Ruby in Kyanite

Ruby in Kyanite is a decorative and collectible stone made from two well-known minerals occurring together: Ruby and Kyanite. Ruby is the red variety of Corundum, while Kyanite is a blue aluminium silicate mineral. When the two occur together in the same metamorphic rock, they create a very distinctive material with red Ruby areas set against a blue, grey or mixed Kyanite-rich background. Ruby in Kyanite is not a separate mineral species. It is a trade or descriptive name for a naturally occurring multi-mineral rock. The material is especially popular in polished forms such as palmstones, towers, spheres, cabochons and carvings because the colour contrast between the Ruby and Kyanite can look dramatic when cut and polished. Depending on the specimen, the stone may also contain additional minerals in the matrix, such as mica or other metamorphic components. Because of that, appearance can vary from piece to piece. It is a useful stone for the Crystal Passport because it helps show that some trade names refer not to one mineral, but to a natural combination of minerals formed together under metamorphic conditions.