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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
Romancing the Source: Pakistan
Accompany GIA field gemologists on a true gemstone mining adventure in the mountains of Pakistan, where beautiful gems are mined and cut. Travel with us on the old Silk Road used by Marco Polo, where the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges collide.
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.
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.
Fine Corundum, Demantoid Garnet
Insight into the markets for ruby, sapphire, emerald, and other colored gems.
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.
Unusual Composite Ruby Rough
In this composite, synthetic ruby rough attached to two natural ruby slabs was fashioned to imitate natural material.
Lead-Glass-Filled Burmese Rubies
Beads from a multi-strand necklace were the first examples of lower-lead-content glass filling in Burmese rubies examined at GIA’s Carlsbad laboratory.
Books: Untamed Encounters: Contemporary Jewelry from Extraordinary Gemstones
Review of Mimi Lipton's Untamed Encounters: Contemporary Jewelry from Extraordinary Gemstones.
