Corundum var: Ruby (rare classic locality specimen)

Item Description

A classic "floater" thumbnail specimen of Ruby from one of the most well-known, classic localities in East Africa for the material. This piece is a fine, fairly sharp, well-formed, doubly-terminated, hexagonal 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 good quality, and truly desirable Ruby from this renowned locality. Specimen weight is 3.93 grams. From the collection of Bill Larson.