pbatt.] CORUNDUM GEMS. 39 
Sapphire or corundum gems. 
Oriental or true ruby • .Red of various shades. 
Oriental sapphire. Blue of various shades. 
Pink sapphire Rose or pink. 
White sapphire „ ) 
t^. t t Colorless. 
Diamond spar . . . ) 
Opaline _. .) 
Girasol [■ Pale blue or bluish white. 
Hyaline . . . ) 
Oriental amethyst Purple. 
Oriental emerald Green. 
Oriental topaz Yellow. 
Star sapphire ... \ 
Chatoyant - Opalescent. 
Asteria _ . 
The gems occur in the mines in three foriris: First, as crystals, <>,' 
which there are two distincl forms, (1) hexagonal prisms terminated 
by rhombohedrons and pyramids, sometimes with basal plane, the 
Larger crystals being often rounded or barrel-shaped, and (2) flat, 
tabular crystals, where the basal plane is very largely developed; 
second, as transparent colored portions of Larger massive pieces of 
corundum; third, as nodules of liner and clearer material in a mass 
of cleavable corundum, often having the appearance of rolled pebbles 
when separated from the mass of corundum. 
ORIENTAL K'lin . 
The most important of the sapphire gems is the oriental ruby, which 
varies from rose, pinkish, dark-red, and purplish to pigeon-blood 
color, t he most highly prized. The rubies are very Likely to be flawed, 
and when examined many of t he cut stones are found t.o contain flaws 
of one character or another. The stones arc often so cut that these 
flaws are distinguishable only by the aid of a magnifying glass. 
The finest rubies of pigeon-blood color are 1 hose found in 1 he Mogpt 
district, about 90 miles north-northeasl of Mandalay, in upper Burma. 
Small but fine rubies, often, however, of a pink color or a purplish tint, 
are found at Ratnapoora, in Ceylon, and of a dark- red color, similar to 
that of a garnet, in Siam. The rubies of the Burma district are found 
in situ in limestones, bu1 the mining is confined almosl entirely to the 
gravels. 
At the Corundum Hill mine, Cullasagee, X. C. (see description, 
page 55), various shades of gem ruby corundum have been found. 
Two of the best rubies of good color that have ever been found at 
this mine are in the collection of Clarence S. Bement, of Philadel- 
phia; there are also a number of fine ones in the United States 
National Museum at Washington. Many of the smaller crystals of 
various shades of pink to rod are transparent near the outer surface 
and near their extremities, and from these small gems can be cnt, but 
