Large rough ruby piece

Mohmand · **Joined:** Wed May 27, 2020 4:20 am **Posts:** 107

About a month ago, there was a small-scale exhibition of gemstones in Peshawar, a town near Afghan border and main destination of gemstones from Afghanistan. Over there, a businessman, a collector of sorts, who had fled Afghanistan after Taliban takeover last year, had brought some strikingly beautiful pieces. One specific piece grabbed almost everyone's attention: a 82 carat rough ruby piece! I haven't seen anything even remotely as big of this quality coming out of Jigdalik mines. Thought it worthwhile to share this lovely piece

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TMBw61stE6Y

danielle · **Posted:** Mon Jul 04, 2022 12:10 pm

Hi Mohmand !

Wonderful piece ; I like it .
I have always had an attraction for rubies and for red gems by extension

Many thanks for this interesting sharing

TheL · **Joined:** Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:33 pm **Posts:** 80

Wow nice, Pretty colour. But could that not be Spinel ?
Either way, impressive

glhays · **Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2022 1:11 pm

Sorry but not seeing it. Cabbing rough at best. Just based on the video evaluation.

Dioptase · **Joined:** Thu May 28, 2009 4:13 am **Posts:** 206

My spider sense is tingling :mrgreen:

It looks like a Verneuil synthetic corundum.

Mohmand · **Joined:** Wed May 27, 2020 4:20 am **Posts:** 107

Didn't see the signature curves that are prominent in Verneuil synthetic corundum

glhays · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:34 pm

It appears that it has been worked to some extent, which to me causes some suspicions. But YT analysis is not proper gemological testing.

glhays · **Posted:** Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:35 pm

Mohmand wrote:

Didn't see the signature curves that are prominent in Verneuil synthetic corundum

Not always!

Barbra Voltaire, FGG · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:41 pm

Dioptase wrote:

My spider sense is tingling :mrgreen:

Ditto, but Flame Fusion isn't where I'm landing.

Dioptase · **Joined:** Thu May 28, 2009 4:13 am **Posts:** 206

Barbra Voltaire, FGG wrote:

Dioptase wrote:

My spider sense is tingling :mrgreen:

Ditto, but Flame Fusion isn't where I'm landing.

Glass?

It's just a fun guessing game when you don't see the stone in person anyway.

I've seen "aquamarine" and "tourmaline" which were actually glass, nicely worked and shaped just like the real crystals. They even tried to mimic the surface striae. It was kind of impressive actually, they put effort into it.

I've also seen nanosital pebbled to look like alluvial malaya garnet rough. Quite tricky at 1st glance, but the spectroscope gave it away. It was in the midst of a parcel of natural ones.

glhays · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:27 pm

Had a gentleman once come in for cutting evaluation on a large alluvial nice red piece of rough about 48cts. Clean visually, surface texture as expected and shaped like rough. Stated he hand carried back and purchased by the gentleman in Africa as natural corundum, no heat. Tested out as synthetic, and no real reaction from the gent that he had been sold a well disguised man made gemstone. I offered to cut it but he had to think about. I still wonder to this day if I were the one getting the final you know what. Just saying I agree. You never know.

Mohmand · **Joined:** Wed May 27, 2020 4:20 am **Posts:** 107

Actually there were other people there who had much more experience of these things than I do, and they didn't say anything about it being synthetic. But.... I guess, given the sophistication with such synthetics are manufactured, that we'd only know if its brought to a lab where its looked at in detail. Thanks anyway for the feedback guys.

glhays · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2022 1:44 pm

You never take constructive criticism of the possibilities of your show and tell posts very well. Thanks anyway?

Mohmand · **Joined:** Wed May 27, 2020 4:20 am **Posts:** 107

I really do mean it, the thanks note. Its always a good learning experience, adding to my knowledge. Not sure what's so offensive in what I wrote?

Barbra Voltaire, FGG · **Posted:** Sat Jul 16, 2022 1:27 pm

Perhaps, you should adapt a bit more of a skeptical approach to what you are being told at these events.
I may have titled the thread "Large red rough represented as ruby. Thoughts?"

I just got an email today from someone in a distant port of call asking for help selling their 2436 ct ruby. Thoughts? :wink:

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