Sphene, the yellow-green natural gemstone
Have you ever heard of rubellite?
There is a stone, very similar to ruby, which is actually rubellite. It is a purplish red tourmaline. From the beginning of the twentieth century it was often confused with ruby. In reality they are both very precious gems and of a wonderful color, but the rubellite also has a unique and very special pink sparkle.
What is the difference between ruby and rubellite?
As already mentioned, rubellite is a tourmaline, belongs to the class of silicates and is a variety of elbaite. Tourmalines exist in many colors. The chemical element responsible for the color of rubellite is manganese. Its name derives from the Latin “rubellus” which means reddish and from the Greek “lithos” which means stone.
Rubies, on the other hand, are corundum and are made up of aluminum oxide crystal.
In nature there are only three stones of intense red color:
- Rubin, the most precious
- rubelite, a good alternative to ruby, much less expensive
- red spinel, which is also very expensive and difficult to find of medium to large size.
Just to understand, speaking of stones of a beautiful intense red and with few inclusions, the high-level ruby can have a cost per carat of up to 20,000 euros or more, rubellite can reach a maximum of 800.00 euros per carat. Obviously in all cases you have to understand that you have beautiful and pure stones on hand, otherwise the cost is enormously reduced in both cases.
The history of rubellite
It is a gem of very ancient origins already the Romans and the Russian tsars used it to make precious jewels.
The most important mines are located in four areas:
- Brazil
- Nigeria
- Mozambico
- Madagascar.
The first two are the historical ones and now almost exhausted. The last two have been discovered more recently but the mines are still small. This means that rubellite, especially of good quality, is fully included among the hard to find stones of good quality and this means that its value can go up a lot when pure stones are found. It is a stone with a good hardness of 7.5 on the Mohs scale, so it can scratch glass but you have to be careful not to drop it or hit it hard.
Properties of rubellite
Thanks to its energy, rubellite protects against fears and helps to not hesitate. It provides the wearer with joy and peace to the heart and enables them to face everyday life.
Rubellite jewels are perfect to buy for yourself or as a gift for your wife or girlfriend on a birthday or anniversary.
At Virano Gioielli you will find a wide selection of rubellite jewelry. In addition, you will also find various loose gems to create your own personalized jewelry. This is thanks to Virano Gioielli in-house goldsmith workshop and the mastery of the owner Paolo and the goldsmith masters, who will be able to advise you in the best possible way.
Come and visit us in our Virano Gioielli showroom, in Via Giolitti 7 bis, in the center, a few steps from Piazza San Carlo.
And if you don’t have time, call us on 011 540689 or write to info@viranogioielli.it, we will send you proposals and together we will find the solution that best suits your needs and your budget.
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