A good ruby simulant could me made from _.
spinel
red corundum
molten Aluminum Oxide
heat treated low-quality rubies
Rubies can’t be simulated, only synthesized
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is spinel.
Explanation (300 words):
Spinel is a natural mineral that has long been used as a simulant for rubies due to its close resemblance in color and appearance. While not chemically identical to ruby, spinel can mimic its aesthetic qualities, especially in terms of hue and brilliance, making it an excellent simulant.
Why Spinel?
- Visual Similarity: Spinel naturally forms in a variety of colors, including vivid red shades that closely resemble high-quality rubies. This similarity makes it a popular and convincing alternative in jewelry.
- Physical Properties: Spinel is a durable gemstone with a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale, making it suitable for everyday wear. Though not as hard as ruby (9 on the Mohs scale), it is sufficiently robust to serve as a practical simulant.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Spinel is more abundant and less expensive to source compared to natural or synthetic rubies, making it an economical choice for creating ruby-like gemstones.
What About the Other Options?
- Red Corundum: This is ruby itself, as ruby is a variety of the mineral corundum. It is not a simulant, but rather the real gem.
- Molten Aluminum Oxide: This is used in the Verneuil process to create synthetic rubies, which are chemically identical to natural rubies but are not simulants.
- Heat-Treated Low-Quality Rubies: These are still rubies, albeit enhanced ones, and do not qualify as simulants.
- “Rubies Can’t Be Simulated, Only Synthesized”: This is incorrect. Rubies can be simulated using materials like spinel and even glass, which visually mimic rubies without replicating their chemical structure.
Spinel’s affordability, availability, and visual similarity make it a preferred choice for simulating rubies in various applications, from jewelry to decorative items.