154 g ruby on marble lot – Sar-e-Sang, Afghanistan – wine-red crystals in a calcitic matrix Crystals on matrix- 154 g





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Rubin (corundum) on white to grey calcite marble matrix from the Sar-e-Sang mine, Badakhshan, Afghanistan, a two-piece lot with Rubin 1 measuring 7.3 × 4.9 × 3.4 cm and 150 g featuring pyrite inclusions, and Rubin 2 at 2.3 × 1.9 × 0.7 cm and 4.01 g (20.04 ct) with pronounced iron coloration; under UV light both rubies fluoresce red-orange while the marble matrix appears blue.
Description from the seller
From the Sar-e-Sang mine in Afghan Badakhshan, which sits at over 3000 meters altitude and is accessible only for a few months each year due to weather, this two-part ruby lot originates. Both crystals reach a depth of color up to dark wine red, caused by trace chromium in the corundum lattice, and show the typical Sar-e-Sang ruby combination of hexagonal prism faces and pinakoid/rhombohedral pairings – smooth, crystallographically straight faces alternating with the irregular, naturally fractured edges of the surrounding matrix.
The two pieces differ in their mineral accompaniment: The larger shows noticeable pyrite inclusions in the marble matrix, visible as metallic, irregular patches in the otherwise light calcite rock; the smaller instead displays a pronounced iron content, which manifests as warmer, brownish discolorations along the matrix. Under UV light, the characteristic behavior of the locality is confirmed for both: the ruby itself glows intensely red-orange, while the calcitic marble matrix shifts to a soft blue.
Material: Ruby (corundum) on marble matrix
Origin: Sar-e-Sang mine, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Matrix: White to gray calcite marble
Ruby 1: Dimensions 7.3 x 4.9 x 3.4 cm, weight 150 g
Ruby 2: Dimensions 2.3 x 1.9 x 0.7 cm, weight 4.01 g / 20.04 ct
Special features: Piece 1 strongly pyrite-impregnated in the matrix; Piece 2 with pronounced iron coloration; under UV light the ruby fluoresces red-orange, the marble matrix blueish
Seller's Story
From the Sar-e-Sang mine in Afghan Badakhshan, which sits at over 3000 meters altitude and is accessible only for a few months each year due to weather, this two-part ruby lot originates. Both crystals reach a depth of color up to dark wine red, caused by trace chromium in the corundum lattice, and show the typical Sar-e-Sang ruby combination of hexagonal prism faces and pinakoid/rhombohedral pairings – smooth, crystallographically straight faces alternating with the irregular, naturally fractured edges of the surrounding matrix.
The two pieces differ in their mineral accompaniment: The larger shows noticeable pyrite inclusions in the marble matrix, visible as metallic, irregular patches in the otherwise light calcite rock; the smaller instead displays a pronounced iron content, which manifests as warmer, brownish discolorations along the matrix. Under UV light, the characteristic behavior of the locality is confirmed for both: the ruby itself glows intensely red-orange, while the calcitic marble matrix shifts to a soft blue.
Material: Ruby (corundum) on marble matrix
Origin: Sar-e-Sang mine, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Matrix: White to gray calcite marble
Ruby 1: Dimensions 7.3 x 4.9 x 3.4 cm, weight 150 g
Ruby 2: Dimensions 2.3 x 1.9 x 0.7 cm, weight 4.01 g / 20.04 ct
Special features: Piece 1 strongly pyrite-impregnated in the matrix; Piece 2 with pronounced iron coloration; under UV light the ruby fluoresces red-orange, the marble matrix blueish

