Natural Ruby Inclusions

Explore ruby inclusions in Hyperion, the Lotus Gemology inclusion database. Hyperion contains photomicrographs of inclusions and internal features in natural ruby, documented with information on geographic origin, treatment, lighting conditions, field of view, photographer and published references.

A mica crystal with a lovely “rosette” surrounding it graces the interior of this untreated Mozambique ruby from the Montepuez area.
A melted crystal of what was probably mica with a trapped gas bubble reveals this Mozambique ruby has been subjected to heat treatment.
Lovely example of a rutile needle with attached daughter crystal in a ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique.
Sharp angular growth zoning is commonly seen in rubies from Mozambique’s Montepuez region.
A lovely “rosette” inclusion decorates the interior of this ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique.
This Mozambique ruby was heated after it was cut and not repolished, leaving evidence of the treatment on is surfaces.
Small mica crystals with surrounding “rosettes” are common and welcome sights in rubies from Montepuez, Mozambique.
This small yellowish crystal in a Thai/Cambodian ruby offers proof that the stone has not been subjected to heat treatment. After heating, the crystal would melt into a glass.
This small yellowish crystal in a Thai/Cambodian ruby offers proof that the stone has not been subjected to heat treatment. After heating, the crystal would melt into a glass.
A winged mica crystal within a ruby from Montepuez, Mozambique. These inclusions are heat sensitive and often develop glassy tension fissures around them following heat treatment.
A natural fingerprint hovers above a blue color zone in this rare, untreated ruby from Mong Hsu, Myanmar.
After this ruby grew, it was exposed to high pressure, causing certain planes of atoms to glide into a twinned position. This secondary “polysynthetic” twinning takes place along the rhombohedron faces and is common in many corundums. Twin planes cross at 86.1 and 93.9° angles.

Search the Complete Hyperion Database

Natural ruby inclusions may include mineral crystals, rutile silk, healed fissures, fluid inclusions, negative crystals, color zoning and other features formed during or after crystal growth. Such features are important to gemologists because they can provide evidence useful in identifying ruby, understanding its geological history, recognizing treatment and, in some cases, determining geographic origin.

Natural Ruby Inclusion Photomicrographs

The Hyperion natural ruby gallery includes microscopic features found in rubies from major deposits around the world. Each entry is accompanied by descriptive information and, where available, references to the gemological literature.

What Inclusions Can Reveal About Natural Ruby

Inclusions are an important part of ruby identification. Their form, composition, orientation and alteration can help gemologists distinguish natural ruby from synthetic material, recognize evidence of heat treatment, and study the geological environment in which the ruby formed.

Hyperion combines inclusion photomicrography with supporting gemological information so that individual features can be compared with documented examples from known ruby deposits.

About Hyperion

Hyperion is the Lotus Gemology searchable inclusion database. It allows users to browse gemstone inclusions by gem type, geographic origin, treatment and keyword.