Description
What looks like stone is, on closer inspection, frozen time. A six-rayed star on red corundum — the finest rubies showing asterism are among the rarest gems. Vietnam’s Luc Yen district produces rubies with exceptional color, often a pure pigeon’s blood without the pink or orange tones that afflict Thai or Indian material. The star is caused by rutile silk oriented by the trigonal symmetry of corundum.
This specimen originates from Luc Yen, Yen Bai, Vietnam, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
