AFRICA
Africa has numerous deposits of gem quality corundum and has
recently been a source of new sapphire and ruby
discoveries.
Tanzania
UMBA River - Some blue, lavenders and purples to plums,
yellows, golds to orange browns, pinks, and padparadschas.
SONGEA - Deep red rubies, blues, blue greens, greens,
yellows, pinks, alexandrite-type (blue in sunlight and
fluorescent light, lavender to purple in incandescent).
TUNDURU - Full spectrum of colors.
Madagascar
Blue, very much like Sri Lankan blue. The rubies are clear red
and often unheated. Range of pink from pale to intense.
Kenya
Clear canary yellow sapphire, cabachon and carving grade ruby,
with some deposits worked sporadically.
LODWAR - Clear deep blue to very dark blue-green and an
abundance of opaque blue stars.
GARBATULA - deep, blackish blue-green to intense
pleasant green.
KITAI - lime to emerald green.
AUSTRALIA
Australia also has several deposits and contributes greatly to
the sapphire jewelry market in mostly very dark inky blue stones.
The Sapphire Gallery chooses to use only the Australian gems
with good light return. Specific deposits will be noted if
possible.
Inky blues to less known brilliant true blues, green, blue-green,
yellow-green, yellows, oranges, and some pinks.
NORTH AMERICA
Montana
Montana has four main deposits: Rock Creek, Missouri River, and
Dry Cottonwood Creek in West Central Montana, and Yogo Gulch
in central Montana. Origins of each gem will be designated by
specific deposits. Currently there is no commercial production
from Dry Cottonwood Creek or Yogo Gulch, and very limited production
from the Missouri River and Rock Creek deposits.
DRY COTTONWOOD CREEK - yellow, gold and green, some pink,
blue, and very, very rarely a ruby.
MISSOURI RIVER - green, blue, yellow, orange, pink, and
very rarely ruby.
ROCK CREEK - full spectrum of colors including many
bicolors, and also very rarely ruby.
YOGO GULCH - blue and purple.
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ASIA
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
The island nation south of India was known as Ceylon for many
generations. Consequently "Ceylon-blue" is a color
name outliving the change in national name. Sapphires of note
in large sizes - over 5 carats - of outstanding color are
predominantly of Sri Lankan origin. White, blue, purple, pink,
yellow, gold, and padparadaschas.
India (Mysore)
Star rubies.
Myanmar (Burma)
Ruby and sapphire mines of Burma are legendary and have produced
some of the world's finest rubies and blue sapphires.
MOGOK STONE TRACT - Star rubies, star sapphires, rubies.
Sapphire - violet, yellow, color-change, and blue.
MONGSHU - Ruby.
TADJIKASTAN - Ruby.
Thailand (Siam)
Thailand is a traditional supplier of sapphire and ruby. The
majority of sapphire production from the Kanchanaburi field has
been mined in the last fifteen years. This deposit is approaching
depletion.
CHANTABURI - blue, rubies, dark blue, green, yellow, and
black star - 6 and 12 ray star.
KANCHANABURI - blue and green, the occasional yellow and rubies.
Vietnam
Rubies and sapphires have been found in Vietnam since the late
1980's. They are very rarely seen in the jewelry market. We have
several.
LUC YEN AND QUY CHAU - red and red-pink rubies, hot pink
and purple sapphire.
Cambodia
PAILIN - blue sapphire
Kashmir
A source of magnificent velvety blues, however production is small and
sporadic.
AFGHANISTAN - Ruby.
China
Produces an "ink" blue, along with some yellow, and bi-color.
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