Buy Ruby Gems from Madagascar

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About Ruby Gems from Madagascar

With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, rubies are made up of corundum , the second hardest natural material known to man. Red gem-quality corundum is traded as natural ruby, while all other colors are traded as sapphire. The name 'corundum' was derived from the ancient Sanskrit word 'kuruvindam'. Ruby is sourced from many regions of the world, including Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, India, Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Tajikistan, the USA, Vietnam and Madagascar. Madagascar is one of the newer sources for ruby gemstones.

Madagascar is located approximately 400 km off the coast of Southeast Africa, and as of recent times, it has become one of the most important sources for fine-quality colored gemstones , particularly ruby and sapphire. Historically, Madagascar's economy was fueled by agriculture, but around the early 1990s, gemstone mining began to become commercialized. Shortly after in 1998, an enormous sapphire deposit was discovered in the tiny village of Ilakaka, which came as a complete surprise and led to a gemstone-fever reminiscent of the mid-19th century gold rush in California. In fact, Madagascar is believed to have some of the richest untapped gemstone reserves in the world.

The two important ruby deposits of Madagascar are located in the eastern regions of Vatomandry and Andilamena. The first rubies from Andilamena were discovered in October of 2000, but they were not well-received by the general public owed to the poor quality of material, which lacked transparency and most were rather dark. In January 2001, better quality rubies were discovered and weeks later, there were nearly 40,000 miners actively working in the Andilamena area. Rubies from this region were found in well-formed tabular crystals with slightly rounded edges, averaging around 2-3 carats each. In addition to fine ruby and sapphire, a large variety of other gemstone types have been discovered in Madagascar, including fine tourmaline, aquamarine, emerald, garnet, chrysoberyl, alexandrite, topaz, andalusite, apatite, kyanite, zircon, amethyst and citrine.

Certified Customer Reviews

Overall Rating -> 8

I was able to find a few options but I wish the had a coin or something in the photo to compare the size

Posted By Kristine in April, 2021

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Shipping was extremely expensive for the size of items.

Posted By Preston in April, 2021

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Overall Rating -> 8

always an unusual gem from Gemselect....always something that may become a conversation piece

Posted By Star Viking in April, 2021

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Overall Rating -> 10

I just bought this beautiful pink opal and strawberry quartz from Gem select. I was pleasantly surprised that they had little print outs with all the details and color pictures of the actual stones! If you have been thinking of buying gemstones I highly recommend checking out Gem Select! They have great selection and variety! Top notch!

Posted By MaryF. in April, 2021

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Overall Rating -> 10

It was an over all quick and easy purchase. Items look great.

Posted By Tony1983 in April, 2021

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Overall Rating -> 8

Its a great place to get quality Gems for a great price.

Posted By Kenny in April, 2021

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Fancy Purple Ruby

1 pc (avg. 3.64 ct) Purple Star Ruby

Pear Purple Ruby

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About Ruby Gems from Madagascar

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