Recently, the author observed two corundum samples with intriguing inclusion scenes: an unheated 0.89 ct blue sapphire and a heated 1.39 ct ruby. Believed to have been mined in Kashmir, the sapphire hosted a unique negative crystal that resembled a qilin, a dragon-like creature from Chinese mythology (figure 1).
The ruby also evoked Chinese imagery through a thin film inclusion reminiscent of an antique mural depicting the sky at dusk (figure 2). The healed fingerprints in the lower part of the image appear as thick clouds, while the upper portion is suggestive of the sky dyed red by the setting sun. In the center, a loong (Chinese dragon) seems to emerge through the clouds, disappearing into the sky. Trace element chemistry obtained by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry indicated a Thailand origin for the ruby, a conclusion supported by the features of its inclusion scene. Rubies from Thailand typically contain colorless crystals surrounded by thin film inclusions, which display iridescent colors under fiber-optic illumination.
Yuxiao Li is a staff gemologist at GIA in Tokyo.
Recently, the author observed two corundum samples with intriguing inclusion scenes: an unheated 0.89 ct blue sapphire and a heated 1.39 ct ruby. Believed to have been mined in Kashmir, the sapphire hosted a unique negative crystal that resembled a qilin, a dragon-like creature from Chinese mythology (figure 1).
The ruby also evoked Chinese imagery through a thin film inclusion reminiscent of an antique mural depicting the sky at dusk (figure 2). The healed fingerprints in the lower part of the image appear as thick clouds, while the upper portion is suggestive of the sky dyed red by the setting sun. In the center, a loong (Chinese dragon) seems to emerge through the clouds, disappearing into the sky. Trace element chemistry obtained by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry indicated a Thailand origin for the ruby, a conclusion supported by the features of its inclusion scene. Rubies from Thailand typically contain colorless crystals surrounded by thin film inclusions, which display iridescent colors under fiber-optic illumination.
Yuxiao Li is a staff gemologist at GIA in Tokyo.
