The world’s first ruby ​​was ‘grown’ right on a ring

Sofie Boons, senior lecturer and jewelery design researcher at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, developed a chemical technique to stimulate ruby ​​growth, BBC reported on September 26. This technique allows a tiny piece of ruby ​​to gradually increase in size when placed in a jewelry setting. UWE believes that this “in situ growing” process has never been done successfully before.

Boons starts with a ruby ​​”seed” taken from waste gem scraps. She places the scrap in a platinum frame, such as a ring, then uses a chemical called flux. This substance reduces the temperature, helping the gemstone grow.

Unlike gemstones that are grown from scratch in a lab, consuming a lot of energy, or gemstones that are mined from the ground in an unsustainable way, Boons gemstones are grown in furnaces from pieces of stone material. waste, it only takes a few days and 5 hours of energy to develop.

“I’m experimenting with growing them in the oven for 5 – 50 hours. With longer times I get slightly larger and cleaner crystals. I’m working on shortening the time to make this process become more sustainable,” Boons said.

The new method challenges the notion that synthetic gemstones look unnatural. “Unpredictable growth characteristics create stones with natural facets, which as a jewelry maker like me finds very interesting,” Boons added.

Perceptions of the value of home-grown rubies are changing, according to Bristol-based jewelry designer Rebecca Enderby. “These lab-grown gems are not fake. They simulate what grows underground for thousands of years, so they are a cheaper alternative to mined stones.” , Enderby explains.

Homegrown gemstones have the potential to be more environmentally friendly, according to Enderby. “However, they still require a lot of energy to produce. Therefore, they should be produced from green energy sources,” she added.

The new ruby ​​growing technique is part of Boons’ doctoral research. The research has now attracted a second round of funding from UWE. The University of Bristol is also on board to extend research to other gemstones.