Corundum var: Ruby on marble

Item Description

Ruby is one of the most well-known gem minerals, but good crystals are only found in a handful of contemporary world localities, especially fine crystals on matrix. Here we have a lovely specimen from the famous Jagdalak Ruby Mine in Afghanistan. I will say that not only is the crystal on this specimen good quality, but it's also UN-REPAIRED, which makes it even more desirable, as many of them are often glued back on the matrix. The Rubies from Jagdalak are among some of the better / well-crystallized matrix examples of Ruby ever found. This specimen features a sharp, very well formed, rich purplish-red color trigonal crystal measuring 8 mm across sitting beautifully on a soft grey-white marble matrix. A very good Ruby specimen from a locality that is not producing nearly as many good pieces as it did 15-20 years ago. For reference, if this piece were from Mogok, Myanmar, I can say with certainty that the value would be higher, and because it's somewhat gemmy , it may not have survived the mines and might have been faceted into a gemstone. It's important to keep this in mind when one is searching for a display quality matrix Ruby specimen.