Super Lot of Vivid Purplish Red to Reddish Purple Ruby Faceting Rough from Songea, Tanzania. OK Folks, we recently did a buy-out of old stock East African Faceting Rough in Tucson and this was part of that buy-out. We have seen similar material selling all around for $20+ per carat! We got a great deal on this and can pass the savings on to you! Please note that this material really is very limited and hard to get a hold of at a reasonable price.

We honestly believe that the color on this is probably more closer to Purple Sapphire than Ruby and there are a many stones in here that would probably be more likely classified as Sapphires; however, we will leave the final decision to you. Please note that the material turns a strong Red under a Chelsea Filter. Many stones lose their Red Body color as the rough tends to have a pretty strong Dichroism and therefore you have an axis that may be more Purplish while another is more on the Red end.

This material looks to be roughly 85% High to Top Facet Grade and I'm pretty sure most stones in here should cut eye-clean or better with a little hard work. This is sure to please and worth picking up quick for the price!

1. Tanzania is a hot spot for Sapphire Rough; however, over the last few years many dealers for Tanzanian Mine Direct rough have been shooting their prices up through the roof. This increase has largely been unwarranted in the smaller sizes of sapphire which are readily available in Tanzania at reasonable prices. We are working towards establishing links that will guarantee us a stable supply of Tanzanian Sapphire Rough at a REASONABLE price in a variety of sizes! Shop around and you will see how reasonable our prices really are.