how to tell a ruby??

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:22 pm

I find alot of garnets but this time I found something different while sluicing and it was at the very lsast bit in the pan with the gold. How do ya tell if you have found a ruby simply, that the average joe can do? is there a way? Also I seen Candy found a huge star ruby, what would that be worth?

Gonna google now for ways just thought I'd post here 1st and see what yall suggest. Location Foothills of NC 20min. from emerald city mine.

Dredger Joined: 22 May 2010 Posts: 605

Rubies are in the corundum family with a hardness of 9, very hard. Garnets, especially the almandine variety found in NC, also derive from aluminum compounds, but are not so hard, less than 7.0 usually on the mohs scale.

Rubies will scratch garnets, garnets will not scratch rubies.

Unfortunately, neither leave a streak on a streak test.

Now the good news: All rubies will scratch quartz!!

Sam

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 8:28 pm

Thank you. I'll give it a try.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:46 pm

Sam is right but also....
Rubies and sapphires both are octagon shape. But that one could have smooth out as it traveling in the river kind of like a tumbler. That looks really bright red.You can google the mohs scale and you can learn alot of info about the gems you find while panning. If you looked at my starr ruby and the sapphire bith have the octagon shape both on the bottoms look like stop sighs. But what ever that is nice and red.

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:32 pm

raw rubies are slight transparent, or atleast very slightly transperant

cant you take a black light(i think) and if its a ruby it will glow?

I know its some type of lighthing that makes(or is it fluorescent light?) rubies/saphires/diamonds/emeralds glow in the dark...