Star Ruby (Pre-Embargo)

Item Description

The famous quote from John Sinkankas was "gems are minerals after all". In our continued efforts to promote the importance of gemstones for ALL collectors, we want to give mineral collectors a chance at a rare cut stone that complements a choice mineral specimen from a classic locality. Some of the finest mineral collections in the world are accompanied by gemstones that either complete a "rough and cut" set for certain specimens, or simply show the beauty of particular species when they are faceted. We are offering this stone as an opportunity for collectors to expand their horizons and purchase gemstones that would supplement crystallized specimens in their collections. I think it is important for collectors to know that faceted stones can expand one's interests in minerals and can add a certain reverence to the hobby of collecting minerals. Corundum comes in virtually every color of the rainbow and there are more to Rubies and Sapphires than simply faceted stones. The most commonly known variety of "Star" gems are Star Corundum. This phenomenon known as "asterism" occurs when these stones are polished into cabochons and oriented perpendicular to the "C" axis in a manner that reflects tiny silk-like inclusions that are inside the gem. The inclusions bend light entering the stone and create the six-legged star-like pattern. A six-rayed white star appears in bright lighting and the quality is judged by sharpness of star, symmetry of the rays, and the body color. This Star Ruby gem was rather difficult to photograph. The color is a good pink-purple hue, and the stone is translucent for all intents and purposes. The "Star" has pretty sharp, complete "legs" and show up well even in normal lighting. PLEASE NOTE: The embargo implemented by the United States government states that there will NOT be ANY of these Rubies imported to U.S. soil after September 30, 2008. Now that the embargo has gone into effect, one can only purchase gems that were imported prior to the embargo. From now on, these Burmese Rubies will be very difficult to obtain. Buy this gem now because they will be disappearing from the market rapidly.