History of Ruby Gemstones
Ruby comes from the Latin word ‘ruber’ which means red. Ruby birthstones have been used in India as well as in China, as ornaments of noblemen’s armors, harness and scabbards. It’s been historically noted that rubies gave good fortune to structures and buildings by laying them beneath the buildings foundation. In tRuby and Sapphire Pendanthe Vedic astrology, the ruby birthstone was associated with the Sun, and is also as a symbol of the 40th wedding anniversary. While in the Chinese astrology, ruby is associated with the year of the pig. Ruby is also the birthstone of July and the gemstone for the zodiac signs of Cancer and Leo. The roman mythology once dictated that when a ruby is inserted into the flesh of its owner, it was believe to empower him with invulnerability.

Physical Properties of Ruby Gemstones
Rubies along diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires are same of the most valuable gemstones. The ruby is identified as having a blood red, brownish, or sometimes purplish color. Based on the mineral composition it belongs to the corundum family with a chemical formulation of aluminum oxide and chromium- this combination of the elements that causes the red color in rubies. Aside from ruby, sapphires belongs to the corundum gem family. Faceting altering procedures of rubies include dissolving rutile inclusion, color alteration, healing of fractures and in some cases completely filling the cracks - it can be difficult to find unaltered rubies. The hardness of gemstones is defined by a Mohs scale and rubies has 9.0 harness. Among all the natural gemstones, diamond is considered to be the hardest with a 10.0 definition.

 Ruby Birthstone RingWhen it comes to great colored rubies, Myanmar (Burma) is the country where you’ll find the best gemstone. In the mountainous are of Mogok, which is located 125 miles facing north of Mandalay, is where you’ll find the “Valley of Rubies,” famed for its rare “pigeon blood rubies,” as well as blue sapphires.

Rubies are valued by its color, clarity, cut and carat. Color is the first factor that determines its price. A ruby stone with a “pigeon blood red” color is considered to be the best and the brightest of red, can command a very big premium on its value over other ruby stones of the same quality. Clarity follows color along with its cut and carat of the gemstone. A clear ruby stone can also command a very high premium, however, the absence of rutile inclusions that appears to be needle- like under a jewelers scope may indicate that the stone has undergone treatment in some way.

Imperfections are bound to be found in natural ruby stones. These imperfections include rutile inclusions, needle-like inclusion also known as silk and color impurities. The rutile inclusions in a natural ruby stone are used by gemologist to set them apart from substitutes, stimulants or synthetic rubies. Imitation rubies are available in the market and they have been present for some time now. Nonetheless, natural rubies will always be an excellent choice among the red corundum gems.


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Ruby - Main Characteristics

Ruby Gemstone Pendant
CategoryMineral
Chemical formulaAl2O3::Cr
Composition Aluminum Chromium Oxide.
Crystal HabitVaries with locality. Terminated tabular hexagonal prisms.
Color/SpectrumRed gamma.
Atomic (Crystal )StructureHexagonal.
Index of Refraction1.762 - 1.770
Density (Relative)2.65 - 2.68
LusterVitreous
Hardness (Mohs Scale)9
UsesJewelry, ornamental.
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