Corundum var: Ruby (rare classic locality specimen)

Item Description

This is a hard to find thumbnail specimen from one of the most well-known, classic Ruby localities in East Africa. This piece thumbnail sized piece is a fine, sharp, well-formed, doubly-terminated, "floater" crystal of dark reddish-purple Ruby from the famous John Saul Mine (Rockland Mine) in southern Kenya. I would like to point out that crystals of Ruby have been found in many localities in Kenya over the years, but pieces from the famous John Saul Mine are highly sought after. This locality was a major producer of Ruby dating back many decades ago, and was arguably the first major Ruby locality in Kenya. This crystals shows excellent hexagonal form, and the interior just glows with good backlighting. Under long wave UV light, the piece glows with a vivid red color. A fine quality, and truly desirable Ruby from this renowned locality. Specimen weight is 2.08 grams. From the collection of Bill Larson.