.htm).
www.ruby-sapphire.com.
Hughes, R.W., Koivula, J.I. (2005) Dangerous curves: A reexamination of Verneuil synthetic corundum (http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/verneuil-synthetic
-corundum-dangerous-curves.htm). www.ruby-sapphire.com.
Hughes, R.W., Pardieu, V., Soubiraa, G., Schorr, D. (2007) Moon over the Pamirs: Chasing ruby and spinel in Tajikistan (http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/t
ajikistan_ruby_and_spinel.htm). www.ruby-sapphire.com.
Read, P. (2005) Gemmology. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WDQF18?ie=UTF8&tag=gemsandwhywelove&link_code=as3&camp=211189&
creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000WDQF18) 3rd edition.
Webster, R. (1990) Gems Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0750658568?ie=UTF8&tag=gemsandwhy
welove&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0750658568) 4th edition, (6th ed., 2006).

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