Growing rubies from waste materials

A new technique produces sustainable rubies that appear identical to natural ones

Spotted: While researchers have found ways to generate some types of precious gems in the lab, these have required energy-intensive processes. The alternative is mined gems, which present their own issues, including the use of environmentally damaged mining practices that often lead to soil erosion, deforestation, ecosystem destruction, and human conflict.

Now, UWE Bristol researcher Sofie Boons has developed a technique that could dramatically alter the jewellery industry. Boons has been able to grow a ruby in situ from a ‘seed’, in a platinum ring. The ’seed’ can be produced from waste gemstone materials, such as chips, which are readily available in industry. Boons told Springwise that, “The unpredictability of the growth, in direction and through the appearance of facets determined by the material’s crystal structure, means each time a seed is grown a different outcome will be materialised.”

The gems are grown using a flux solution, a chemical that lowers the melting temperature of the ruby’s molecular structure. The ruby is then grown in a furnace in a process that only takes days, and the final products have the same structure and quality as mined gems.

One goal of this research is to demonstrate that lab-grown gems are just as beautiful and valuable as mined gems, perhaps setting the stage for a much more sustainable jewellery industry. Boons added that in-situ growth also “enables the re-imagination of jewellery gemstone incorporation, (literally) outgrowing traditional setting practices.”

Boons plans to expand her research at the University of West England with funding from an Early Career Vice Chancellor Grant. She will test the growth of multiple seeds simultaneously and trial the growth of sapphire seeds in collaboration with the University of Bristol. Her current work has been supported by a Crafts Council Research Fellow and funding from the Expanding Excellence in England (E3) fund, managed by the UK Research and Innovation fund.

Written By: Lisa Magloff