STAR RUBY Gemstones - Top Gem Burma, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)- AwesomeGems.com

Top Quality Star Ruby Gemstones

Star Ruby

MOH's scale of hardness : 9	Specific Gravity : 3.97-4.05
Refractive Index : 1.766-1.774	Double Refraction : -0.008

Ruby sometimes displays a three-ray, six-point star. These Star Rubies are cut in a smooth domed cabochon cut to display the effect. The star is best visible when illuminated with a single light source: it moves across the stone as the light moves. This effect, called asterism, is caused by light reflecting off tiny rutile needles, called "silk," which are oriented along the crystal faces.
The value of star rubies and star sapphires are influenced by two things: 1) The intensity and attractiveness of the body color, and 2) The strength and sharpness of the star. All six legs should be straight and equally prominent. Star rubies rarely have the combination of a fine translucent or transparent color and a sharp prominent star, but when offered, these gems are valuable and expensive.

NOTE - Most commonly you will see that synthetics jump out as way too perfect looking, ie: a perfect star, a super clean stone, and great color. If you own one and aren't sure if it's genuine... Here's a few quick ways you might be able to tell the difference... First thing to look at is the bottom, if there is an "L" stamped in the stone, it's a Lindy Star and synthetic... if it does not have an "L" it passes that test, now look for imperfections within the stone, and/or unevenness on the bottom, and/or stripes or lines of color that shows through the top... most naturals have one or more of these natural imperfections... then look at the star itself, using a flashlight... most natural stars do not have a "perfect" star, whereas the natural will most likely have 1 or more of the 6 legs not exactly the same length, or maybe not all 6 are perfectly straight... now move the flashlight around in a circle, the star should travel around and follow the light source... if the star stays stationary it is definitely synthetic. If it passes these tests, you can take it to a jeweler that has a thermal conductivity gem tester (this tester has a needle gauge, not just the diamond tester that just makes a beep), the dial should jump to the mark just before a diamond to tell you it's corundum. If it passes this test you may have a genuine Star, but don't get super excited yet, these are just simple things you can do to rule out the majority of synthetics, the only way to be sure is to send the stone to a reputable Gem Laboratory and ask for a Gem Identification Report. Prices for this report will range between $100 to $500, depending on how much detail you want on the report. If you don't know who to contact, here are a few links to Accredited Gem Labs: