41 g ruby on marble – Afghan tube ruby – 4.2 x 4.1 x 3.2 cm Crystal on matrix- 41 g





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Ruby on marble from the Sar-e-Sang region in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, a slender tabular ruby crystal on a white coarse marble matrix, measuring 4.2 × 4.1 × 3.2 cm and weighing 41 g.
Description from the seller
On this smaller specimen, the ruby crystal sits in a slender, slightly elongated tabular form at the edge of the coarse white marble – unlike the more compact, blockier growth forms that are more common in larger Sar-e-Sang steps. The color ranges from vivid pink to a rich purplish red.
As with all finds from this locality in Badakhshan, Afghanistan: The mine lies high in the Hindu Kush and is accessible only a few months a year due to snow and extreme weather. The ruby formed here directly in the contact metamorphic, coarse-grained marble, with chromium traces giving the corundum its characteristic red coloration.
Under long-wave UV light the contrast is once again clearly visible: The ruby glows intensely orange-red, while the surrounding marble fluoresces in a cooler blue shade – an effect that reveals the exact extent of the crystal within the rock, which is only partially visible in daylight.
A compact, yet fine matrix specimen from one of the world’s best-known ruby deposits.
Mineral / Trade name: Ruby (Corundum) on marble
Origin: Sar-e-Sang region, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Matrix: White, coarse-grained marble
Dimensions: 4.2 × 4.1 × 3.2 cm
Weight: 41 g
Special features: Slender, tabular crystal habit; strong fluorescence under LW-UV (ruby orange-red, marble matrix blue); deposit accessible only a few months per year
Seller's Story
On this smaller specimen, the ruby crystal sits in a slender, slightly elongated tabular form at the edge of the coarse white marble – unlike the more compact, blockier growth forms that are more common in larger Sar-e-Sang steps. The color ranges from vivid pink to a rich purplish red.
As with all finds from this locality in Badakhshan, Afghanistan: The mine lies high in the Hindu Kush and is accessible only a few months a year due to snow and extreme weather. The ruby formed here directly in the contact metamorphic, coarse-grained marble, with chromium traces giving the corundum its characteristic red coloration.
Under long-wave UV light the contrast is once again clearly visible: The ruby glows intensely orange-red, while the surrounding marble fluoresces in a cooler blue shade – an effect that reveals the exact extent of the crystal within the rock, which is only partially visible in daylight.
A compact, yet fine matrix specimen from one of the world’s best-known ruby deposits.
Mineral / Trade name: Ruby (Corundum) on marble
Origin: Sar-e-Sang region, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Matrix: White, coarse-grained marble
Dimensions: 4.2 × 4.1 × 3.2 cm
Weight: 41 g
Special features: Slender, tabular crystal habit; strong fluorescence under LW-UV (ruby orange-red, marble matrix blue); deposit accessible only a few months per year

