First-ever rubies made with gem waste for eco-friendly jewelry

Your wedding ring could be made with love in a lab! A scientist from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) created the world’s first rubies made with gem waste. 

The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) reports Sofie Boons grew these gemstones from a “ruby seed.” She derived the material from discarded gemstone materials. 

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She hopes her groundbreaking discovery could change negative attitudes towards lab-grown gemstones. As a result, future jewelry could become lovely and eco-friendly, too.

How did the researchers create eco-friendly rubies?

Sofie Boons, a Senior Lecturer in Designs Crafts at UWE Bristol, invented this sustainable jewelry-making method. 

She spent the last four years developing this method, which involves a flux solution. The British university explains fluxes are flowing agents that lower the melting point of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃).

Boons mix Al₂O₃ with waste gem material and grit, which are small gemstone pieces for industrial tools. Then, she cooks them in a furnace for a few days. 

As a result, she creates lab-grown rubies that have the same structure and quality as mined ones. The only difference is their origin. 

Gemstones look like rough and dull-colored rocks when miners take them from the ground. Consequently, jewelers cut them into smaller pieces, lowering their value. 

This process wastes the discarded bits, so Boons invented a method of turning them into real rubies. She hopes her technique could dispel the stigma that lab-grown gems are inferior to mined ones.

More importantly, Boons hopes her method could help stop mining worldwide, which devastates land and leaves massive amounts of pollution.

“In theory, we have enough material on the planet to stop mining,” the jeweler-turned-scientist claims.

“By sharing this research, I hope to put power into the hands of jewelers, as the technique is simple enough for them to adopt.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the research, looking at other gemstone colurs and growing in different metal structures,” she added. 

Professor Elena Marco, UWE Bristol’s Pro Vice-chancellor and Head of the College of Arts, Technology and Environment, emphasized the research’s positive environmental impact:

“The technique that Sofie has developed challenges the view of the mining industry that mined gems are superior and introduces a credible and more sustainable way of producing innovative jewellery pieces without the negative impact to the planet,” Marco stated.