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RE: Are Soundsmith Ruby Cantilever Really Gemstone?

Posted by Retipper (M) on June 27, 2013 at 07:44:49

In Reply to: Are Soundsmith Ruby Cantilever Really Gemstone? posted by Oblique Angle on June 26, 2013 at 14:29:43:

I am grateful that Soundsmith has followers that are happy with what I do, and alert me to posts that are either nefarious or incorrect. Several folks have alerted me recently at such postings, Thankfully, most know what I do with regard to quality, and that I am very fair with everyone. When I retire....(soon)... most will remember that when I did what I did, it went well.

This kind of statement, along with a few others, starts to smack of someone who might have motives to promote a competing business, or who feels some distorted need to attack my quality - trying to raise themselves up by putting others down. Most of our mothers told us not to do this.

A chemical analysis is the only absolute method available for determining the nature of Ruby VS. "glass". I can absolutely guarantee that a red dyed "glass" rod of this diameter would NOT hold up long, if play at all. I know. I have tried quartz (far stronger than glass) with poor results.

Ruby and Sapphire are the same material - ALUMINUM OXIDE - (Ruby is doped, or in nature, has an "impurity" to make it reddish as opposed to transparent like Sapphire)and they BOTH have a hardness of 9, VS. diamond, which is 10. The material I use is occlusion free, as dislocations or other imperfections in a single crystal of Ruby in this mechanical configuration would allow a fracture to easily propagate. When it does, it almost ALWAYS fractures at 45 degrees - telling of the single crystaline nature of this material and it crystaline orientation with respect to its long dimension.

In terms of cost, the poster who mentioned that aspect is ENTIRELY CORRECT. There would be little cost savings trying to "cheat" using the wrong material. Why do it at all?? It doesn't even make sense - or, I should say, would be in the same category as the person who suggested that what I use is not Ruby.


PEter Ledermann/Soundsmith

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Kimber Kable

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