Star Ruby

Item Description

The vast majority of the gems you'll find are either faceted or polished into cabochons. Within the categories of cabochons are a small subset of stones which exhibit characteristics that allow them to be cut into "star" gems. If you have even a little bit of experience with gems, I think you'll have at least heard of "star" gems, and the most commonly known examples are either Star Rubes or Star Sapphires. The phenomenon that creates the "stars" in these gems is called asterism, and it occurs when these stones are polished into cabochons and oriented perpendicular to the "c" axis in a manner that reflects tiny silk-like inclusions inside. These inclusions bend light entering the stone and create the six-legged star-like pattern (in some gems you'll see four-legged star, but Rubies and Sapphires always have six legs). This six-rayed white star appears in bright lighting and the quality is judged by sharpness of star, symmetry of the rays, and the body color. This is a lovely Star Ruby gem with a deep purple-red hue, and when it's exposed to a focused light source (light a small torch or a camera light), the stone shows very sharp and complete "legs". The consistency is important in this material as you don't want any breaks in the legs of the star. The stone would make a nice addition to a gem collection or as a center stone in a pendant. Valued $3,077.25 retail.