World of rubies is enticing and brilliant. Not long ago, rubies were actually costlier than diamonds. They were called the stone of Romance for their fertile red hues. Together with emeralds and sapphires, the rubies ruled the gemstone market. With advancement in technology, artificial rubies began to consolidate their position. One of the recent additions to the family is the Ruby zoisite. It is often confused with its naturally available sibling. It is actually a calcium aluminium hydroxide, unlike rubies that are exclusively aluminium oxides.
If you are planning to buy Ruby Zoisite, here’s a list of things you must know about them.
History of Zoisites
Formerly called and popularised as Saualpite, ruby zoisite is actually a soro-silicate. In 1805, the name zoisite was first used. It was named after the Austrian scientist, Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein who had a notable mineral collection and identified Zoisite as being a unique mineral species. Ruby zoisite derives its name from Greek word, meaning “to increase”. The structure and growth of the gemstone always seems to be distorted giving a feel as if other side is growing against the plane.
Ruby Zoisite belongs to the family of epidote and is always extracted in its massive orthorhombic crystalline structure. The first set of gemstones from zoisite was possibly extracted from the Germanic mines that are rich in pegmatitic and metamorphic deposits.
Blue variety of zoisite was discovered in 1960s. It actually brought Tanzania’s gemstone market into prominence. The terms Zoisite and Tanzanite are interchangeably used in the stone market. When exposed to high temperatures, it changes colour from grey to brown. All inclusions and cloudy pigments subside during heat treatment, garnering a beautiful blue hue. It remains consistent.
Colours of Zoisite
Depending on the presence of metallic oxides, crystalline structure and origin of the stone, a ruby zoisite can be of many colours like-
- Blue
- Green
- Purple
- Pink
- Brown
Pink-brown zoisites are called Thulite.
Popular stones paired with Ruby zoisite
Ruby Zoisite is seldom worn alone. It is paired with other gemstones like Tulite, rhodonite, sapphire, tanzanite and Burmese rubies. Zoisite is cut in the same way as Jasper or a tunlite with additional colour treatments to make them look brighter. They are cut into cabochons to fit into rings and broaches.
Use of Ruby zoisite gained popularity after 1965 when it was renamed as Coizite. They are now paired mostly with Tanzanite, Horn blende gemstones, red corundum and Aniolite.
Zoisite shares its appearance similarity with other popular stone varieties like:
- Tourmaline
- Spodumene
- Wollastonite
- Tremolite
- Rhodonite
- Clinozoisite
- Glaucophane
- Almandine
- Andradite
Metaphysical properties
Just like a native ruby gemstone, zoisite too exudes metaphysical and healing properties. Often fitted into silver frames to direct the energy towards the Heart chakra, zoisite is considered as a talismanic guide among practitioners. It is a harmless stone and neutralizes the negative effect of other powerful gemstones that might be harming your development.
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