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Ruby
Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire.
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Research
Dual-Color Double Stars in Ruby, Sapphire, and Quartz: Cause and Historical Account
Examines a form of asterism comprising two six-rayed stars, one white and one that exhibits the stone’s bodycolor. Firsthand accounts and a survey of patent documents reveal that diffusion has been used to create or enhance this optical phenomenon in synthetic and possibly natural corundum since the 1950s.
Rubies and Sapphires from Snezhnoe, Tajikistan
This large marble-hosted occurrence in the Pamir Mountains is a potentially productive source of corundum, including ruby with a bright red color reminiscent of “pigeon’s blood” Burmese rubies.
Books: Untamed Encounters: Contemporary Jewelry from Extraordinary Gemstones
Review of Mimi Lipton's Untamed Encounters: Contemporary Jewelry from Extraordinary Gemstones.
Analysis of Synthetic Ruby Overgrowth on Corundum
Analysis of synthetic ruby overgrowth on corundum, using analysis of inclusions, UV-Vis-NIR and EDXRF spectroscopy, and LA-ICP-MS.
Mozambique: A Ruby Discovery for the 21st Century
Explores the geology, production, and yield of the world’s most commercially important ruby deposit.
GIA Lab Reports on Low-Temperature Heat Treatment of Mozambique Ruby
Report on changes in Mozambique ruby following low-temperature heating, observed using inclusion analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, and LA-ICP-MS.
Books: Jewels of Ancient Nubia
Review of Yvonne J. Markowitz and Denise Doxey's Jewels of Ancient Nubia.
Flame-Fusion Synthetic Ruby Boule with Flux Synthetic Ruby Overgrowth
This synthetic ruby specimen features two growth methods within the same crystal.
Books: Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide
Review of Richard Hughes’s Ruby & Sapphire: A Collector’s Guide.
Mogok Expedition Series, Part 3: The Market and the Stones
An inside look at Mogok's gem markets and cutting industry.
Mogok Series, Part 2: The Expedition, the Mines, and the People
An expedition to Mogok, Myanmar, documenting the current state of their ruby mining, markets, and cutting industries. This exotic land, known as the "Valley of Rubies," is one of the world’s most famous gemstone sources.
