Cousin Ricky <ric### [at] yahoocom> wrote:
> On 2021-09-11 6:09 PM (-4), Samuel B. wrote:
> >
> > And there's an area near a river which I suspect might be harboring corundum.
(...)
>
> I was in a jewelry store a few years ago, and saw gems labeled "red
> sapphire."  I'm no geologist, so I asked the sales clerk what's the
> difference between red sapphire and ruby.  She responded only that ruby
> and sapphire are two different gems.  Probing further, I learned that
> she didn't realize that ruby and sapphire are both forms of the same
> mineral.
>
> So I'm wondering, is it common for retail jewelers not to know the
> mineralogy behind the stones they are selling?  Or did she know just
> enough to sell them?

It does seem like she was confused, since ruby and sapphires are indeed both
corundum (aluminum oxide). The main difference between ruby and sapphires, iirc,
is that rubies are red and sapphires can come in many colors. It's possible that
that particular hue of red you saw in the store was not considered a ruby,
similar to how emeralds are just one specific color of beryl, but there can be
other green beryls that are not considered emeralds.

I've never been to any jewelers, but like any other business there are probably
sales clerks working there to just make a wage, so they might not have much
in-depth knowledge regarding their job. (Any there are probably many others who
do know more but are never promoted for whatever reason).

> (I once ran across the same problem when I attempted to buy a computer
> from a locally-owned shop, instead of a big box.  The proprietor most
> certainly knew more about computers than your average big box geek, but
> his sales clerk knew nothing beyond sales lit talking points.)

Fortunately for us we know what to look for. Unfortunately for us, we are often
led to buying parts online that may or may not be up to snuff. Such was the case
with my current rig... it tends to freeze the system when I'm playing certain
resource-intensive games :/

Sam

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