Ruby and Sapphire Cleaning and Polishing

 

Introduction:

Thank you for your purchase.  Your treasure hunt has arrived and now the fun begins!  As this material is still dirty from the mine, the first thing you will want to do is wash it thoroughly in warm water and a little dish soap.  It is best evaluated while wet and under a good light source, such as a desk lamp.  This should give you a really good look at what you have.
 

A breif background about rubies & sapphires:

Rubies and Sapphires are the mineral Corundum.  The mineral name Corundum comes from Sanskrit "kuruntam" meaning "red stone".  The name Ruby comes from the Latin "ruber", meaning "red".  Rubies range from bright, pure red, to orangey red, to purplish red.

All other colors of corundum that are not RED are called sapphire.  The most desired color Sapphire is called corn-flower blue".  There is one special variety, an orange-pink stone (very rare) called Padparadscha (which is a Sinalese word for "lotus blossom".  Of the other colors, the special Padparadscha and pink stones are the most expensive.

Rubies and sapphires have been the world's most valued gemstone for thousands of years. Ruby was said to be the most precious of the twelve stones God created when he created all things and this "lord of gems" was placed on Aaron's neck by God's command. Ruby brings you serenity, and protect against injury.

Since Rubies & Sapphires are a hardness of 9 on the Mohs Scale of hardness (only Diamonds are harder) they are wonderful gems for jewelry.
 
 

What should I do next?

After you have washed them in warm water and dish soap (this works very well in a strainer), there should be some ruby/sapphire  in plain sight but the matrix often conceals very nice rubies/sapphires hidden within.  Hold each piece up to the light to see if it has gem potential otherwise you could overlook something valuable.

Next, remove the matrix.  The easiest way to remove the matrix on the rubies/sapphires is to tumble them.  If you do not have a tumbler, the matrix pieces can be also be carefully broken open with a hammer to reveal the rubies within.  Because the matrix is not very hard, another good method is to flake the matrix off with a knife or a heavy sewing needle.  A dremmel tool with a diamond tip will also work, but it is a bit tedious.

It is not important which method you use and sometimes you may need to use more than one method to fully remove the matrix; the important thing is that sometimes the best stuff is found inside the matrix.
 

How can I tell if they are good?

The three factors of value for rubies and sapphires are Clarity, Color, and Cut (the 3 C's).

Clarity:  How well you can see light through the stone and (relative) absence of flaws.

Color:  The color scale is used to describe the color tones of a gemstone. For color gemstones, the color is measured by tone and hue. Color is the most important criteria in determining the value a colored gemstone has. More important than clarity and cut, even subtle differences in hue can correspond with marked variations in valuations.

Cut:
     -en cabochon - cut smooth and rounded, used for opaque stones like turquoise
     -faceted - cut with sparkling polished planes, like a diamond