Ruby in fuchsite is two minerals grown together: real ruby spots in a soft, sparkly green mica. The mica scratches easily, even though the ruby is very hard. We do not carry it. Green aventurine and kiwi jasper are the greens we do.
Rock (mixed minerals)
Ruby in Fuchsite
Rubí en fuchsita
- Palette
- Green Red Pink
- Mined in
- India, Brazil, Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0–9.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1850
- Named for
- ruby crystals in fuchsite, named for chemist Johann von Fuchs
- Also sold as
- ruby fuchsite, ruby in chrome mica
- Intention
- Love Strength
- Looking for
- Love Willpower Focus and clarity Protection
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Ruby in fuchsite is usually natural stone, but it is sometimes stabilized or sold as a blended material. Ask whether it is natural or reconstituted.
Not in our pieces now
CHROMIUM
The same element, chromium, makes ruby red and fuchsite green, so a ruby-in-fuchsite stone shows both colors from one ingredient.
152 KG
The largest documented single corundum crystal, the mineral family of ruby, was about 65 by 40 by 40 centimeters and weighed 152 kilograms.
$34.8 MILLION
The Estrela de Fura, sold at auction for $34.8 million, is the most expensive ruby ever sold.
What it is
A sparkly green stone, light to deep and a little creamy, with pink to deep red spots of ruby scattered through it. It is two minerals grown together: ruby, the red form of corundum, in fuchsite, a chromium-rich green mica. Beads are usually tumbled smooth or carved.
What gives it its color
The red to pink patches are ruby (red corundum) and the green background is fuchsite, a mica that gets its green from a trace of chromium.
Where it comes from
Most of it comes from India, from the Mercara area of Kodagu District in Karnataka, and Ethiopia is also named as a source.
In history
In Sanskrit, ruby was called ratnaraj, 'king of gems', and by about AD 600 Burma was already a ruby source. The green mica holding the ruby, fuchsite, is named for the German chemist Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs, and a rock made mostly of it, verdite, is carved into ornaments in South Africa.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, it is the stone of the open heart. People keep it for love, and for strength and willpower when they need to follow through.
It is also kept for focus and for protecting one's own space. People wear it as jewelry, carry it in a pocket or hold it in either hand.
Ruby zoisite looks similar. That one has black flecks and is harder, while ruby in fuchsite is micaceous and often has blue kyanite rims around the ruby.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, held in either hand, or over the heart.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, ruby in fuchsite is paired with the root and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, held in either hand. People reach for it when they want love, willpower, focus and clarity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Heart
Also calledruby fuchsite, ruby in chrome mica
Care
- The fuchsite mica is soft (about Mohs 2 to 2.5) and flakes or scratches easily, even though the ruby spots are very hard.
- Wipe with a soft dry or barely damp cloth. Skip soaking, ultrasonic cleaners and steam.
- Protect it from knocks and from rubbing against harder stones; it suits pendants and earrings better than rings.
- Store it on its own in a soft pouch.
How to tell what you have
- Ruby in fuchsite is soft green mica (2 to 3) with pink-red ruby crystals; it is much softer than ruby in zoisite (about 6.5 to 7) and can shed green flakes.
- Lookalikes include dyed quartzite beads made to imitate similar green-and-pink stones, and blended or stabilized material.
Rules and sourcing
Ruby in fuchsite is sometimes stabilized or sold as a blended material, so the seller should say whether it is natural or reconstituted. The FTC jewelry guides call for disclosing stabilizing.
Questions people ask at our table
What is ruby in fuchsite?
A natural pairing of two minerals: red ruby crystals growing in green fuchsite, a chromium-rich mica. Ruby in fuchsite is a trade name for the pairing, not a single mineral.
How is it told from ruby zoisite?
Ruby zoisite is a harder, denser green rock, usually flecked with black hornblende or pargasite. Ruby in fuchsite is a soft, sparkly mica and often has blue kyanite rims around the ruby.
Is the ruby real, and is it gem quality?
The red is real corundum, but it is opaque and not cut gem ruby. Ask about dyed or reconstituted pieces if the red looks painted-on or perfectly even.
Why is it soft if it holds ruby?
The ruby spots are Mohs 9, but they sit in fuchsite at about Mohs 2 to 2.5, and the piece wears like the softer part.
Where does it come from?
India is the best-known source, and Brazil and Russia are listed as well.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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