The US Geological Survey does not employ gemologists – while
there have been several within our ranks historically, they have been amateur
gemologists who have pursued their interest on their own time. Nevertheless,
gems DO come from the ground, and could reasonably be construed to be an
ultimate product of geology. The following question is typical of the kind we
receive about gems.
Q: Is there
somewhere in California near Modesto that I can have a rock collection looked
at? We are almost positive that we may have found some raw rubies! They have
passed the scratch test and are very heavy and hexagonal shaped. 209-xxx-xxxx
- James
A: We can't
do gemology for you - the US Geological Survey is tightly constrained to work
on only particular national objectives that Congress sets, including mineral resource
assessments, volcano hazards, etc.
My recommendation to you is that
you contact a local gemological society and ask for guidance. I would NOT
recommend going to any jewelry store, as they only focus and specialize on the
end products.
You might try:
http://www.americangemsociety.org/ ...
but keep in mind that this is a trade association of retail jewelers,
independent appraisers, suppliers, and selective industry members, and only
incidentally will they have any component that might be of help to you.
You
would probably do better with:
...or even better with a local
society of educated amateurs, like the San Diego Mineral and Gem Society:
Finally, please keep in mind that
there are beryls and other igneous minerals like garnet and eudialyte that can
easily be mistaken for rubies by inexperienced people. A true ruby is a pink to
blood-red (so-called “pigeon blood”) colored gemstone, a form of the mineral
corundum (aluminum oxide). Ruby has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, and is
considered one of the four precious stones, along with sapphire, emerald, and
diamonds. The red color in a ruby is caused mainly by the presence of the
element chromium in the crystal lattice.
~~~~~
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