Synthetic Rubies for Dummies

Synthetic red corundum (ruby)

As our researchers wander around the internet looking for abject stupidity published by self-appointed freelancers, and let us tell you, finding it isn't all that hard. we watch certain topics mainly because we have in-house expertise. So when we learned that Leaf Group (formerly Demand Media) shoved a lot of jewelry topics into their Leaf.tv site, we figured it was only a matter of time before we found some stupidity about minerals. It was... and here's Neal Litherland to do a lousy job of answering the question "How is Corundum Made?"¹

The simple answer is that corundum, the mineral that in gem form is known as ruby or sapphire, is a natural substance. Litherland got that, doing a masterful job of reordering (most of) the words from an authoritative website (and from a crap website called "extreme science"). He also, as he usually does, got some of it wrong, including the comment that

"Corundum appears in a wide variety of rocks, but it is always found in areas that lack silica, and which are rich in aluminous materials..." ...which, frankly, makes no sense at all, since the mineral is typically associated with pegmatite or granite; both of which are quite silica-rich. Other than that mysterious claim, most of what Neal has to say is borderline correct, with the glaring exception of the rather stupid statement that "...if aluminum oxide is present in a rock that changes and becomes a metamorphic rock, then that heat and pressure may cause the element to change and become crystals of corundum." We call that "stupid" because aluminum oxide isn't an element and because his description of metamorphism is so... so... stupid.

Of course, Litherland's mistakes are all pretty much garden-variety dumbassery when it comes to science. It's when it comes to logic that Neal truly screwed up. See, the OQ didn't ask how corundum forms, the OQ wanted to know how synthetic corundum is made. Neal never addresses the synthesis of corundum, which is a common process for making not only gem-quality corundum but is the source of much of the "emery" used in abrasives like sandpaper. Synthetic corundum was first produced in the early 19th century, and similar processes are still in use today. If one is truly interested in how such synthesis is achieved, look up the Verneuil process...

Litherland either couldn't be bothered to take the time to research synthetic corundum or avoided it because he was too dumb to understand it (or perhaps to understand the significance of the word "made" in the question). Whatever the case, Neal picks up his fourth Dumbass of the Day award for his lack of effort.

¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   leaf.tv/articles/how-is-corundum-made/

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