I am having a discussion with a friend on a specific piece. I say it is ruby in fuchsite, she says it is ruby in zoisite. To me, fuchsite is lighter with little mica sparkles while zoisite is a darker, almost emerald green with black spots (have no idea what the black spots are). Can anyone explain to me the major differences between ruby in zoisite and ruby in fuchsite? I know there is a chemical difference (found that on mindat.org) but how would one identify these properly? I think Fuchsite is softer than Zoisite...... Online, I see lots of vendors who are saying what they have is Ruby in Zoisite, but it is a light green to blue/green which I have always known to be fuchsite. How do you tell the difference? Also, are there fake/fraudy pieces of this out there? Any help is gratefully appreciated! http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156644#msg-156644 Sun, 19 May 2013 09:48:41 +0000 Phorum 5.2.15a http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253609#msg-253609 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253609#msg-253609 Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:09:23 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253608#msg-253608 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253608#msg-253608
I was hoping for a much newer reference, but I will obtain the article and review it.

Might be fun to track the history of tschermakite.

I bought a tschermakite grain from Harvard back when they were offering probe standards for oxygen analysis. The grains were good for all of the other constituents.

I'll compare the spectra.

Bart]]> Bart Cannon Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:02:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253592#msg-253592 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253592#msg-253592 There's some basic information in a 1954 paper in the Mineralogical Magazine. You can download it here:

[rruff.geo.arizona.edu]

The paper focusses on the zoisite but offers some basic information on the amphibole.
Hope this helps,
Andy]]> Andy Stucki (2) Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:29:48 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253584#msg-253584 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253584#msg-253584
Can you direct me to a paper confirming that the dark xls in the green African zoisite / ruby specimens are truly tschermakite? This would be valuable news for the amphibole challenged such as myself.

No surprise, but EDS shows a little chromium in the green zoisite.

Bart]]> Bart Cannon Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:01:51 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253555#msg-253555 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253555#msg-253555 Andy Stucki (2) Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:44:46 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253545#msg-253545 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253545#msg-253545 Craig Mercer Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:23:02 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253543#msg-253543 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,253543#msg-253543
Zoesite is a very different mineral (the most valuable form is Tanzanite)

The black in the Ruby/Zoesite (also known as Anyolite) is Hornblende]]> jgb Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:06:17 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,237713#msg-237713 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,237713#msg-237713 Ralph Bottrill Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:59:28 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,237703#msg-237703 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,237703#msg-237703 Charlie Odorizzi Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:13:44 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,234975#msg-234975 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,234975#msg-234975 Rock Currier Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:45:01 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,234883#msg-234883 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,234883#msg-234883 Mira Bai Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:02:08 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,224952#msg-224952 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,224952#msg-224952 Yanick Beaudet Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Wed, 25 May 2011 20:40:13 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,224448#msg-224448 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,224448#msg-224448 but ruby fuchsite is from India,Yellow-green fushite (mica) with red Corundum.the rough stone is a slice and chip,not a block.
it is different~~
our factory make the two stone to export many kinds of beads,spheres,eggs,and pendants, cabs....
Just I had a working visit for the ruby fuchsite mine in india.]]> Zeng Zhouyu Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sat, 21 May 2011 04:30:36 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159765#msg-159765 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159765#msg-159765 Mira Bai Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:55:57 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159564#msg-159564 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159564#msg-159564 Rock Currier Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:53:51 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159541#msg-159541 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,159541#msg-159541 John Betts Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:21:15 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156662#msg-156662 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156662#msg-156662 The material with the smaller ruby "chips" is the older material in general.
The newer stuff, maybe five or six years ago, has the bigger/better pieces of ruby.
Fun fact, tanzanite is a form of zoisite.
AK]]> Adam Kelly Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:25:49 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156652#msg-156652 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156652#msg-156652 The reason for the fake question was because someone pointed out that the ruby in her specimen looked more like chips that were inserted.....:) I didnt really get that but it always is prudent to ask :)

thanks again!!]]> Mira Bai Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:22:45 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156650#msg-156650 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156650#msg-156650
Fuchsite is a green mica variety, so it will be soft and flaky - If it's fuchsite, you should be able to break thin flakes off very easily with the point of a needle. Zoisite can be lots of different colours, so shade of colour is not a good guide to its identification. The zoisite which forms the massive matrix of the rubies from East Africa is usually light green. The black parts in that material are mostly an amphible.]]> Alfredo Petrov Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:17:22 +0000 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156644#msg-156644 http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,55,156644,156644#msg-156644
Online, I see lots of vendors who are saying what they have is Ruby in Zoisite, but it is a light green to blue/green which I have always known to be fuchsite. How do you tell the difference?

Also, are there fake/fraudy pieces of this out there?

Any help is gratefully appreciated!]]> Mira Bai Fakes, Frauds and Marketing Ploys Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:48:12 +0000