Corundum var: Ruby (rare classic locality specimen)

Item Description

A wonderful and desirable thumbnail specimen of Ruby from one of the most well-known, classic localities in East Africa for the material. This beautiful crystal is a fine, sharp, lustrous, well-formed, hexagonal crystal of dark purplish-red Ruby from the famous John Saul Mine (Rockland Mine) in southern Kenya. This locality was one of the great specimen (and gemstone) producers in the 20th century, and 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. I think it's safe to say that not only was this mine locality was a major producer of Ruby dating back many decades ago, but it was arguably the first major Ruby locality in Kenya. This crystal shows excellent tapered hexagonal form, and the interior shows decent translucency with good backlighting. The best aspect of the piece to me is the resinous/waxy luster on the surface, most crystals we've seen from this mine after have a soft matte luster. Under long wave UV light, the piece glows with a vivid red color. A good quality, and truly coveted Ruby from this renowned locality. Specimen weight is 5.43 grams. From the collection of Bill Larson.