A New Type of Synthetic Ruby on Market: Offered as Hydrothermal Rubies from Novosibirsk

Until now the commercial production of synthetic ruby has consisted of two major types of synthesis, the flame-fusion and flux-growth processes, even though the techniques for a third type involving the hydrothermal growth of synthetic rubies have been known since the late 1950’s. The early hydrothermal ruby production was reported as consisting of thin overgrowths on natural ruby seeds (Gubelin, 1961). The authors first became aware of the recent production of hydrothermal synthetic rubies in Novosibirsk during the Fall of 1991. In January 1993, synthetic rubies produced at Novosibirsk first began appearing on the market in Bangkok (including the samples in this study, weighing 1.69, 0.69 and 0.62 ct).

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