Gem Library

BUYER’S OVERVIEW:
Winza Ruby, a natural Ruby, is classified as one of the traditional four precious stones along with emerald, sapphire and diamond. While limited in nature, coming only from Winza, a remote village in southeastern Dodoma, Tanzania, gems of good color (deep, rich red) and size are available (for a price).

Despite the rarity and the uncertainty of supply, Winza Ruby is getting a lot of notice for several reasons, chief among them, exceptional transparency. The only Ruby with similar transparency was the Vietnamese material discovered in the 90’s and that material was more pink than red. The extent of the find is unknown and may be exhausted before its real potential is known. Another amazing thing about the Winza Ruby is that it doesn’t need heat to produce it’s fantastic clarity or color. This is an unbelievable gem and a REAL MUST HAVE!!!! Winza Ruby could easily be this generations Paraiba Tourmaline or Tanzanite.

COLOR:
Winza Rubies come in a narrow range of colors including; rich red, slightly blueish red, purplish red & orangy red. The most highly prized color is the very rich red, however, a gemstone exhibiting a rich red color with a hint of a blue streak is often sought by the connoisseur because this color pattern is a specific trait found only in the Winza.

APPEARANCE:
Transparent. Winza like other Rubies is a Type II gemstone and is usually included (although Winza is far cleaner than other rubies). Top gems should be eye-clean with no inclusions visible to the unaided eye.

SIZE RANGE:
.01 to 1 carat are typical. 1 to 3 carat stones are available but over 3 carats are very rare, stones up to 20 carats are known at this time.

TYPICAL CUTTING STYLES:
Transparent: most cutting styles are available.

POSSIBLE ENHANCEMENTS & TREATMENTS:
Winza Ruby has no known enhancements.

HARDNESS:
9 on the Mohs scale.

BEST USE OF THE GEMSTONE:
Winza ruby is a strong gemstone and as such can be used in any type of jewelry, however, reasonable care should be taken with all gems.

CARE & CLEANING:
It is best to never expose colored gemstones to cleaning solvents or chemicals of any kind.
Common cleaning methods include:
Ultrasonic: never
Steamer: never
Warm soapy water: safe
Reaction to Chemicals: attacked with difficulty, may dull the stones polish.
Reaction to Heat: may change color
Stability to Light: stable

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THIS GEMSTONE:
In the early part of 2008 some unique Rubies having excellent color, outstanding clarity and brilliance were discovered near Winza, a remote village in southeastern Dodoma, Tanzania. The Winza mine is not only producing rich color and clarity but unusually large gems with some specimens over 10 carats. Other gems coming out of this area are blue and padparadscha sapphire as well as color-change sapphire.

Some unique traits of the Winza Rubies include; internal features of specifically bent fibers, later identified as hollow channels and blue color zoning often occurring as thin stripes that tend to give the gem a purplish color or blue / purple flashes as the stone moves. Heating does not remove the blue color and is proof of a Winza Rubies origin. These characteristics can be seen in both the faceted and rough material and again, offer proof of origin.

For most Rubies (and other gems as well), proof of origin is hard to find as most gems of the same type share common characteristics regardless of origin. The curved fibers and uncharacteristic blue stripes tag these rubies as uniquely Winza Tanzanian Rubies. The first material was on the orangey side, however the newer material may be slightly blue or purple (usually as a result of the blue mixing with the red to show the eye purple). Top quality is pure rich red, and gemstones found in ruby rings of this clarity and hue are extremely sought after. There was a recent gemological report of a Winza Ruby weighing over 11 carats that sold at a luxury jeweler in Europe for a sum in the millions of dollars. If you can find one, buy one, they are an excellent investment!

DESIGNATION:
Ruby is the birthstone for July, Capricorn, also the 15^th and 40^th wedding anniversary.

GEM LORE