QuestionQUESTION: Is it true that the way to tell if a ruby is real, is by putting it under a UV light - and it will glow a beautiful red?
ANSWER: Hi Deborah,
Not exactly, here is an artical on the subject.
Distinguishing Properties
RUBY
* Distinguished from red spinel, garnet or glass (all isotropic) with polariscope. R.I. for other red stones is sufficiently different to distinguish.
* From synthetic ruby by microscopic examination or fluorescence in a few cases.
o Synthetic ruby grown by the flame fusion technique usually shows curved growth striations or curved color zoning, and may contain unmelted grains and gas bubbles. Growth stria and color zoning are best observed by examining stones through the table because of the way synthetics are oriented for cutting; the c-axis, which is parallel to the long dimension of the boule in flame fusion corundum, lies parallel to the table of gem stones cut from these boules, whereas natural ruby is often cut with the c-axis perpendicular to the table.
o Under short wave u.v., flame fusion synthetic rubies often show a brighter red fluorescence than naturals, though the test is nondiagnostic because some Cr-rich synthetic varieties are less fluorescent, and the best Burmese gems are as fluorescent as most synthetics.
o Flux growth synthetic rubies (e.g. Ramaura ruby) may contain flux inclusions (orange or white in color if PbO or PbF flux is used).
o Flux-growth Ramaura ruby in our collection fluoresces a strong red in long wavelength u.v. light but shows little to no fluorescence in short wave u.v.. Some Ramaura ruby apparently also fluoresces strongly in short wavelength u.v. Fluorescence in both short and long u.v. is said to be more yellow-orange than that observed in natural ruby.
o In all cases, synthetic ruby lacks the natural mineral or fluid inclusions that are distinctive for ruby from all sources (see below).
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for this reply, however it is a bit more technical than I can use for my original question in mind (I should have clarified)....
Is there anyway for an unexperienced person can differentiate a real ruby from a synthetic?
AnswerHi again,
There is no way I know of to know for sure. If you had looked at a lot of natural ones and a lot of synthetic ones for years like I have, You would be able to tell
most of the time just by the color and inclusions (flaws) even the cut.
However sometimes a natural stone will look very much like a synthetic then the only way to know is by using the tools that gemologist use.
Most stones these days are treated also which makes it even more difficult for the untrained eye. So the bottom line is you should always have a stone tested when in doubt.
