Rubies Are These
Girls Best Friends
Ramaura Cultured Rubies, That Is. |
Judith Osmer
and Virginia Carter grow rubies. Not a day goes by without them
asking how on earth they became the proud owners of such a unique
business. Trained as scientists, it never occurred to either woman
that they would become owners of a company known world wide for its
cultured rubies.
The Ramaura™ Cultured Ruby today is poised in the world
market at the same point cultured pearls were in the early 1900's.
Sure there are natural rubies out there, but the mines are
producing fewer and fewer really good gemstones. Prices for the
naturals have skyrocketed! Enter The Ramaura Cultured Ruby.
It all began 30 years ago. Judith was a struggling college student
working as a lab technician at Hughes Research Labs in Malibu, CA.
With the invention of the ruby laser research was suddenly
concentrated on how ruby grows. Judith did some of that research
and got hooked. Soon she was trying to figure out how to grow a
ruby that looked like the mysterious fiery gem that has captivated
people since time began.
Years of research and little by little Judith figured it out! Now,
how to begin a Company?
Virginia Carter entered the picture shortly after Judith began her
quest. They met at the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo.
Virginia, a physicist whose research concentrated on studies of the
high atmosphere, was intrigued by Judith's efforts to grow
gemstones. After a while, and to her own astonishment, Virginia
went to work in Hollywood where she contributed what she could to
the production of half hour comedies. She made much more money than
she needed!
Why not invest in a Ruby Company?!
They acquired an industrial building. Judith bought a high
temperature furnace and a number of pure platinum pots to hold her
rubies as they grew. She designed and built a ruby producing
laboratory. She quit her job at Aerospace!
| Before putting the rubies on the market, samples
were sent to the Gemological Institute of America. Weeks passed
and then a call came asking Judith to meet with the powers at
G.I.A. Shuffling feet, clearing throats and it eventually became
clear that G.I.A, the most authoritative voice in the field of
gemstones in the world, was not always able to distinguish Judith's
highest quality Ramauras from natural rubies. They asked that
Ramaura Cultured Rubies not be put on the market until Judith could
figure out some way to make them identifiable. |
 |
|
Photo courtesy of J.O. Crystal
|
Back to the drawing
board.
Six months later Judith announced the Ramaura Cultured Ruby to the
gemstone world. The result of those extra months is that every
Ramaura on the market glows under a black light at a slightly
different wavelength than would a natural ruby. Judith has added
just a pinch of something to mark her rubies as Ramaura. You can't
cut it out, you can't polish it off. It's there to stay.
Is that enough to stop the cheaters? Who knows. One thing is
certain. At least several times each year they get a call from some
bozo asking them to leave that Ramaura tag out. If they will just
do that, bozo will buy every bit of ruby they can produce.
It is now 15 years since the J.O. Crystal Company was started.
Virginia has moved her office from television production to ruby
production. One furnace has grown to six. The FAX machine purrs
bringing orders from Surabaya Indonesia, Hong Kong and Scranton,
PA. Everything that is produced is sold. The bank account
bulges.
Every now and then in the middle of a frantically busy day Judith
and Virginia ponder the following question... Why not produce a
half dozen top quality 5 carat rubies and forget to tag them. Mount
them in conservative nineteenth century estate jewelry and sell
them for the best price they can command, no muss no fuss, early
retirement...
Nah, who wants to be a bozo.
The J.O. Crystal Co. Inc. specializes in the highest quality
laboratory grown rubies, emeralds and alexandrites available in the
world today. For further information e-mail Ramauras@aol.com. |
| Copyright, 1998 by
J.O. Crystal Co. - Virginia Carter and Judith Osmer |
| Judith A. Osmer is profiled in the
GIA Gem Identification course's People & Gems series for her
work on growing synthetic crystal materials. She formed J.O.
Crystal Company in 1983 with physicist Virginia Carter, who is the
company president. The GIA piece notes that, "Many consider it
(Ramaura™ cultured ruby) to be among the most natural-looking
synthetic rubies available." |
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