Ruby Article & Questions

[iLander]

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/08/magazine/a-worldwide-scramble-for-the-rarest-rubies.html

Stumbled upon the lengthy NYTimes article about rubies. It's from the early '80's, but lots of it is relevant today. Wanted to share that.

So here's the question I was trying to answer, when I came across the article: How old are rubies?

Are we talking millions of years? If so, how many millions? More or less than diamonds?

What about other gems?

Hoping there's a geologist handy.

 

[Marlow]

30-45 million years back ( Mogok)

East africa - 600 million years

This is why I have a lot of respect and a gem - expensive, rare or not is still a wonder for me!

 

[Edward Bristol]

30-45 million years back ( Mogok)

East africa - 600 million years

This is why I have a lot of respect and a gem - expensive, rare or not is still a wonder for me!

Yes, that is the info I like to give customers fretting about shipping time: After 600 million years, what does our one-day matter?

 

[iLander]

Wow!

That's fascinating! I have a gem that I acquired recently, and it's from Tanzania (purchased from Gene). It's untreated, and it has a certain presence (aura, mojo, whatever you want to call it) to it. I was trying to figure out what it was, exactly (I've never had this feeling with other untreated rubies), and the concept of great age seemed to be right. It gives one a sense of the weight of millenium, and I was trying to figure out if my feeling was correct. 600 million? Yes, that is ancient.

Marlow: Do you know more about how rubies are formed? Please share.

Edward Bristol: Do you ever come across stones that seem more "alive" than other stones? Stones with a "presence" to them? Or is it just hookum? Don't worry, you won't offend me.

Anybody else that wants to answer these questions, feel free to chime in!

 

[ilovegemstones]

That is really cool, ilander. Can you please post a pic of that ruby? Some stones have a very special feel to them when I hold them and I am not sure why. Stones have always done that for me and I used to sleep with a stone egg under my pillow after reading Moons of Madeleine when I was young!

 

[Dioptase]

Marlow: Do you know more about how rubies are formed? Please share.

Well you see, when mommy ruby and daddy ruby love each other very much… Wait no, wrong answer.
Joke aside:
For corundum it's either magmatic (Thai-Cambodian rubies for example) for metamorphic (Mogok also for ex.)

In the case of the volcanic ones, they form during basaltic eruptions, the crystals grow in the magma.
In the case of metamorphic stones, the crystals are growing from original rocks / minerals when they are submited to huge pressure and heat (either by intruding magma or tectonic plates shifting) without melting. The recrystallization process can give birth to rubies, if you have the appropriate chemicals in the ground

It's really simplified but it gives you an idea.

 

[iLander]

ilovegemstones: Yes! Glad to see not everyone thinks I'm nuts (not yet anyway )

Here's a quick and dirty shot of it in it's old setting, plus Gene's original pic. I will do a thread with a new setting hopefully around the holidays. It does have a glow to it, but sometimes, in bright light, the haziness will disappear and it will show nice crystal. It seems to gather light. I will shoot comparisons with my other ruby when I do the thread.

And it has this aura, presence, whatever you want to call it. I have only noticed an aura being very strong once before in an inanimate object, it was a chair in an antique store. The chair had wear spots indicative of a person having sat there for a very long time. I found out that it was almost 300 years old, and that made sense to me. I've seen worn chairs before (many times, I'm a keen antique hunter) but none like this. And I've never felt this with a gem before. I asked Gene about it after I received it, but he ignored the weird question from the crazy lady.

Hoping others will talk about their gems . . .

It's okay, the CSers are used to iLander being a little . . . off . . .

 

[iLander]

Marlow: Do you know more about how rubies are formed? Please share.

Well you see, when mommy ruby and daddy ruby love each other very much… Wait no, wrong answer.
Joke aside:
For corundum it's either magmatic (Thai-Cambodian rubies for example) for metamorphic (Mogok also for ex.)

In the case of the volcanic ones, they form during basaltic eruptions, the crystals grow in the magma.
In the case of metamorphic stones, the crystals are growing from original rocks / minerals when they are submited to huge pressure and heat (either by intruding magma or tectonic plates shifting) without melting. The recrystallization process can give birth to rubies, if you have the appropriate chemicals in the ground

It's really simplified but it gives you an idea.

Thank you, this is fascinating info! Amazing that a crystal can grow inside magma.

This is a Tanzanian ruby, which type is that?

 

[Dioptase]

Thank you, this is fascinating info! Amazing that a crystal can grow inside magma.

This is a Tanzanian ruby, which type is that?

Tanzanian rubies from Winza are the metamorphic type. It's a part of the huge geological area known as the Mozambique Belt.

 

[iLander]

So I poked around a bit, on the GIA sites, and found this intriguing graphic. It shows that some ruby areas have both types of rubies, magmatic and metamorphic.

I don't know why this is so interesting to me . . . but it's oddly fascinating. We take so much for granted with the stones we all love on CS, but they are really miracles of nature.

You can find the article if you google - GIA Rubies and Sapphires from Winza Central Tanzania

I would post a link, but it's a PDF, not everyone likes the instant download.

 

[pregcurious]

Thanks for sharing iLander !

 

[digdeep]

Glad to read this as well! The connection with the stone may not be traceable to a fact........things that 'speak' to us are intangible in many ways and that IS their beauty. You are lucky to have that gem where you can visit it as you wish........so many of the things that capture our hearts with worldly provenance are fleeting: a gorgeous sunset, alpenglow in the mountains, the northern lights.......we are such a small part of the universe and it's wondrous when we see that through a naturally beautiful thing or event.........just my take on this ruby and you. See? You aren't the only "crazy" one................

 

[LD]

Wow!

That's fascinating! I have a gem that I acquired recently, and it's from Tanzania (purchased from Gene). It's untreated, and it has a certain presence (aura, mojo, whatever you want to call it) to it. I was trying to figure out what it was, exactly (I've never had this feeling with other untreated rubies), and the concept of great age seemed to be right. It gives one a sense of the weight of millenium, and I was trying to figure out if my feeling was correct. 600 million? Yes, that is ancient.

Marlow: Do you know more about how rubies are formed? Please share.

Edward Bristol: Do you ever come across stones that seem more "alive" than other stones? Stones with a "presence" to them? Or is it just hookum? Don't worry, you won't offend me.

Anybody else that wants to answer these questions, feel free to chime in!

I once had a Paraiba Tourmaline that I wanted to set in a ring. I had trouble when I was buying it, trouble (serious trouble) when setting it, then when I finally got it back, the setting was awful and then each time I wore it, something bad happened. The best thing I ever did was selling it. So, do some gemstones have a presence? I don't know but that one should have had 666 carved into its facets

 

[T L]

I never had a gem with an "aura" to it, but many gems have interesting histories, like the Hope diamond. When you consider that diamonds are billions of years old, then 600 million years isn't that old. The oldest known stones are some zircons that are around 4.4 billion years old. Considering the Earth is 5 billion years old, that is pretty old indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon#Radiometric_dating

BTW, I LOVE that setting your ruby is in. Why change it????

 

[iLander]

pregcurious: You're welcome!

digdeep: That's an excellent way of putting it: a bit of nature that I can carry around. Thank you, I like that thought.

LD: I think some inanimate objects really do have an energy of their own. I think if you entered an antique shop and a newly-made goods shop, and had a blindfold on both times, I think you would sense a different vibe in each place. Your paraiba seems like it had a mean streak! Have you ever checked with the new owner, see how they're doing with it? I'm not sure mine is malevolent. Maybe I'm just reacting viscerally to the color?

TL: I didn't know that about zircons! Wow! I already have some rings with big haloes, and I wanted to set the ruby in yellow gold. I ended up selling the setting on Loupe Troop for hardly anything, it was listed for months. I wish I had sold it to you, TL, rats!

 

[Tourmaline]

I am happy to see this thread for two reasons. One: I am having a ruby eternity band made and am drawn to rubies for the first time in my life, and two: I totally feel things in stones, even if my brain tells me it's silly.

 

[T L]

TL: I didn't know that about zircons! Wow! I already have some rings with big haloes, and I wanted to set the ruby in yellow gold. I ended up selling the setting on Loupe Troop for hardly anything, it was listed for months. I wish I had sold it to you, TL, rats!

I never really buy off loupetroupe or bistro, too much temptation. That's some lucky person who got it.

 

[iLander]

I am happy to see this thread for two reasons. One: I am having a ruby eternity band made and am drawn to rubies for the first time in my life, and two: I totally feel things in stones, even if my brain tells me it's silly.

Rubies are cool, aren't they? What kind of feelings do you have for stones? Any particular ones?

 

[iLander]

TL: I didn't know that about zircons! Wow! I already have some rings with big haloes, and I wanted to set the ruby in yellow gold. I ended up selling the setting on Loupe Troop for hardly anything, it was listed for months. I wish I had sold it to you, TL, rats!

I never really buy off loupetroupe or bistro, too much temptation. That's some lucky person who got it.

That's understandable, I try not to look too often at all the beauties. Also, it's nice of you to say the second part.