Red gemstone characterization by micro-Raman spectroscopy: the case of rubies and their imitations

In the framework of a wide project aimed to study the potential of Raman spectroscopy in characterizing gems, jewels and jewellers' collections, in this work the results of a micro-Raman investigation on red gemstones are proposed. In detail, a set of red gems supplied by a jeweller as representative of the current red gems in the trade were analyzed by using micro-Raman instrumentations equipped with different laser excitation sources. The obtained results allow not only discriminating rubies from simulant and fakes but also achieving useful information on inclusions and treatments, obtaining a complete characterization of the studied red gems. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.