ISG: Rutti Tutti Rubies flood the markets!

Hardly rubies any more, these stones look more like sugar coated candy! OK, we admit that Rutti Tutti Rubies is not exactly a gemological term, but then again what do you call rubies that look more like hard rock candy than rock hard rubies?

And worse yet, what do you call dealers who are selling this stuff without disclosure? We’ll get back to you on that one. But as far as the rubies are concerned the treatments are getting totally out of hand. Fortunately the identification of these….less than ruby….rubies is fairly easy if you have a few photographs at hand to use for reference. To this purpose we present everyone with this week’s gemstone treatment review with images to help you identify these Rutti Tutti Rubies for yourself.

A few decades ago a collection of rubies like you see above and in the banner would equal a king’s ransom. Today, they are for sale on eBay for a few dollars per carat. Why? Because they are not really rubies in the classic sense of the term. In truth, most of the rubies you see on this page are more glass and filler material than corundum colored by an impurity of chromium in the crystal lattice.

For the first time we know of in the industry, we would like to bring you a look at the rough crystals used to create these sweet pretenders. We have obtained two treated ruby crystals that tell more of this story than anything else we can say. The filled fractures and fissures in these crystals attest to the exceptionally nasty condition of these stones, and why they would be otherwise unsalable without the fillers used in the treatment.

If you look at the images above you will see a rather well formed hexagonal corundum crystal with very deep fractures and fissures running throughout the stone. What you will also see is that these fractures and fissures are filled with a glass-like filler material that has for the most part filled in the fractures. This is the beginning of the ruby treating process that we see in the finished goods on the market today.

The good news about this is that we have identified three categories of treatment of this type and all are fairly easy to identify. Above you see a 30x image of the cabochon cut ruby from the banner photograph. You will note one common identification factor in all of these treatments…..huge gas bubbles throughout the stone. The source is air getting into the mix when the stone is being treated. These gas bubbles are far larger and far more concentrated than anything you will see in natural rubies. That is “tell” number one.

The first type of filler used on rubies was a flux type filler that caused a whitish material to cake up in fissures with many stones. This is a unique marker for these types of filled rubies. You can see one of these at left.

Next on the market was a leaded glass filler, much like that used in the fracture filled diamond process. The glass filler has essentially the same refractive index as the ruby which allowed the filler to mask off the many fractures and fissures inside the ruby. Fortunately this treatment is also easy to identify as the glass filler imparts a bluish flash effect that is easily visible under magnification and using variable lighting directions. A slide show can be seen below of this flash effect.

For those more artistically inclined we did find one image from the several hundred we took of these specimens that was more art than inclusion, so we have included that to the left. We increased the contrast a bit to show off the very beautiful formations of the filler located in the fractures of this stone.

And finally, composite rubies….rubies made from bits and pieces of other broken rubies, glued together and then faceted to look like a natural ruby. Again, no real rocket science here as the glue used to stick the pieces together and the occasional open spaces between pieces that did not fit just right all combine to make identification fairly easy. Below you see a 20x and 60x close up view of one of these composite rubies showing where some of the pieces did not fit quite right.

In spite of the ease with which these Rutti Tutti Rubies can be identified, all too many goldsmiths are not checking on the status of the stones before applying a torch or cleaning solution. The results are devastating for both the ruby and the consumer. As you can see below in overhead reflected light, the glass filler also coats the surface of most of these stones and it is very very fragile. So great care must be taken with any of these treated rubies.

But the most important point about these stones is that they are pretty, and viable, if the dealers in Thailand and other locations would just properly disclose the treatment at the time of sale. It is an astounding fact that the gemstone industry in Thailand and China (most recently) is turning out scores of new treatments and continue to try to pass the finished products off as all natural. This is causing a huge erosion in consumer confidence in this industry world-wide which will take many years to win back. We call on all dealers selling these Rutti Tutti Rubies to disclose the treatment, let consumers know what they are buying. Consumers are not afraid of treatments, consumers are afraid of jewelers who are afraid of treatments.

Let’s stop being afraid! Gemstone treatments are our friends….we just need to get to know them better.

Robert James FGA, GG
President, International School of Gemology

©2009 International School of Gemology. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED All images are taken using the ISG Student Reference Collection of gemstones in the ISG office. This article and the images herein have been reprinted in entirety by written permission of the ISG for publication on Nice Ice. The statements and opinions made herein are that of the ISG and are not necessarily the opinion of Nice Ice, Inc.