The Power of Micro-XRF in Gemology - Part 5: Glass-Filled Ruby Characterization with the XGT-9000, HORIBA’s new micro-XRF

Gemstones for jewelry are treated by heating, irradiation, or filling of cracks to make them flawless. We performed imaging analyses using an XGT-9000 X-ray Analytical Microscope on a ruby provided by Mineralab. The transmission X-ray imaging revealed that the ruby included several internal defects, and the fluorescent X-ray imaging revealed that the ruby surface was treated by filling with Pb, Mg and Si which are representative of lead glass.