Rubellite

Related: Tourmaline Varieties

Chrome TourmalineGreen TourmalineIndicoliteParaiba TourmalineTourmalineWatermelon Tourmaline

Key Differentiators

• Deep saturated red-pink stable under incandescent and daylight illumination
• Strong dichroism — dark red vs. pale pink/orange-pink
• Much lower RI than ruby (1.762) or red spinel (1.718)
• Facet doubling visible under 10× — absent in ruby and spinel

Common Simulants

• Ruby: Ruby: uniaxial negative; RI 1.762–1.778; SG 4.00; Chelsea filter strongly red; strong LW UV red fluorescence; harder (9 Mohs); no facet doubling.
• Red Spinel: Red spinel: isotropic (singly refractive); RI ~1.718; SG 3.60; no dichroism; no facet doubling; Chelsea variable.
• Red Glass: Isotropic; gas bubbles under loupe; no dichroism; no facet doubling; conchoidal fracture.

Commonly Confused With

Commonly confused with: Ruby, Spinel, glass.

Treatments

• Heat Treatment (to lighten dark red or brownish-red)
• Gamma Irradiation (intensifies red-pink; largely undetectable by standard instruments — standard disclosure: "no indications of irradiation treatment detected")
• Fracture Filling (resin or oil — common in included rubellite)

Price Context

Price context is approximate. GemID is not an appraisal tool. Results are indicators, not certified valuations.

About Rubellite

Saturated red to pink-red elbaite tourmaline. Key field separation from ruby: RI 1.624–1.644 vs. ruby 1.762–1.778. Red spinel is isotropic — no dichroism, no facet doubling. Manganese produces the red-pink color. No commercial synthetic.