corundum, Australia.12, gems

Webb reports two unusual ruby specimens from the Inverell district of New South Wales, documenting the occurrence of ruby in an Australian gemfield better known for sapphire. The principal specimen is a faceted ruby weighing 1.41 ct, recovered by a fossicker panning in Swan Brook and subsequently retained in the private collection of its cutter. Staff of the Mineral Section of the Australian Museum examined the stone and regarded its combination of colour, quality and size as exceptional for the locality. The accompanying photograph illustrates the finished gem. Webb places this find in the context of other Australian ruby occurrences. Most Australian rubies were reported to come from the Harts Range, where the material is generally opaque and suitable for beads and cabochons. Faceting-quality ruby had also been found in the Barrington Tops area, although mining there had not been consistent. Ruby was described as a rare discovery in the sapphire fields of both Inverell and Anakie, making an attractive faceted example from either district a collector’s item. Examination of the Swan Brook stone established gemmological properties normal for ruby. It showed moderate fluorescence under long-wave ultraviolet radiation and was inert under short-wave ultraviolet radiation. A diffraction-grating spectroscope revealed a characteristic ruby spectrum, including three narrow bands in the blue region. The only inclusions observed were several partially healed fractures confined to a corner of the stone. The note also records an unusually large piece of pale ruby rough from Frazer’s Creek, Inverell, which museum staff had inspected a few weeks before examining the faceted specimen. This second ruby weighed 11.30 ct and was held by a local property owner. Together, the two specimens provide examples of the uncommon ruby component of the Inverell sapphire fields: one notable as a finished gem of unusual quality and the other for its relatively large size as rough. The report documents individual finds rather than sustained ruby production from the district.