Note: The following are excerpts from Richard Hughes' book, Ruby & Sapphire. If you like what you see, order a copy direct from the publisher. Links in the Contents below point to Web versions of selected sections.

Note: The following chapters are available online:

• Introduction: Something of myself
• Chapter 5: Under the magnifying glass: Inclusions
• Chapter 6: Treatments: History of ruby and sapphire treatments
• Chapter 10: Judging quality: A connoisseur's guide
• Chapter 12: World sources of ruby and sapphire
  • Burma (Myanmar)
  • India
• Appendix B: Ruby & sapphire prices 

Introduction: Something of myself  20–23

Author's notes  24–25

Acknowledgments  26–28

1.  History  29–47

• Ruby & sapphire in ancient India
• Arabic-script mineralogy
• European learning in the Dark & Middle Ages – Under the yoke of the church
• Marco Polo, Gutenberg and the reawakening of Europe
• Final unification of ruby and sapphire
• Bibliography

2.  Chemistry & crystallography  48–59

• Chemical composition
• The corundum structure
• Crystallography of corundum
• Twinning in corundum
• Morphology (face probability) & habit
• Ruby habits
• Sapphire habits
• Bibliography

3.  Properties  60–69

• Cleavage, parting and fracture
• Hardness
• Thermal properties
• Melting and boiling points and solubilities
• Density and specific gravity
• Electrical properties
• Optical properties
• Luster
• Optical phenomena
• Bibliography

4.  Color, spectra & luminescence  70–85

• Color in ruby & sapphire
• Causes of color
• Luminescence
• Absorption spectra
• Non-visible spectra
• Pleochroism
• Bibliography

5.  Under the magnifying glass: Inclusions  86–102

• History of inclusion research
• The microscope – A gemologist's best friend
• Mastering the microscope – Illumination techniques
• Inclusion types & formation
• Pre-existing inclusions (protogenetic)
• Contemporary inclusions (syngenetic)
• Secondary inclusions (epigenetic)
• Identifying solid inclusions
• Describing inclusions
• Overview of corundum inclusions
• Country descriptions of inclusions
• Bibliography

6.  Treatments  103–138

• History of ruby and sapphire treatments
• Modern heat treatment – Enter the geuda
• Heat treatment processes
• Detection of heat treatment
• Surface diffusion-treated corundums (SDTCs)
• Surface repair (surface infilling)
• Irradiation
• Dyes and oils
• Surface coatings & stains
• Disclosure: Rebottling the treatment genie
• Bibliography

7.  Synthetic corundum  139–192

• Alchemist's dreams
• Enter Verneuil
• Verneuil's discovery
• A close look at Verneuil's process
• Identifying features
• Verneuil visible absorption spectra
• Synthetic star corundum
• Czochralski (pulling) process
• Floating-zone process
• Combination melt techniques
• "Recrystallized" ruby
• Solution growth processes
• Summary of flux identification
• Advanced identification techniques
• Ma, what's it all mean?
• Bibliography

8.  Assembled stones  193–198

• Coatings
• Foilbacks & mirrorbacks
• Assembled rough
• Assembled stars
• Identification of assembled stones
• Bibliography

9.  Methods of fashioning  199–210

• Cutting basics
• Preforming and orientation
• Cutting styles
• Cabochons
• Carved & engraved rubies & sapphires
• Bibliography

10.  Judging quality: A connoisseur's guide  211–257

• Ruby & sapphire grading: A heretic's guide
• The elements of quality
• Influence of lighting on color
• Viewing geometry & background
• Summary of quality
• Pricing factors
• Connoisseurship in ruby [Chapter 10, part 2, begins here]
• Connoisseurship in sapphire
• Fancy sapphires
• Judging stars & cabochons
• Anatomy of the perfect ruby & sapphire
• Market tastes [Chapter 10, part 3, begins here]
• Buying ruby & sapphire
• Auction records
• Rubies and sapphires of note
• Rubies described by Tavernier
• A handful of historic rubies
• Star rubies of note
• Rough rubies of note
• Notable red spinels [Chapter 10, part 4, begins here]
• Rubies, spinels & sapphires in the Mughal treasury
• Famous blue sapphires
• Famous fancy sapphires
• Engraved & carved rubies and sapphires
• Rough corundum giants
• Summary of important rubies & sapphires [Chapter 10, part 5]
• Bibliography

11.  Geology  258–578

• The elemental mating game
• The big bang (and other parlor tricks)
• Journey to the center of the earth
• Tales from the crust
• Ruby, oh ruby, wherefore art thou ruby?
• Born of fire: Corundum in igneous rocks
• Ch-ch-changes: Metamorphic rocks
• Corundum from mixed geology
• Rock & roll: Secondary deposits
• Exploration: The search for instability
• Conclusion
• Summary of world corundum occurrences
• Bibliography

12.  World sources of ruby and sapphire  279–484

Afghanistan/Tajikistan

• The great enigma: Afghanistan's ruby/spinel mines
• Tajikistan
• Summary of the historical record
• Characteristics of Afghanistan ruby (Jagdalek)
• Bibliography – Afghanistan/Tajikistan

Australia

• History of Australian sapphire
• Mining methods
• Stone types and sizes
• Marketing of Australian corundum
• Ruby in Australia
• Characteristics of Australian (NSW & Anakie) corundum
• Bibliography – Australia

Bolivia

• Bibliography – Bolivia

Brazil

• Characteristics of Indaiá (Brazil) corundum
• Bibliography – Brazil

Burma (Myanmar)

• History
• Burma today
• Mining areas
• Burmese sapphires
• Other gems from the Mogok area
• Mining methods
• Sorting and trading
• Pigeon's blood: Chasing the elusive Burmese bird
• Burmese rubies compared
• Burmese sapphires compared
• Other Burma corundum localities
• Features of Mogok (Burma) corundum
• Future prospects for Burma
• Bibliography – Burma

Burundi

• Bibliography – Burundi

Canada

• Bibliography – Canada

China

• Corundum in China
• Other Chinese localities
• Bibliography – China

Colombia

• Characteristics of Colombia sapphire
• Bibliography – Colombia

Czech Republic

 

Finland

• Bibliography – France

France

• Bibliography – France

Germany

• Bibliography – Germany

Greece

• Bibliography – Greece

Greenland

• Bibliography – Greenland

India

• Kashmir sapphires – blue velvet
• History of the Kashmir mine
• Kashmir sapphires compared
• Characteristics of Kashmir sapphire
• Other corundum localities in India
• Indian ruby
• Bibliography – India

Italy

• Bibliography – Italy

Japan

• Bibliography – Japan

Kenya

• Two geologists' dream: Their own ruby mine
• Characteristics of Mangari ruby
• Other Kenya ruby localities
• Sapphire in Kenya
• Bibliography – Kenya

Laos

• Bibliography – Laos

Macedonia (formerly Yugoslavia)

• Bibliography – Macedonia

Madagascar (Malagasy Republic)

• Bibliography – Madagascar

Malawi

• Bibliography – Malawi

Mexico

• Bibliography – Mexico

Namibia (formerly Southwest Africa)

• Bibliography – Namibia

Nepal

• Bibliography – Nepal

New Zealand

• Bibliography – New Zealand

Nigeria

• Characteristics of Nigerian sapphire
• Bibliography – Nigeria

Norway

• Bibliography – Norway

Pakistan

• Hunza: Land of the "Great Game" and eternal life
• Other Pakistan corundum deposits
• Bibliography – Pakistan

Russia

• Bibliography – Russia

Rwanda

• Bibliography – Rwanda

Sierra Leone

• Bibliography – Sierra Leone

South Africa

• Bibliography – South Africa

Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

• Ratna Dweepa – The Island of Jewels
• History
• Ruby & sapphire varieties
• Origin of Sri Lanka's corundum deposits
• Mining areas
• Mining methods – It's the pits
• The market in Sri Lanka
• Characteristics of Sri Lankan corundums
• Bibliography – Sri Lanka

Sweden

• Bibliography – Sweden

Switzerland

• Bibliography – Switzerland

Tanzania

• The Mozambique Orogenic Belt – East Africa's cauldron of gem creation
• Localities
• Bibliography – Tanzania

Thailand/Cambodia

• History
• Mining areas
• Chanthaburi, Trat and Pailin deposits
• Mining methods Web version of a sidebar from this section
• Characteristics of Thailand/Cambodia ruby
• Characteristics of Thai/Cambodian sapphire
• Bibliography – Thailand/Cambodia

Turkey

• Bibliography – Turkey

United Kingdom (UK) & Ireland

• Bibliography – United Kingdom

United States of America (USA)

• Idaho
• Bibliography – Idaho
• Montana
• Yogo Gulch
• Other Montana corundum localities
• Characteristics of Montana corundums
• Bibliography – Montana
• North Carolina
• Bibliography – North Carolina
• Bibliography – Other US corundum localities

Vietnam

• Enter Doi Moi
• History
• Luc Yen
• Quy Chau (Bu Khang District)
• Other Vietnam corundum localities
• Mining methods in Vietnam
• Characteristics of Vietnamese corundums
• Vietnam's gem industry: Thoughts on the future
• Bibliography – Vietnam

Zaire (formerly Belgian Congo)

• Bibliography – Zaire

Zimbabwe (Rhodesia)

• Bibliography – Zimbabwe

Appendices

A. Tagore's ruby and sapphire  487–490

B. Ruby & sapphire prices  491–494

• Market memos – May, 1995
• Price tables

C. Ruby & sapphire weight estimations  495–497

Index  498–511

 

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Page updated 23 April, 2008

 

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