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Corundum (Ruby & Sapphire) Corundum is an aluminum oxide with a
hardness of 9, second only to the diamond. The more valuable varieties of
corundum come from A ruby is red corundum. Most rubies contain
inclusions, therefore the more valuable rubies
contain a small amount of inclusions. A ruby is just a notch below the
diamond and emerald as far as value of the cut gem. Most of the very high
quality rubies come from A sapphire is blue corundum. This color can
be a dark blue to almost black. Sapphires polish very well, like all corundums, and have a nice luster. Sapphires are also
very valuable and are comparable to the prices of rubies. All other colors of corundums
have a variety of names, such as pink rubies, pink sapphires, violet
sapphires, yellow sapphires, green sapphires, and colorless sapphires. Additional corundums
that are rather popular are the star ruby and star sapphire. These stones
have a six-ray star visible from almost any angle. Very fine needles of rutile within the corundum cause this star. |
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1997 all rights reserved |