Rubies and Sapphires

Ruby and sapphire belong to the mineral family called corundum. Chemically they are both aluminium oxide in a crystalline formthat was made deep underground into clear and beautiful gemstones under high pressure and heat. Impurities within the crystals give it the attractive, glowing colours. Good specimens of these gems are perhaps almost as valuable as diamonds. All colours of corundum except red are known as sapphires. The colourless variety is called white sapphire and was once a cheap substitute for diamond. Yellow, purple, pink, green or white sapphires are called 'fancy' by the trade. Red corundum is now termed as ruby but there was a controversy some years ago on the difference between ruby and red or pink sapphire. In 1991, the International Coloured Gemstone Association ruled that even the lighter shades of red corundum should be termed ruby.

Sapphire and rubies are found all over the world and are mined in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, U.S.A. and Zambia, but the gemstones from India, Myanmar, Thailand and other countries in the Far East were and still are renowned for their pure, rich colour and quality. Good quality stones have been found all over India, from Tamil Nadu in the south to Kashmir in the North. The blue sapphires from the very inaccessible mines of the Zanskar valley in Kashmir are the finest in the world. Discovered in 1880 after a huge rock slide, they have a pure intense blue colour, with a slight measure of silk or milkiness. The oldest sapphire mines were in Sri Lanka and gems found there are light to medium blue in colour. Sapphires from Madagascar are of high quality with some exceptional yellow and pink stones. Brazil has unearthed some good blue to purple and pink stones recently.

Corundum was mined in the East for centuries and there are fascinating reports on the ruby mines by European travellers at the end of the fifteenth century and by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century. The red coloured corundum got its name from the Latin word, 'rubrum' or 'ruber' meaning red. The great French traveller of the seventeenth century, Tavernier found that the coloured stones of Eastern Asia were only mined in the kingdom of Pegu (now Myanmar) and in the island of Ceylon. The first Pegu mine was on mountain called Capelan, twelve days journey from Ava, the capital of Pegu. It was a long and tiresome journey after landing at the port of Siren, or Syriam or Siriam, some ten kilometres east of the present day Rangoon. The trip from Ava to Siriam had to be made at the time by boat because the jungles teemed with wild animals. Wonderful rubies, sapphires and spinels came out of the Pegu mine, but Tavenier never saw any that were of good quality and size, and 'not one heavier than three or four carats'. This was because the Burmese King there kept all the largest and best stones. In those days, all the coloured stones from Pegu were called rubies, irrespective of their colour. The sapphire was a blue ruby, the amethyst a violet ruby and the topaz a yellow ruby.

Ruby, spinel, yellow topaz, blue and white sapphire, amethyst and other stones were also found in Capelan, or Kyatpyen, about one hundred ten kilometres north-east of Siriam. Sapphires also came from a river that flowed down from high mountains in the middle of the island of Ceylon. About three months after the spring floods, the local people searched the river banks, and found these precious stones in the sand. The stones from the river were generally cleaner and more beautiful than those from Pegu. Inferior stones were found in the beds of streams around Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and some of the small rivers in the south. But the more precious gems such as ruby, sapphire, topaz, alexandrite and catseye had to be sought within a rubies of fifty kilometers of Ratnapura, thought rubies are occasionally found in Uva.

Tavernier also mentions that rubies were found in Camboya (Cambodia) and from this kingdom came 'balas' rubies, spinels, sapphires and topazes, apart from gold. By balas rubies, Tavernier meant not the spinels that are characteristic of Baluchistan, but any rubies of light colour resembling them. Other travellers found rubies mined in Chantabun (Chantanburi) and Krat and at Mounth Klung.

The stones were then exported to Masulipatam and Golconda in India, where they were sold by the weight called rati (0.875 carat). The coinage in these places was the pagoda. A ruby of 1 rati was sold for 20 pagodas; that of 2.5 rati cost 85 pagodas; for 3.25 rati the price was 185 pagodas, while a 5 rati stone was worth 525 pagodas; and 920 pagodas would buy a 6.5 rati stone. The price pf a heavier stone was negotiable. The dealers were so particular about their profit in trade that they would not open a parcel of fine rubies unless they were promised beforehand that in case the sale was not made, they would get a present such turban or a waistband. A liberal buyer would then be able to see all their stock and could then transact some business.

Rubies and Sapphires

Ruby and sapphire belong to the mineral family called corundum. Chemically they are both aluminium oxide in a crystalline formthat was made deep underground into clear and beautiful gemstones under high pressure and heat. Impurities within the crystals give it the attractive, glowing colours. Good specimens of these gems are perhaps almost as valuable as diamonds. All colours of corundum except red are known as sapphires. The colourless variety is called white sapphire and was once a cheap substitute for diamond. Yellow, purple, pink, green or white sapphires are called 'fancy' by the trade. Red corundum is now termed as ruby but there was a controversy some years ago on the difference between ruby and red or pink sapphire. In 1991, the International Coloured Gemstone Association ruled that even the lighter shades of red corundum should be termed ruby.

Sapphire and rubies are found all over the world and are mined in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, U.S.A. and Zambia, but the gemstones from India, Myanmar, Thailand and other countries in the Far East were and still are renowned for their pure, rich colour and quality. Good quality stones have been found all over India, from Tamil Nadu in the south to Kashmir in the North. The blue sapphires from the very inaccessible mines of the Zanskar valley in Kashmir are the finest in the world. Discovered in 1880 after a huge rock slide, they have a pure intense blue colour, with a slight measure of silk or milkiness. The oldest sapphire mines were in Sri Lanka and gems found there are light to medium blue in colour. Sapphires from Madagascar are of high quality with some exceptional yellow and pink stones. Brazil has unearthed some good blue to purple and pink stones recently.

Corundum was mined in the East for centuries and there are fascinating reports on the ruby mines by European travellers at the end of the fifteenth century and by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century. The red coloured corundum got its name from the Latin word, 'rubrum' or 'ruber' meaning red. The great French traveller of the seventeenth century, Tavernier found that the coloured stones of Eastern Asia were only mined in the kingdom of Pegu (now Myanmar) and in the island of Ceylon. The first Pegu mine was on mountain called Capelan, twelve days journey from Ava, the capital of Pegu. It was a long and tiresome journey after landing at the port of Siren, or Syriam or Siriam, some ten kilometres east of the present day Rangoon. The trip from Ava to Siriam had to be made at the time by boat because the jungles teemed with wild animals. Wonderful rubies, sapphires and spinels came out of the Pegu mine, but Tavenier never saw any that were of good quality and size, and 'not one heavier than three or four carats'. This was because the Burmese King there kept all the largest and best stones. In those days, all the coloured stones from Pegu were called rubies, irrespective of their colour. The sapphire was a blue ruby, the amethyst a violet ruby and the topaz a yellow ruby.

Ruby, spinel, yellow topaz, blue and white sapphire, amethyst and other stones were also found in Capelan, or Kyatpyen, about one hundred ten kilometres north-east of Siriam. Sapphires also came from a river that flowed down from high mountains in the middle of the island of Ceylon. About three months after the spring floods, the local people searched the river banks, and found these precious stones in the sand. The stones from the river were generally cleaner and more beautiful than those from Pegu. Inferior stones were found in the beds of streams around Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and some of the small rivers in the south. But the more precious gems such as ruby, sapphire, topaz, alexandrite and catseye had to be sought within a rubies of fifty kilometers of Ratnapura, thought rubies are occasionally found in Uva.

Tavernier also mentions that rubies were found in Camboya (Cambodia) and from this kingdom came 'balas' rubies, spinels, sapphires and topazes, apart from gold. By balas rubies, Tavernier meant not the spinels that are characteristic of Baluchistan, but any rubies of light colour resembling them. Other travellers found rubies mined in Chantabun (Chantanburi) and Krat and at Mounth Klung.

The stones were then exported to Masulipatam and Golconda in India, where they were sold by the weight called rati (0.875 carat). The coinage in these places was the pagoda. A ruby of 1 rati was sold for 20 pagodas; that of 2.5 rati cost 85 pagodas; for 3.25 rati the price was 185 pagodas, while a 5 rati stone was worth 525 pagodas; and 920 pagodas would buy a 6.5 rati stone. The price pf a heavier stone was negotiable. The dealers were so particular about their profit in trade that they would not open a parcel of fine rubies unless they were promised beforehand that in case the sale was not made, they would get a present such turban or a waistband. A liberal buyer would then be able to see all their stock and could then transact some business.

Ruby - Gemstones found in Sri Lanka

Corundum of a red colour are identified as rubies. Being corundum these have all the optical, physical and chemical properties of the mineral. These also have negligible quantities of chromic oxide in their compositions which do not in any way affect the general chemical formula. It is this element, chromic oxide which is responsible for the red colour of ruby. The colour in rubies could be in various shades and tones and is dependent on the quantity of chromic oxide present, its ratio in relation to other elements in the composition, and the nature of its distribution. The depth and intensity of color is related to these factors while the distribution of colour in ruby could be patchy, banded or uniform. The presence of chromic oxide in the correct proportions, in the desired quantities, in the correct manner of distribution within a glassy textured transparent body, free from flaws and inclusions produced the ruby of optimum quality. Such stones are most beautiful and are highly prized. In Sri Lanka the occurrence of rubies are comparatively rare in comparison to blue sapphires although adequate supplies are available to cater to the market. Superlative quality rubies from Miyanmar (Buruma) hace earned universal acclaim as the best in comparison to rubies from other regions of the world. This statement does not in any way express the idea that there is no exception to the rule. Other localities have occasionally shown up rubies of exceptional beauty that compare well with or even surpass the beauty of their Myanmar counterparts. Sri Lanka has proved this point although such occurrences have been rare. Such stones have always been from the Uda – Walawe region, which can be considered as the locality for rubies that compare most favorably with the best from Miyanmar.

Determining the possible locality of a ruby by colour and appearance alone would certainly lead to confusion and controversy. To eliminate such controversy other factors like mineral inclusions and twinning planes are of importance and should be taken into consideration. Rubies are generally sensitive to light purely because the sensitivity of the colouring element, chromium; and their luster appearance could differ according to the nature of the light under which they are observed. It is best that rubies are observed under natural daylight conditions, always remembering the fact that daylight conditions are different in different parts of the world; which factor could consequently creat a different colour sensation on the human eye.

The colour in rubies could vary from pale to a deep and intense red; the colours ranging from pale rose red to a deep red. Most Sri Lankan varieties are of a pinkish red and display a tinge of purple which factor perhaps is sufficient to betray to the experienced person that the stones are of Sri Lankan origin. These purplish tints are attributed to the presence of iron in addition to chromic oxide in the composition. Such stones when subject to intense heat would either lose or diminish the purplish tint thereby highlighting the principle colour, red. In his book “precious Stones”, Bauer (1971) states that “ the shade of colour most admired is the deep pure carmine red with a slightly bluish tine.” It is not uncommon to notice this faint bluish tinge in this category of rubies. This colour is referred to as ‘pigeon blood red’ in gem circles. Furthermore, the colour distribution in rubies is invariably either patchy or banded with colour bands alternating with the colourless. The patchy colour distribution in the ruby could be remedied by subjecting such stones to intense heat. It has been noted that the colour in such stones when gradually heated gets distributed as a final outcome. Flawless rubies of a deep intense red with uniform distribution of colour and with a pleasing tone are extremely rare and consequently very valuable.

A currently prevailing controversial question is ; where lies the demarcation line between the ruby as defined and the pink sapphire? Difference of opinion is rife. But sooner or later this issue has to be resolved. In this publication it is not intended to discuss this subject in detail. Nevertheless it is necessary to highlight a few vital and important opinions as put together by Widess (1981) in ‘Jewelers Circular Keystones: February 1981 ‘which are as follows;

The gemological Institute of America, “Only transparent corundum of medium light to dark tones of red to purple hues is properly called ruby. Very light tones of red are correctly called pink sapphires. Even some stones that are light rather than very light in tone are properly called pink sapphires. A very intense red colour is necessary to justifiy the use of thee term ruby’.

Peter T. Sciambra, Director, International Gemological Institute, “I.G.I.’ s definition is basically the same as that of the G. I. A. except that it leaves out the phrase ‘ a very intense red’ colour is necessary.”

Charles I. Carmona, Vice President, and Guild Laboratories “The guidelines for a ruby are very similar to G. I. A. except we add brownish red”.

Thomas E. Tashy Jr. (G. G.: F. G. A.) Director, Independent Gemological Laboratory says “We mostly adhere to the G. I. A. guidelines. We differ in very light stones which we call pink rubies instead of pink sapphires.”

David Widess (G. G.) of Widess & Sons, Los Angeles says “Any corundum of reddish hue no matter what lightness or intensity, tint, shade or tone shold be called a ruby.”

Dr Earl Anderson ph.D, President of the Gemological Research Group Inc. says that he is in “perfect agreement with and shares the opinion of David Widess” and goes on to say that any corundum of reddish hue no matter what lightness of intensity, tint, shade or tone should be called a ruby.”

Herbert Smith (1930) in his publication “Gemstones” states that “the tint of red stones (rubies) varies considerably in depth. Jewellers term them pink sapphires when pale but of course no sharp distinction can be drawn between them and rubies.’ Richard Hughes of the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences after making reference to historical background explicitly states “In light of the strong historical evidence suggesting that the term ruby was originally understood to include all red to slightly bluish red corundum from the very lightest to deepest tones, A.I.G.S. is abandoning the use of pink sapphire as an individual variety of corundum. As of this moment we will no longer use the term, either in our educational programmes or on the gem identification reports issued by our laboratory.”

From all this the reader will realize the nature of the controversy. Even at present we are still grappling with this issue and what should be stated is, that this is not so much a scientific or a gemological problem. After all, this nomenclature is based on colour alone an as such the verdict is with the gem trading circles. There is reason to believe that Sri Lanka is the original source of the variety identified as pink sapphires.

As a rule, ruby deposits as such have not been specifically localized in Sri Lanka and are found in association with other members of the corundum family. However, as indicated earlier the stones of better quality have been more often than not found within

the Embilipitiya- Uda- Walawe environs.