Treated Ruby Inclusions

First Published: 7 September 2026

Treated Ruby Inclusions

Explore treated ruby inclusions in Hyperion, the Lotus Gemology inclusion database. Hyperion contains photomicrographs of inclusions and internal features in natural rubies that have undergone treatment, documented with information on geographic origin, treatment, lighting conditions, field of view, photographer and published references.

Bizarre spider's web clouds just beneath the surface of this ruby that proved to be beryllium treated.
Color zoning with an orange zone in an unusual beryllium-treated ruby.
Many gems entering the market from Burma have been found to be oiled in an attempt to conceal their fissures. This fraud can often be unmasked by using the hot point, which may cause oil drops to leak from fissures.
Some inclusions in Mozambique rubies are thermally sensitive. Here we find small crystals that have melted. The melted crystal (glass) occupies less volume than the original crystal, resulting in a frozen contraction bubble. A small fingerprint surrounds each melted crystal.
Glass filling in a surface-reaching cavity in a Mozambique ruby. Note the conchoidal fracture on the glass filling.
This Mozambique ruby has been heat treated, causing an included crystal to melt. The resulting glass occupies less space than the previous crystal, resulting in a frozen gas bubble.
Primary rutile crystals dance with transparent colorless partners in this ruby from Myanmar’s Mogok Stone Tract.
Primary rutile crystals dance with transparent colorless partners in this ruby from Myanmar’s Mogok Stone Tract.
Included crystals in a ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique.
A small heat-altered fingerprint in an unusual, beryllium-treated ruby.
When a gem is heat treated, solid inclusions may melt. This photo illustrates two different examples. In the foreground a crystal has melted and cooled into a glass. Because the glass takes up less volume than the earlier crystal, the difference results in a bubble in the glass. Looking further in the background we can see small blue dots. These are the remnants of rutile silk. Heat treatment alters the rutile, sending titanium into solid solution in the corundum. The result is blue “ink spots” surrounding the partially dissolved rutile.
Shortwave ultraviolet can often reveal heat treatment even at relatively low temperatures. Low-iron rubies, padparadschas and blue sapphires will often display a zoned chalky fluorescence following heat treatment. It is generally the colorless areas of the stone that show this. The presence of chalky SW fluorescence is a strong indication of heat treatment.

Treatment can alter existing inclusions and produce new microscopic features in ruby. These may include changes to mineral inclusions, altered rutile silk, tension fractures, healed fissures, residues and other features associated with heating, fissure healing, glass filling and other treatment processes.

Treated Ruby Inclusion Photomicrographs

The Hyperion treated ruby gallery includes microscopic features documented in natural rubies subjected to treatment. Each entry identifies the recorded treatment and is accompanied by descriptive information and, where available, references to the gemological literature.

What Inclusions Can Reveal About Ruby Treatment

Microscopic examination is an important part of detecting treatment in ruby. The appearance and alteration of inclusions, fractures and growth features can provide evidence of treatment and, in some cases, information about the processes to which a ruby has been subjected.

Hyperion combines inclusion photomicrography with supporting gemological information so that treatment-related features can be compared with documented examples in natural ruby.

About Hyperion

Hyperion is the Lotus Gemology searchable inclusion database. It allows users to browse gemstone inclusions by gem type, geographic origin, treatment and keyword.

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