| An approximate ranking of important ruby origins | | | | nirvana. And today, it is equally known for its gem |
| is given below. This applies only for the finest | | | | wealth. |
| untreated qualities from each source and is but a | | | | Prior to this year, Madagascar produced mainly |
| general approximation. In other words, a | | | | fine blue sapphires and pinks. But now two |
| top-quality Thai/Cambodian ruby can be worth far | | | | important ruby deposits have been discovered. |
| more than a poor Mogok stone. | | | | The first is about 10-30 km. inland from the |
| Mogok, Burma | | | | coastal town of Vatomandry, while the second is |
| Sri Lanka | | | | roughly 45-70 km. from the town of Andilamena. |
| Madagascar | | | | Vatomandry is said to produce the better-quality |
| Nanyazeik, Burma | | | | stone, being lighter and brighter (more reminiscent |
| Everything else | | | | of Burma), while the Andilamena stone is |
| Mogok | | | | somewhat darker and not as clean. Rutile silk seen |
| When we talk ruby, we talk Burma. For | | | | in some pieces suggests that star stones may be |
| connoisseurs, no other will do. In the days of | | | | forthcoming. Much of the material from both |
| yore, matters were simple. Burma meant Mogok. | | | | deposits is heat-treated. |
| This storied deposit was known for over 1000 | | | | It is still too early to properly rank Madagascar in |
| years as the home of the finest ruby on the | | | | the ruby world, but the stones I have seen so far |
| planet. | | | | suggest that there is great promise. |
| While Mogok is the traditional source of the | | | | Vietnam |
| world's finest rubies, good stones are rare even | | | | Beginning in the late-1980's, fine ruby began |
| from this fabled area. Pigeon's blood was the term | | | | pouring out of two different deposits in Vietnam. |
| used to describe the finest Mogok stones, but has | | | | Although Vietnam's ruby originates from two |
| little meaning today, as so few people have seen | | | | different mining areas, Luc Yen (north of Hanoi) |
| this bird's blood. | | | | and Quy Chau (south of Hanoi), both sources |
| Mogok-type rubies possess not just red body | | | | display similar characteristics. |
| color, but, by a freak of nature, red fluorescence, | | | | There's nothing like time to put things in |
| too. In addition, the best stones contain tiny | | | | perspective. In the late 1980's, Vietnamese ruby |
| amounts of light-scattering rutile silk. It is this | | | | literally exploded on the world gem market. The |
| combination of features that gives these rubies | | | | best Vietnamese ruby approaches fine Mogok, |
| their incomparable crimson glow. In Mogok rubies, | | | | but since the early 1990's most have tended |
| the color often occurs in rich patches and swirls, | | | | towards pink. Today, little facet-quality is |
| and color zoning can occasionally be a problem. | | | | produced, and even the cabochon material rarely |
| The shape of Mogok ruby rough generally yields | | | | competes with that available from MA?A×®g |
| well-proportioned stones. | | | | Hsu. Some pinkish star material is also produced. |
| In addition to faceted stones, the Mogok Stone | | | | Kenya & Tanzania |
| Tract also produces the world's finest star rubies. | | | | Stones from these sources are magnificent when |
| Mang Hsu | | | | clean, but facet-grade material is rare. Like Burma, |
| When the Mang Hsu deposit came on stream in | | | | much of this material is strongly fluorescent. Star |
| 1992-93, it took the ruby world by the storm. | | | | stones are not produced from these deposits. |
| Suddenly, we were awash in a sea of red the | | | | One specific deposit is worth mentioning. Beginning |
| likes of which had never been seen before. And | | | | in the mid-1990's, mines near Songea began to |
| fine stone it was, too. This was not the | | | | produce material with a dark, garnety color |
| garnet-like hue of Thailand, but a rich, fluorescent | | | | veering towards orange. While this material is ruby |
| red. | | | | of a sort, it is marginal due to its high Fe content. |
| In 1992, the Mang Hsu (Maing Hsu) deposit in | | | | Afghanistan |
| Burma's Shan State began producing good | | | | Jagdalek has produced rubies that rank with fine |
| material. This has continued to the present, so | | | | Mogok stones, but facetable material is in short |
| much so that close to 90% of the fine cab and | | | | supply. Similar to Vietnamese rubies, many of |
| facet-grade ruby in the world market is from this | | | | these stones contain small areas of blue color. |
| deposit. But most cut stones are under two | | | | They are also strongly fluorescent, and if the |
| carats. | | | | deposit ever produces clean material, watch out. |
| Mang Hsu material can be extremely fine, but | | | | No star stones here. |
| virtually all is heat treated, and most is also | | | | Thailand/Cambodia |
| flux-healed. | | | | This material's main attribute is its high clarity, but |
| Nanyazeik (Nayazeik) | | | | the flat crystal shapes generally yield overly |
| In the past year or so, rubies have started to | | | | shallow stones. Due to the high iron content, which |
| come out of Nanyazeik in Burma's Kachin State. I | | | | quenches fluorescence, most stones tend to have |
| did see one fine purplish red piece from this | | | | a garnet-red color. An additional problem is the |
| deposit on my last trip to Burma in June, 2001. | | | | total lack of light-scattering silk inclusions (star |
| Only time will tell whether Nanyazeik has the | | | | stones are not found). Although heat treatment |
| makings of an important source. Other than ruby, | | | | does make improvements, it is not enough. In |
| Nanyazeik has produced some super red spinels, | | | | Thai/Cambodian rubies, only those facets where |
| equal to anything from Mogok. | | | | light is totally internally reflected will be a rich red; |
| Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | | | | the others appear blackish, as with red garnets. |
| The classic case of giving a dog a bad name. | | | | Thai stones are actually less purple than most |
| Some of the world's finest rubies have come | | | | Burmese rubies. However, Burma-type rubies |
| from Sri Lanka's gem gravels, but because of the | | | | appear red all over the stone. Not only is a rich |
| erroneous "pink sapphire" moniker, they have | | | | red seen in the areas where total internal |
| been largely overlooked. Top-grade Sri Lankan | | | | reflection occurs, but due to the red fluorescence |
| reds are virtually indistinguishable from their Mogok | | | | and light-scattering silk, other facets are also red. |
| brethren, but most tend towards purple or pink. | | | | With the decline in Burma production during the |
| As with Sri Lanka sapphires, color accumulates in | | | | 1962-1990 period, the market became conditioned |
| large stones and so they can be quite magnificent | | | | to Thai/Cambodian rubies, with some people |
| in sizes of five carats or more. Due to the | | | | actually tending to prefer them (in the land of the |
| bipyramidal shape of the rough, many stones are | | | | blind, the one-eyed man is king). Thai/Cambodian |
| cut with overly deep pavilions. Sri Lankan ruby is | | | | rubies are acceptable only when good material |
| strongly fluorescent and stars are common. | | | | from the Burma-type sources is not available. |
| Madagascar | | | | Today, production from the Thai side of the |
| When I was teaching gemology in Bangkok, I | | | | border is zero, and that from Cambodia is |
| used to point to an island off the coast of Africa | | | | negligible. One occasionally hears statements about |
| and inform my students that, if they wanted to | | | | how Cambodian stones are superior to those |
| hunt gems, this would be a great place to start. | | | | from across the border in Thailand. This is untrue. |
| Known in olden times as the "Beryl Island" | | | | The deposits are essentially one, directly straddling |
| Madagascar was long considered mineralogical | | | | the border. |