How does rubies form

Corundum occurs when aluminum oxide undergoes a process referred to as isomorphous, in which some of the aluminum ions are substituted with chromium. The red color varies in depth and clarity, but any color variations that deviate from the red varieties are classified as sapphires. Certain minerals can cause a ruby to display a star-shaped light-reflection pattern when the stone is cut onto a carbochon shape.

This can often be found in rubies containing traces of minerals such as titatium or rutile. Corundum is naturally colorless and is one of the hardest minerals known on Earth. When combined with certain elements in trace amounts, corundum produces a wide variety of reds.

When the aluminum oxide and trace elements are exposed to high pressure and extreme temperatures, they become the molten mixture in which the ruby crystals will form. When chrome, titanium, iron, vanadium or rutile, or even a combination of the metals, are included in the aluminum oxide mixture, the result is the fiery red color associated with the ruby. Ten years later Jacques- Joseph Ebelmen made artificial sapphires by fusing alumina with boric acid.

Auguste Verneuil developed a process for producing large flawless sapphires and rubies in These crystals have many industrial uses including as mechanical bearings, as laser components, and in optics. Sapphires and rubies have been found in all eastern Australian states, including Tasmania.

The Kings Plains area, near Inverell, has some of the richest deposits of gem-quality sapphires ever mined. In addition, sapphires have been recovered from old tin workings along the Weld River in Tasmania. There are many sites where fossickers can try and find sapphires and rubies in these regions too.

The most significant occurrence of ruby is near Gloucester, near Mount Barrington, an old volcano. Rubies have also been found in the vicinity of the Macquarie and Cudgegong Rivers and near Tumbarumba. See map. Currently commercial mining of corundum including sapphire and ruby still occurs at the Anakie and Lava Plains placer deposits in Queensland, and the New England area of New South Wales. Open pit mining is used to extract the corundum ore from the gravels. In many cases the mining operations are small and the pits quite shallow.

Tools used might include jack hammers, excavators or shovels. Some countries in Africa and South America use high water pressure mining to produce large quantities of rough corundum gems. However, many gem buyers boycott companies using this practice, because this method strips away all the top soil destroying the local environment.

Once mined, corundum can be separated from clay and gravel because it is more dense and heavy. Usually, the gravel is broken up and sorted into size fractions in a rotating drum trammel , and then washed either by hand or with a high pressure water jet, over filters with various size holes. The heavy grains will sink and the lighter materials, like clay, will wash over the top.

The remaining material also contains other heavy minerals such as magnetite and zircon. Magnets can be used to get rid of magnetic material and then zircons are removed by hand.

The corundum is then visually assessed and graded according to size and colour. Sapphires and rubies can be artificially altered to improve their value or appearance. Heat and irradiation can enhance the colour intensity as well as the clarity of the gemstones.

Sometimes sapphires are heated in the presence of a material that can penetrate into the crystal and change the colour. Gems can be coated with a light film for protection and surface fractures can be filled with oils, waxes, resins or glass.

The cut and polish on a sapphire or ruby is determined depending on the colour and shape of the crystal. Sapphires and rubies can be cut in a number of different ways because the crystals are formed as a hexagonal shape. When present in higher quantities, the iron can subdue the electric looking red fluorescence of the ruby.

This ability to glow from within almost makes the Burmese rubies look like they have a flame glowing within them. Burmese rubies have a true red to pinkish, red color in natural lighting. This valuable combination sets Burmese rubies apart from all others. As they do not have other undertones, their value is higher than rubies from other sources. The coloring is similar to its fluorescent-like effect, but stones found from this region can be easily identified by the darkness of their core.

However, no conclusion has been made. For thousands of years, the brilliant coloring has made the Burmese Ruby practically irresistible. Rating at a 9 on the Mohs scale, it is closely related to sapphires and only slightly softer than diamonds.

Rubies from Myanmar that are above the 4 carat range, have exponentially higher prices as they are immensely rare. Overall, while rubies from other destinations can have high value, the look and value of a ruby are always judged against a Burma ruby.

Burmese rubies are the standard in excellence. As with most rubies, rubies from Burma are also heat-treated. This reduces inclusion visibility and brings out their fiery red color. Rubies that have not been heat-treated and are still beautiful, are quite rare and valuable. Heat treatment is all-natural and permanent.

It forever enhances the beauty of ruby and increases its value. With Clarity uses Burmese rubies that have been vetted for quality, sparkle, and purity.

We also ensure that all Burmese rubies comply and exceed standards for responsible mining and importing practices. Among other countries in Asia, Thailand is a prominent country in which rubies are mined and manufactured.

Thailand has become a center of ruby cutting and trade. Thai rubies are synonymous with high quality, well-made rubies that are commonly used in jewelry pieces around the world. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand is known to be a center of ruby trade. Bangkok also benefits from being a hub of import and export within southeast Asia. Overtime, Thailand has become a known source of high-quality rubies, recognized by jewelers around the world.

At the same time, molten granite intruded into the marble, releasing fluids that percolated up through the rock. That process, called metasomatism, removed the silica but left the alumina behind. For the next 40 million to 45 million years, the two continents slowly squeezed together, raising the Himalayas. Erosion eventually exposed a necklace of ruby deposits along the scar where the two plates collided.

They link the timing of ruby formation to the rise of the Himalayas. So then we had to ask, why do we only find ruby in certain locations? The secret, the French believe, is salt. Not only were the limestones dirty, they were salty as well.

The Tethys, they say, was so shallow in places that it would occasionally dry out, leaving behind a thin rind of salt from evaporated seawater. The salt mixed with detritus washing off the land to form the unique limestone that gave birth to rubies. Once heated, the salt acted like a flux, assuring that the aluminum became mobile enough to mix with the chromium. There Garnier found tiny drops of fluid, immortalized snapshots of the liquids swirling within the marble when the rubies crystallized.

Minuscule crystals of sodium chloride and anhydrite found in sea salt float within the liquid. And what of the role of granite? Giuliani says it had no role at all.