Synthetic Corundum (Ruby) on Chromium-bearing YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet)

Item Description

This is certainly a first for me, I've never seen anything like it. This notably colorful specimen features synthetic crystals of fiery reddish-pink Corundum (Ruby), which are growing on top of YAG, which stands for yttrium aluminum garnet, that has been colored an intense green hue to due chromium content. YAG is a synthetic material that was originally created for optical laser systems, but some of you know it for its gem properties, as faceted YAG has been around for many years. The material typically has excellent clarity and durability with a high refractive index and dispersion, and certain types of YAG can even mimic the color-changing properties of Alexandrite. From what I can deduce from the label, the yttrium and chromium on this specimen partially disappeared, leaving the aluminum and oxygen to create the synthetic Ruby, but a small amount of the chromium created the intense color (just like many natural Rubies that get their color from chromium). So the two materials formed during the same synthesizing session, they were not grown intentionally independently from one another. A VERY cool synthetic specimen with intense color that you're not likely to see anywhere else.
From the synthetic mineral suite of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#7150). This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.