Preface
Ruby is a wondrous gemstone! Found in pegmatites as
an accessory, in marbles and
calcites, and most widely in riverbeds, this truly red crystal is easy to discern from its
surrounding rock.
In this
month's Mineral of the Month, we
will be offering more and larger pictures. In
fact, we will be displaying a gallery of fine photos of ruby
specimens from around the world!
We will save the science for another day, so as to not interfere with our viewing pleasure
of
this spectacular crystal. Please, do enjoy. (And no hard hats required this
trip!)
Introduction
Yes, rubies are quite a phenomenal gemstone! In ancient times, if you found a
reddish
stone in a streambed, you may have been considered lucky. With the advent of the
arts of
lapidary and fancy metalwork, this rare stone became adored for its beauty and rarity in
nature in its gemmy traits.
Fancy jewelry, crowns, swords, and the like have been crafted by artisans over the
millenia in many places around the world. It is hard for one to deny the great work
of master
faceters, jewelers, swordsmiths, and their kindred craftsfolk. However admired, we
will
instead focus on nature's craftmanship: the raw, faceted crystal in its many associations.
I hope you have your "millions of colors" setting selected on your computer to
enjoy the
various subtle hues relegated to nature's royal wonder. Let's view!
Images courtesy of
Isaias Casanova at IC Minerals
 |
|
 |
(Left
& Right views): Corundum, variety Ruby, Mogok, Burma
Images are courtesy of
Isaias Casanova of IC Minerals ©2005
|
 |
|
 |
| Hexagonal
Ruby crystals in greyish matrix, Rais Mine, Ural Mountains, Russia Images are courtesy of Isaias Casanova of IC Minerals ©2005
|
 |
|
 |
Another set of hexagonal ruby crystals, Rais Mine, Ural Mountains, Russia
Images are courtesy of
Isaias Casanova of IC Minerals ©2005
|
 |
Another
view of Russian ruby crystals
Images are courtesy of Isaias Casanova of IC Minerals ©2005 |
 |
|
 |
Red
Corundum (Ruby), aka "Lilac Sapphire" from Rose Creek Mine, near Franklin, NC
Photo by Ken Casey ©2005 (from personal collection) |
Until Next Time
We hope you enjoyed your virtual ruby tour.
Perhaps your experience will inspire you
to collect red corundum, or even to quest to a museum to view them in person. If you
like
this sampling of ruby, please let me know. If enough of you like it, perhaps I will
write a full-
length article on Ruby for one our future
virtual fieldtrips.
Until then, stay safe, and happy collecting. 
Article Contributors
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the generous
contributions of our fellow ruby
enthusiasts,
collectors, authors, curators, professionals, and club members who made this
work possible. Thanks.
United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management,
National Park Service (NPS Photo)
© 2005
All contributions to this article are covered under the copyright protection of this
article
and by separate and several copyright protection(s), and are to be used for the sole
purposes of
enjoying this scholarly article. They are used gratefully with express written
permission of the
authors, save for generally-accepted scholarly quotes, short in nature, deemed legal to
reference
with the appropriate citation and credit.
Reproduction of this article must
be obtained by express written permission of the author,
Kenneth B. Casey, for his contributions, authoring, photos, and graphics. Use of all
other
credited materials requires permission of each contributor separately. Links and general contact information are included in the credits above,
and throughout this article. The advice offered herein
is only suggestion; it is the reader's charge to use the information contained
herein responsibly.
DMS is not responsible for misuse or accidents caused from this article.
All opinions, theories,
proofs, and views expressed within this article, and in others on this website, do not
necessarily
reflect the views of the Delaware Mineralogical Society.
Suggested Reading
Corundum by Richard W.
Hughes
|
|
About
the Author: Ken is current webmaster of the Delaware
Mineralogical Society. He has a diploma in
Jewelry Repair, Fabrication & Stonesetting from the Bowman Technical School,
Lancaster, PA, and worked as jeweler. He has
also studied geology at the University of Delaware. And,
he is currently a member of the Delaware Mineralogical Society and the Franklin-Ogdensburg
Mineralogical Society. E-mail: kencasey98@yahoo.com.
|
|
|
Invitation to Members
Members,
Want to see your name in print? Want to co-author, contribute,
or author a whole Mineral of the Month
article? Well, this the forum for you!
And Members, if you have pictures, or a story you would like to
share, please feel free to offer. We'd like to post them for our mutual enjoyment.
Of course, you get full photo and author credit, and a chance to reach other
collectors, hobbyists, and scientists. We only ask that you check your facts, give
credit where it is due, keep it wholesome for our Junior Members watching, and keep on
topic regarding rockhounding.
You don't even have to be experienced in making a webpage. We
can work together to publish your story. A handwritten short story with a Polaroid
will do. If you do fancier, a text document with a digital photo will suit, as well.
Sharing is the groundwork from which we can get your story out there.
Our club's webpages can reach any person
surfing the net in the world, and even on the International Space Station, if they have a
mind to view our website!
We are hoping for a possible tie-in to other
informative programs upon which our fellow members might want to collaborate.
Contact any officer or board member with your suggestions.
August's MOTM will
be a surprise. For September 2005, we are waiting for your
suggestions. What mineral do you
want to know more about?
____________________________________
Most of the Mineral of the Month
selections have come from most recent club fieldtrips and March Show Themes, and from
inspriring world locales, and birthstones & gemstones. thus far. If you have a
suggestion for a future Mineral of the Month,
please e-mail me at: kencasey98@yahoo.com,
or tell me at our next meeting.
|
|
|
|
|
