Ruby Mines: Explore Origins, Varieties, and Quality Insights

The picturesque Mogok Town, also known as the Valley of Rubies

History is ablaze with the countless tales related to the smoldering red Ruby, the gemstone treasured as Earth’s very own solidified noble blood which is dug from Ruby mines spread around the world. And it’s not just the Ruby, but the mines too which have stories as dramatic as the flaming gemstone itself. Countless people have devoted their lives in exploration of Ruby reserves, enchanted by the precious gemstone’s beauty and seduced by the dreams of riches of its monetary worth. But finding the raw Ruby mineral isn’t easy since it’s one of the rarest gemstones on earth’s face with a select number of countries producing gem-quality Ruby.

Ruby Stone origin

Historians state the Mogok region of present day Myanmar as the place of natural ruby stone origin, with detailed sources dating as back as the 2500 BC. However, many believe that the actual Ruby discovery was made much earlier than these accounts state. Even the ancient Vedic civilization of India has numerous scriptural and literary references for the gemstone that pre-date the existing historical accounts. There’s evidence that Sri Lanka, India, Burma and other southeastern countries have used elementary Ruby mining techniques even before 2500 BC.

Geology of Ruby Mines

The presence, quality and quantity of ores in a Ruby gem mine is totally dependent on the location’s geological conditions. All Earth mined ruby ores can be divided into two types depending on the “host” rocks they are found.

Primary deposits

1. All ores found in the Metamorphic and Igneous host rocks come under this category. Metamorphic rocks are usually found at the foot of hills and mountains. Metamorphic rocks are associated with extreme temperature and pressure which led to formation of Ruby crystals.
2. Igneous rocks are found in areas associated with volcanic activity. Rubies that were formed inside the earth’s crust were transported to the surface with Magma, leading to formation of Igneous Ruby deposits.
3. Mines in both of these places involve usage of both basic and advanced methods and form almost the entire portion of the global Ruby produce.

• An Igneous type Ruby Ore with Basalt as the host rock.

Secondary deposits

The erosion of primary ruby deposits via natural means like rivers and streams leads to accumulation of these precious stones in sedimentary rocks. These deposits are usually found in places like river beds and alluvial plains.

Types of Ruby Mines

1 Open Pit Mining

Open pit mining describes the method of digging a large “pit” in the ground to extract Ruby Ores. The method is preferred if the ores lie close to the surface and are easy to retrieve via direct excavation. The size of the Pit can vary from a few acres to tens and thousands of them. As the pit becomes larger. These mines are cut with walls that are either angled or in terrace fashion.

2 Underground mining

The precious Ruby ores can also lie deep underground and so methods like Tunneling, Block caving, and Channeling are used to reach and mine them.

3 Tunneling

Tunneling refers to creating underground tunnels and shafts to access the Ruby ores located deep inside the crust. Specialized instruments are used to dig the tunnels and shafts, and transportation is often done via mine carts, elevator shafts or other utility vehicles. Many Sri Lankan Ruby mines employ this method.

4 Block Caving

Block caving involves highly precise scientific planning and engineering, and is extremely cost effective for large low grade ores. The procedure involves creating drives or tunnels referred to as “undercuts” beneath the supposed Ruby deposits. As the magnitude of undercuts increases, the rocky mass above it starts to collapse due to gravity. The ruby ores break and flow out along with the collapsing rocks which are collected by the miners.

5 Channeling

The Channel mining procedure is generally used for secondary Ruby deposits that lie in river beds, alluvial plains, and other such places. A Vertical shaft is first constructed to go into the deposit, serving as an entry point for miners. From here, the miners dig along the channel deposit and remove the upper layers of soil, gravel and other sedimentary deposits to uncover the rich deposit of ruby’s minerals.

Ruby mine shaft created for tunneling and channeling purposes in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

6 Water Body Mining

Rivers that lie near the Primary Ruby deposits often leach the Ruby ores and have significant amounts of the Ruby gemstone within their river beds. Since the amount of ruby ores and deposits in the rivers may not be significant, basic mining techniques using hand grovels are done to retrieve these Rubies. Small scale operations, like those in Sri Lanka and historically in Mogok can yield substantial rewards for the few engaged miners.

Ruby Mines quality

The quality of the Ruby mined from a location is heavily dependent on its geological conditions. Ruby stones found inside Metamorphic rocks have higher clarity and striking color, like the famous Burma “Pigeon Blood Rubies”, while the igneous Rubies have darker hues with higher inclusions. Only a few locations and Ruby mines in the world are able to provide a continuous supply of the high-quality metamorphic Rubies which falls short against the demand of buyers worldwide. Coupled with the depleting reserves, trends indicate a steep rise in the price of these flaming gemstones. Explorers, with the help of geologists, are teaming together in a bid to increase current Ruby mines production production and discover Ruby gemstone mines using the help of science. Innovation in technology has led to more refined Ruby mining techniques that have reduced the wastage of Ruby ores, along with predicting possible future deposits to look for.

A Metamorphic Ruby ore hosted in a marble stone from Mogok mines. Pigeon Blood rubies are found in such ores.

Famous Ruby Stone Mines

Some of the most famous Ruby mines names are either associated with the location they are found in or the Ruby quality the produce. Some of the most illustrious Ruby Mines regions are stated ahead.

1 Mogok Mines, Myanmar

Mogok has been the center of Ruby mining and trade for ages. There’s few places that are as famous as Mogok Ruby mines for producing elite gemstones. The Ruby mined here are of such exceeding quality that they have set a benchmark in global standards. The Pigeon blood rubies were sourced from Mogok Mines in the 18th and 19th century. However, the deposits have been depleting due to rampant mining and the amount of Pigeon Blood rubies found here has dwindled over the years. Still, Mogok Ruby remains as the epitome of quality.

2 Sri Lanka Ruby Mines

Sri Lanka is known as the Gemstone Island due to its unreal precious gemstone reserves that churn out high-quality Sapphires and Rubies. The Ratnapura district is particularly well noted for Ruby mining, which involves tunneling, channeling, open-pit, and even elementary shovel mining to dig for rubies. Both metamorphic and igneous deposits are found here with high concentrations of Chromium, Titanium, and Iron, giving the Rubies a pinkish to purplish-red hue.

3 Aappaluttoq Ruby Mines, Greenland

The Aappaluttoq region is located in the icy island nation of Greenland, and has generated immense interest in the past decade due to the newly found Ruby deposits. These deposits sit in a metamorphic geological region and are said to be high in chromium, which gives these gemstones their fabled red color. Aappaluttoq ruby mine operations started in 2017 under the Greenland Ruby A/S and various Ruby Specimens have made their way to the international market for sale.

The serene Aappaluttoq region, Greenland. An Open pit type mining method is being utilized for the project.

https://magazine.cim.org/en/projects/a-ruby-studded-first-step/

4 Mozambique Mines

Mozambique is another country which has been added to the list of high grade Ruby producers in recent times. Ruby mines in Mozambique, especially in Montepuez City, have significant reserves of the fiery red stone and various stunning specimens have been unearthed from here, including a few which have the esteemed “Pigeon’s Blood Ruby” Standard. Both Marble-hosted and Basalt-hosted mines are found here, and the mining procedure usually involves the open-pit excavation and underground mining techniques. The Montepuez mine, Cabo Delgado is also the largest Ruby mine in the world.

5 Mundarara Ruby Mine, Tanzania

The Mundarara Ruby Mine is situated in the Longido district of Tanzania. It’s one of the newly discovered Ruby deposits of the world, and has produced many fine quality Rubies since mining operations began in 1988. Open-pit mining and underground mining are the primary methods to find the prized red stones. Longido Rubies are held in high regard due to their exceptionally high chromium content which gives them a deep red color without any other overtones and negligible inclusions.

The distinctly attractive Ruby-Zoisite mineral ore. The Red Ruby is wrapped by the Green Zoisite mineral.

6 India Ruby Mines

India has a rich tradition of Ruby production and usage, with references to ruby mining in India dating back to the iron age. The blazing red gemstone enjoyed great reverence due to religious and astrological reasons, and was termed as “Ratnaraj” or the “King of all gemstones” in Sanskrit. Ruby mines are currently present in the city Pundir, Rajasthan. The mines in Karur region in Tamil Nadu and the Ruby deposits in cities of Channapatna and Madikeri in Karnataka are noted for their high quality rubies. Channapatna is especially renowned for the six rayed Star Ruby. The mining is done using primitive methods in an open-pit style. The Ruby stones unearthed here are of good quality, but not as exquisite as the Ceylon, African or Burmese varieties.

Conclusion

Among all colored precious gemstones, Ruby is the one of the most precious of all. Aptly titled as “Ratnaraja,” each edge and sparkle of this intense red gemstone boasts of undeniable authority and royal fervor. This blazing gem is mined from Earth’s crust and is found in various geological conditions and in various shapes and sizes. The search for new Ruby deposits is always on, along with the mining in existing ruby mines which have gained immense historical status too like the gemstone.

FAQs

Q. What is the history of Ruby mining?

The earliest references to Ruby mining date back to 2500 BC in Myanmar. Ruby mining and qualitative identification are also dealt with in Vedic scriptures like Garuda Purana, which precedes any other ruby mention. The Southeast Asian Nations along the Indian Ocean have a rich history of Rubies.

Q. Which country’s Ruby is best?

Rubies from Mogok Valley, Myanmar, are unanimously agreed to be of the highest quality. The Pigeon blood ruby of Mogok has become the highest standard of ruby quality because of its elite color and quality.

Q. Are Indian Rubies valuable?

Indian Rubies are graded as above average to good quality and valuable. Star Rubies, found in the southern states of India, are extremely valuable because of their unique chatoyancy, i.e., the 6-star rayed pattern.

Q. Who is the largest producer of Rubies?

Madagascar is the current highest ruby producer in the world, followed by Myanmar. Both of these countries produce natural, untreated Ruby gemstones of high quality.

Q. How is Ruby mined and processed?

Ruby mining and processing begins with exploring and determining the Ruby deposit’s potential. Various mining procedures and techniques are employed to unearth the ruby ores, followed by extraction and washing. The final step involves cutting and polishing the raw rubies into gem-quality specimens.

Q. What is the raw material of Ruby?

Ruby’s are found inside Marble, Gneiss, or other metamorphic rocks, as well as Igneous rocks like basalt. They are also found in sedimentary rocks and gravel. Ruby-Zoisite is a scarce raw material found in only two places in Tanzania.

Also Read: Ruby Stone Benefits