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.
Thin film inclusions in the basal plane of a Thai/Cambodian ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-7
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Thin film inclusions in the basal plane of a Thai/Cambodian ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-6
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Thin film inclusions in the basal plane of a Thai/Cambodian ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-5
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
A melted crystal and surrounding fingerprint form a "Saturn inclusion" in this heated ruby from the Thai/Cambodian border. Thin films are also seen in the background and lie in the plane of the basal pinacoid.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-4
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
A melted crystal and surrounding fingerprint form a "Saturn inclusion" in this heated ruby from the Thai/Cambodian border. Thin films are also seen in the background and lie in the plane of the basal pinacoid.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-2
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
A melted crystal with a frosted surface surrounded by a fingerprint with melted channels. Often known as a "saturn inclusions,” these melted crystals are common in heated Thai ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Dark Field + Oblique Fiber Optic
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-3076-1
Gübelin, E.J. and Koivula, J.I. (2005) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3. Basel, Switzerland, Opinio Publishers, 672 pp.; RWHL*.
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Polysynthetic twinning and fingerprints are both common features in rubies from Tajikistan.
Natural Ruby •
Tajikistan •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Diffuse Light Field + Crossed Polars
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
R-001-3276-3
Sorokina, E.S., Litvinenko, A.K. et al. (2015) Rubies and Sapphires from Snezhnoe, Tajikistan. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 160–175; RWHL.
Hughes, R.W., Pardieu, V. et al. (2006) Moon over the Pamirs: Chasing ruby and spinel in Tajikistan. LotusGemology.com, RWHL*.
A heat-altered fingerprint lies just below the surface of this Tajikistan ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Tajikistan •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Oblique
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
R-001-3276-2
Sorokina, E.S., Litvinenko, A.K. et al. (2015) Rubies and Sapphires from Snezhnoe, Tajikistan. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 160–175; RWHL.
Hughes, R.W., Pardieu, V. et al. (2006) Moon over the Pamirs: Chasing ruby and spinel in Tajikistan. LotusGemology.com, RWHL*.
A melted crystal betrays the heat-treated origin of this ruby from Tajikistan.
Natural Ruby •
Tajikistan •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Diffuse Light Field + Crossed Polars
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
R-001-3276-1
Sorokina, E.S., Litvinenko, A.K. et al. (2015) Rubies and Sapphires from Snezhnoe, Tajikistan. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 160–175; RWHL.
Hughes, R.W., Pardieu, V. et al. (2006) Moon over the Pamirs: Chasing ruby and spinel in Tajikistan. LotusGemology.com, RWHL*.
This high-temperature ruby bead necklace was impregnated with red wax. Here the wax has filled a small cavity in one of the ruby beads. One can clearly see a gas bubble in the red wax.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mogok/Namya •
Enhancements:
Heat + Fissure Healing (H-FH); Fissure Filling with Dyed Filler (FF-DF1) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Oblique
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-2997-2
This necklace of ruby beads from Mogok, Burma was high-temperature heat treated. The treatment was easily unmasked by examination in short-wave ultraviolet light, where the beads displayed a characteristic zoned chalky red fluorescence.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mogok/Namya •
Enhancements:
Heat + Fissure Healing (H-FH); Fissure Filling with Dyed Filler (FF-DF1) •
Lighting Conditions:
Ultraviolet: Shortwave
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-2997-1
Hughes, R.W. and Emmett, J.L. (2005) Heat Seeker: UV fluorescence as a gemological tool. The Guide, Vol. 24, No. 5, Part 1, Sept.–Oct., pp. 1, 4–7; RWHL*.
166 Total Images
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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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