SG: 3.98-4.00 RI: 1.76-1.77 Hardness: 9 Crystal Habit: Trigonal
Burma Ruby
Throughout history ruby has been known as the king of gems. From ancient biblical times the glowing red gem has been sought after by royalty and commoner alike. Probably the best known quote comes from Job 28:18 in the Old Testament of the Bible “ The price of wisdom is beyond rubies”.
The most famous source of top quality rubies known to mankind is the Mogok Stone tract of Burma (Myanmar). This has remained the world’s premier source of gem grade rubies for over 800 years. While fine examples can be found in Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and a few other sources, none can compare with the purity and intensity of the finest “pigeon blood” rubies of Burma.
About 650 kilometers north of the Burmese capital Rangoon (Yangoon) in the Katha district of Northern Burma, lies a 180 square kilometer zone consisting of heavily jungled hills, several ethnic groups, and what is arguably one of the most picturesque regions in the entire country. For several centuries the region has seen lots more human blood spilt that pigeon’s blood in the quest of the prized “padamya” the Burmese term for ruby.
Other terms for ruby such as the Thai word “taubptim” are also derived from the word for the pomegranate fruit. Traditionally, the Burmese have referred to the finest hue of ruby as “pigeon’s blood” (ko-twe), a term which may be of Chinese origin. Top quality color was described as that of a drop of blood (drawn from an artery) on a highly polished silver plate.
Rubies from Mogok owe their intense beauty to two different optical effects. First is the purity and saturation of the red color common to these rare gems. Second is the often strong flourescent reaction to ultraviolet light which adds a red glow to the gems when viewed in natural light. Put the two together and you have an unbeatable combination of color sources resulting in a glowing red not found elsewhere in nature.
Today most rubies and sapphires are routinely heat treated to improve both color and clarity. A very small percentage are beautiful enough when recovered from the earth to be spared this process. The Mong Hsu mine in northern burma produces lovely rubies most of which must undergo heat treatment. Occasionally a flux used in the process seeps into surface reaching fissures. This improves the clarity of the gem but must be disclosed to the buyer.
To find a fine red ruby from Mogok that has not undergone high temperature enhancement is to find a truly rare and prized gem indeed. Be prepared for a bit of sticker shock if you want the finest. A mere 4.12 carat gem sold at a Christie’s auction for US$412,000.000.
In fact, carat for carat, rubies are the highest priced colored gemstone other than fancy colored diamonds. The official record is US$227,301 per carat for a 15.97 carat gem. Just for some perspective, that is over a million dollars per gram and over a billion dollars per kilogram. By contrast, pure gold is a little over US$14,000 per kilogram.
After all has been said and done, the Burmese ruby truly does stand alone as the king of gems. If you have your sights set high and are prepared to part with a hefty sum of money, then seek out the best untreated gem you can afford. You can then proudly wear an heirloom that will provide both you and your future generations with the ultimate in precious colored gemstones.
Sri Lanka and Vietnam
Until the early 20th century, the color of ruby was considered to range from the very palest pink to the deepest blood red. In fact, pink is just a low concentration of the color red. For example, if you put a drop of red dye in a glass and fill it with water, it will look pink. It was western gemologists that started calling light colored rubies pink sapphires in the early 1900's, and the term continues to be used by many dealers and gemstone identification laboratories to this day.
Today, the two biggest sources in the world for pink sapphire are Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been producing these lovely gems for over 2,000 years, while Vietnam is a relatively new source dating back to only 1989. Although references to rubies being found in Vietnam can be found as early as 1899, the discovery of commercial quantities of rubies and pink sapphires at Luc Yen in the far north of Vietnam, during the late 1980's, was a big surprise to the international gemological community.
The first gems to come out of this new mine source were of such high quality that many dealers, and even some highly respected gemstone identification laboratories, thought they were from Burma. Many of the pink sapphires from Vietnam often possess an intensity that earns them the description “Hot Pink”, and even today they are commonly mistaken for Burmese gems. The very top quality is described as “Fuchsia”, a royal electric purplish pink color named after the treasured flower from France.
Pink sapphires from Sri Lanka tend to be a softer color than those from Vietnam, although one does occasionally encounter a “Hot Pink” from Sri Lanka also. Sri Lanka’s pinks are also generally cleaner and brighter than those from Vietnam.
Without a doubt, the Queen of pink sapphires is the famous “Padparadcha”, most often found in Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon. This highly prized and extremely rare gem is actually a delicate mixture of pink and orange together in the same stone. This is the only color in the corundum family (to which sapphire and ruby belong) that has its own special name. Although associated with Sri Lanka throughout history, this color combination is also found on rare occasion in other gem bearing localities around the world.
The name “Padparadcha” originates from the Sanskrit or Sinhalese word “Padmaraga” which describes the color of the lotus blossom. Although the lotus flower is light pink, and lacks any orange tint, non-Sri Lankan gemstone dealers around the world generally agree on the pink/orange mix of colors in order to earn the prized name of “Padparadcha”.
Production from the Loc Yen area of Vietnam has fallen considerably in recent years making pink sapphires from this source increasingly difficult to find. The Sri Lankan government’s policy of only allowing hand mining also restricts the supply of these lovely gems.
The question remains, just where does one draw the line between ruby and pink sapphire? In the end, it is up to the customer to decide what to call their pink gemstone. Coincidentally, the two rarest and most valuable colors in the pink sapphire group, Padparadcha sapphire from Sri Lanka and the Fuchsia colored sapphire from Vietnam are both named after flowers. Unlike flowers, the beauty, desirability, rarity and value of these precious gemstones will last forever.
