What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire stones?

[ieatbugs]

I have seen them referred to as Winza Corundum or Winza Ruby. Is there another name, and are they really uncommon? Also, where can I find some? Googling hasn't turned up much, but I'm also not sure if I'm searching for the right term.

 

[chrono]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Winza is the location where the sapphire is mined. All sapphires are corundum. Ruby is a red sapphire or red corundum. Typically, it should have a single colour but sapphires are sometimes zoned, showing two colours. A red and blue mix is a colour zoned sapphire or corundum.

The Gem Trader has a blue / red mixed Winza sapphire on his auction site.

 

[ieatbugs]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Winza is the location where the sapphire is mined. All sapphires are corundum. Ruby is a red sapphire or red corundum. Typically, it should have a single colour but sapphires are sometimes zoned, showing two colours. A red and blue mix is a colour zoned sapphire or corundum.

The Gem Trader has a blue / red mixed Winza sapphire on his auction site.

So far I have learned that googling for "Bicolor sapphire" comes up with the most results.

Unfortunately The Gem Trader's stone is reserved, and I haven't found another specimen on the entire list of trusted vendors

May have to hang on until another one comes around...the one that TGT has reminds me of a Nebula in outer space and I just love it.

 

[chrono]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Bi-colour, technically, is when there is a clear and clean delineation of the two colours, meaning that it should not be splotchy or jagged in colour.

 

[ieatbugs]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Bi-colour, technically, is when there is a clear and clean delineation of the two colours, meaning that it should not be splotchy or jagged in colour.

So is it just called a mixed or multicolor stone?

 

[chrono]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

I think it might be called a parti-coloured sapphire.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

The Winza stones are kind of unique in that many have sections that are absolutely blue, and then other parts red. No blending just distinct boundary. I think the stones look more interesting in the rough. Once cut, often these colors mix to make what looks like a purple stone as the light rays bounce around in them. Often the blue parts of the stone are not as transparent as the red.

 

[NKOTB]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

They aren't too common, at least not that I've seen over the past year and a half or so. Gene sold a couple, both of which I saw, one of which I bought. The colours sometimes tend to mix and look purple (at least in the ones I saw), but if you look closely, you can see both the red and the blue. I only have a few pictures of mine, that aren't great, but here is one. I think in this case, Chrono is right, it would be more likely called parti-colour vs. bi-colour, but I don't know. They are pretty cool stones, hope you find one! I'll keep my eye out. Do you care what size?

ETA: I see Gene was typing at the same time I was.

 

[ieatbugs]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

PrecisionGems: They really are amazing and I love them. I hope to encounter some more! Are they hard to source?

NKOTB: Oooh yours is GORGEOUS!!!! I love it. I'd like something ring sized if at all possible Thanks for keeping an eye out for me!!

 

[melave]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

hi

The faceted one is still showing on TGT auction site on ebay. I have been eyeing it off for ages but it is a little stone.

Have you emailed Brad at TGT? I saw the cab one he had on his site an emailed him but it was already gone, but he had a couple of others that i ended up buying. He may have some more. These are the pics he sent me of my little stones ( i was after small ones)

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Drop Brad an email and ask him if he has other, similar stones. Few vendors have all their inventory listed online. Brad is a very nice guy to deal with.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

PrecisionGems: They really are amazing and I love them. I hope to encounter some more! Are they hard to source?

NKOTB: Oooh yours is GORGEOUS!!!! I love it. I'd like something ring sized if at all possible Thanks for keeping an eye out for me!!

I think it's quite rare to find one in facet grade material. You see these more often in mineral samples or cab grade material. There really isn't much of this material around. I know I don't have any, and didn't see any this past spring at the gemshow in Arusha Tanzania that was worth cutting, nor any that were cut.

These things are not like buying diamonds, where you jeweler can pretty much order up what ever you are looking for, and have a big selection to pick from. There maybe a a cup or two material worth cutting found all year in the world. Contrast this to a diamond. Go to you local mall with 3 or 4 jewelry stores and you will be able to fill a few quart sized jars with diamonds... and you can do this all over the US at thousands of malls. It's really a shame how grossly over inflated the price of diamonds are compared to their availability relative to stones like these Winza stones or so many other colored gems... tsavorite etc.

 

[ieatbugs]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

PrecisionGems: They really are amazing and I love them. I hope to encounter some more! Are they hard to source?

NKOTB: Oooh yours is GORGEOUS!!!! I love it. I'd like something ring sized if at all possible Thanks for keeping an eye out for me!!

I think it's quite rare to find one in facet grade material. You see these more often in mineral samples or cab grade material. There really isn't much of this material around. I know I don't have any, and didn't see any this past spring at the gemshow in Arusha Tanzania that was worth cutting, nor any that were cut.

These things are not like buying diamonds, where you jeweler can pretty much order up what ever you are looking for, and have a big selection to pick from. There maybe a a cup or two material worth cutting found all year in the world. Contrast this to a diamond. Go to you local mall with 3 or 4 jewelry stores and you will be able to fill a few quart sized jars with diamonds... and you can do this all over the US at thousands of malls. It's really a shame how grossly over inflated the price of diamonds are compared to their availability relative to stones like these Winza stones or so many other colored gems... tsavorite etc.

...I was kind of hoping you wouldn't point that out, lest all potential sellers of these immediately raise the price by thousands of dollars due to relative rarity
Just kidding, of course. But yeah. I've been looking for something truly unique and sad to see how tough these are to find! Maybe I need to settle on something slightly less unique.

 

[Ideal_Polish]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

Chrono, your gem knowledge always makes for nice reading, thanks. BTW, nice avitar, still one of my all-time favorites

 

[DDOC]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

As mentioned by others Winza is the mine here they are found, but Sapphire's from other regions are simply called Bi-Coloured sapphire when there is a clean seperation of colour.
Parti Sapphires are those that have several colour zones and usually have a mixed colour look about them. Many are found in Australia.
A good Winza will show seperate colours like this one

 

[DDOC]

Re: What is the official name of half-ruby half-sapphire sto

These two would be considered bi-coloured due to distinct zoning.
Both ceylon Sapphire.