Natural Ruby Inclusions
Explore ruby inclusions in Hyperion, the Lotus Gemology inclusion database. Hyperion contains photomicrographs of inclusions and internal features in natural ruby, documented with information on geographic origin, treatment, lighting conditions, field of view, photographer and published references.
Inclusion of what is probably chalcopyrite in a ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique.
Natural Ruby •
Mozambique •
Enhancements:
None Detected (None) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Oblique
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-0743-1
Inclusions of what is probably pargasite with dark grains of embedded chromite in a ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique.
Natural Ruby •
Mozambique •
Enhancements:
None Detected (None) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Transmitted
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-0741-1
A melted crystal of what was probably mica with a trapped gas bubble reveals this Mozambique ruby has been subjected to heat treatment.
Natural Ruby •
Mozambique •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Transmitted
Photographer:
Richard W. Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-1839-1
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.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mogok/Namya •
Enhancements:
Heat + Glass Cavity/Fissure Filling (H-GF1) •
Lighting Conditions:
Ultraviolet: Short Wave
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-0579-1
Thin film inclusions in the basal plane are a common feature of many Thai-Cambodian rubies.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Overhead
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10133-3
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Thin film inclusions in the basal plane are a common feature of many Thai-Cambodian rubies.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Overhead
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10133-2
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Heat-altered fingerprints and melted crystals embellish the interior of this heat-treated Thai-Cambodian ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Thailand/Cambodia •
Enhancements:
Heat (H) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Transmitted
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10133-1
Hughes, R.W. (1997) Ruby & Sapphire. Boulder, CO, RWH Publishing, 512 pp.; RWHL*.
Rutile silk creates a magical display of light within the red chamber of this Mogok ruby.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mogok •
Enhancements:
None Detected (None) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Oblique
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10114-1
A lovely “rosette” thin film inclusion surrounds a mica crystal in this ruby from Mozambique’s Montepuez mines.
Natural Ruby •
Mozambique •
Enhancements:
None Detected (None) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Diffuse Overhead
Photographer:
E. Billie Hughes •
Image Number:
A-001-1823-1
Short rutile needles light up the interior of this ruby from Mogok, Myanmar. These represent secondary inclusions, meaning inclusions that formed after the host. Rutile silk forms in corundum through exsolution—the unmixing of a solid solution.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mogok •
Enhancements:
None Detected (None) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Overhead
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10036-1
Angular growth zoning is a common feature in rubies from Mong Hsu, Burma. Growth zoning reveals the shape of a crystal at an earlier point in its development.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mong Hsu •
Enhancements:
Heat + Fissure Healing (H-FH) •
Lighting Conditions:
Dark Field
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10035-1
Flux-healed fissure in a heat-treated ruby from Myanmar’s Mong Hsu mines.
Natural Ruby •
Myanmar (Burma); Mong Hsu •
Enhancements:
Heat + Fissure Healing (H-FH) •
Lighting Conditions:
Fiber Optic: Oblique
Photographer:
Wimon Manorotkul •
Image Number:
P-10019-2
Peretti, A. (1993) Foreign substances in Mong Hsu rubies. JewelSiam, Vol. 4, No. 5, p. 42; RWHL.
Natural ruby inclusions may include mineral crystals, rutile silk, healed fissures, fluid inclusions, negative crystals, color zoning and other features formed during or after crystal growth. Such features are important to gemologists because they can provide evidence useful in identifying ruby, understanding its geological history, recognizing treatment and, in some cases, determining geographic origin.
Natural Ruby Inclusion Photomicrographs
The Hyperion natural ruby gallery includes microscopic features found in rubies from major deposits around the world. Each entry is accompanied by descriptive information and, where available, references to the gemological literature.
What Inclusions Can Reveal About Natural Ruby
Inclusions are an important part of ruby identification. Their form, composition, orientation and alteration can help gemologists distinguish natural ruby from synthetic material, recognize evidence of heat treatment, and study the geological environment in which the ruby formed.
Hyperion combines inclusion photomicrography with supporting gemological information so that individual features can be compared with documented examples from known ruby deposits.
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.
