Ruby is a red gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide)
in which the color is caused mainly by chromium. Its name originates from
ruber or rubrum, Latin for red. Natural rubies are exceptionally rare,
though artificial ones (sometimes called created ruby) can be manufactured
by the Verneuil process relatively inexpensively. Other varieties of
gem-quality corundum are called sapphires.
Rubies are mined in Africa, Asia, Australia, and Greenland. They are most
often found in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Madagascar and Thailand, though
they have also been found in the U.S. states of Montana, North Carolina and
South Carolina. The Mogok Valley in Myanmar has produced some of the finest
rubies. However in recent years very few good rubies have been found there.
In central Myanmar the area of Mong Hsu also produces rubies. In 2002 rubies
were found in the Waseges River area of Kenya. Rubies are being mined at
Audilamena in northeastern Madagascar. Sometimes spinels are found along
with rubies in the same geological formations and are mistaken for the more
valuable gem. However, fine red spinels may approach the average ruby invalue.
Rubies are generously represented in crowns and scepters in the royal jewelsof many nations. Ruby has acquired special attributes from its admirers overthe centuries. It has been regarded as a symbol of freedom, charity, dignityand divine power. The Burmese believed that gemstones ripened like fruit.The redder the color, the riper the ruby. A flawed ruby was considered overmature. Large, gem quality rubies have always been very rare. The huge gemsdescribed in medieval romances and oriental literature were most likelyexaggerated by the imaginations of ruby admirers and creative authors orwere actually garnets or spinels.
Ruby is the birthstone of July
Treatments - Heat and chemical treatments. Treatment of Ruby stones arepermanent.
History - The Burmese believed that "blazing red" stones could be found in a"bottomless" valley. Natives threw pieces of meat into the valley, hopingthat some stones could then be recovered by killing the vultures. In theRoyal Collection of England, you can view a gold ring set with a pale butnearly flawless ruby into which a portrait of Louis XII of France is carved.According to Rebbenu Bachya, the word odem in the verse Exodus 28:17 means"ruby"; it was the stone on the Ephod representing the tribe of Reuben.Modern Hebrew has taken this meaning. [citation needed] Ruby is also themost commonly named precious stone in the Bible; an example being Proverbs31: "A virtuous wife is worth more than rubies.
Ruby gemstones are valued according to several characteristics includingsize, color, clarity and cut. All natural rubies have imperfections in them,including color impurities and inclusions of rutile needles known as silk.If the silk inside of the stone is not there, then one could assume thestone was heated at a temperature of 3000 degrees. This was done to give theruby a better color of red. Usually the rough stone is heated beforecutting. On the other hand, artificial rubies may have no imperfections. Thefewer the number and the less obvious the imperfections, the more valuablethe ruby is; unless there are no imperfections (i.e., a "perfect" ruby), inwhich case it is suspected of being artificially made and its status as apriceless gem is therefore not completely assured. Some manufactured rubieshave dopants added to them so that they can be identified as artificial, butmost require gemological testing to determine their origin.
Rubies come in various shades of red, red purple and red orange. A mediumtoned red or red with slight blue is most desired. Clarity of the stone andinclusions are also taken into account to determined the stones value. Oncethe stones looks more toward the color purple or orange then it is called afancy sapphire.
Choosing a Ruby - The most important factor in the value of a ruby is color.The top qualities are as red as you can imagine: a saturated pure spectralhue without any overtones of brown or blue. The word red is derived from theLatin word for ruby, ruber, which is derived from similar words in Persian,Hebrew, and Sanskrit. The intensity of colour of a fine ruby is like aglowing coal, probably the most intensely coloured substance our ancestorsever saw. It is no wonder they ascribed magical powers to these fires thatburned perpetually and never extinguished themselves.
Besides color, other factors that influence the value of a ruby are clarity,cut, and size. Rubies that are perfectly transparent, with no tiny flaws,are more valuable than those with inclusions, which are visible to the eye.Cut can make a big difference in how attractive and lively a ruby appears tothe eye. A well-cut stone should reflect backlight evenly across the surfacewithout a dark or washed-out area in the centre that can result from a stonethat is too deep or shallow. The shape should also be symmetrical and thereshould not be any nicks or scratches in the polish. Rubies and othergemstones are sold per carat, a unit of weight equal to one-fifth of a gram.Larger rubies, because they are more rare, will cost more per carat thansmaller stones of the same quality.
The Ruby sometimes displays a three-ray, six-point star. These star rubiesare cut in a smooth domed cabochon cut to display the effect. The star ismost visible when illuminated with a single light source: it moves acrossthe stone as the light moves. This effect, called asterism, is caused bylight reflecting off tiny rutile needles, called "silk," which are orientedalong the crystal faces.
The value of star rubies and sapphires are influenced by two factors: theintensity and attractiveness of the body colour and the strength andsharpness of the star. All six legs should be straight and equallyprominent. Star rubies rarely have the combination of a fine translucent ortransparent color and a sharp prominent star. These gems are valuable andexpensive.
The most famous source of fine rubies is Burma, which is now called Myanmar.The ruby mines of Myanmar date back to centuries ago: stone age and bronzeage mining tools have been found in the mining area of Mogok. Rubies fromthe legendary mines in Mogok often have a pure red color, sometimesdescribed as "pigeon's-blood", although that term is more fanciful than anactual practical standard in the trade today. Myanmar also produces intensepinkish red rubies, which are vivid and extremely beautiful. Many of therubies from Burma have a strong fluorescence when exposed to ultravioletrays like those in sunlight, which layers on extra colour. Burma rubies havea reputation of holding their vivid colour under all lighting conditions.
Sri Lankan stones are often pinkish in hue and many are pastel in tone.Some, however, resemble the vivid pinkish red hues from Burma. Rubies fromKenya and Tanzania surprised the world when they were discovered in thesixties because their color rivals the world's best. Unfortunately, most ofthe ruby production from these countries has many inclusions, tiny flawsthat diminish transparency.
Rubies are generously represented in crowns and scepters in the royal jewelsof many nations. Ruby has acquired special attributes from its admirers overthe centuries. It has been regarded as a symbol of freedom, charity, dignityand divine power. The Burmese believed that gemstones ripened like fruit.The redder the color, the riper the ruby. A flawed ruby was considered overmature. Large, gem quality rubies have always been very rare. The huge gemsdescribed in medieval romances and oriental literature were most likelyexaggerated by the imaginations of ruby admirers and creative authors orwere actually garnets or spinels.
Ruby is the birthstone of July
Treatments - Heat and chemical treatments. Treatment of Ruby stones arepermanent.
History - The Burmese believed that "blazing red" stones could be found in a"bottomless" valley. Natives threw pieces of meat into the valley, hopingthat some stones could then be recovered by killing the vultures. In theRoyal Collection of England, you can view a gold ring set with a pale butnearly flawless ruby into which a portrait of Louis XII of France is carved.According to Rebbenu Bachya, the word odem in the verse Exodus 28:17 means"ruby"; it was the stone on the Ephod representing the tribe of Reuben.Modern Hebrew has taken this meaning. [citation needed] Ruby is also themost commonly named precious stone in the Bible; an example being Proverbs31: "A virtuous wife is worth more than rubies.
Ruby gemstones are valued according to several characteristics includingsize, color, clarity and cut. All natural rubies have imperfections in them,including color impurities and inclusions of rutile needles known as silk.If the silk inside of the stone is not there, then one could assume thestone was heated at a temperature of 3000 degrees. This was done to give theruby a better color of red. Usually the rough stone is heated beforecutting. On the other hand, artificial rubies may have no imperfections. Thefewer the number and the less obvious the imperfections, the more valuablethe ruby is; unless there are no imperfections (i.e., a "perfect" ruby), inwhich case it is suspected of being artificially made and its status as apriceless gem is therefore not completely assured. Some manufactured rubieshave dopants added to them so that they can be identified as artificial, butmost require gemological testing to determine their origin.
Rubies come in various shades of red, red purple and red orange. A mediumtoned red or red with slight blue is most desired. Clarity of the stone andinclusions are also taken into account to determined the stones value. Oncethe stones looks more toward the color purple or orange then it is called afancy sapphire.
Choosing a Ruby - The most important factor in the value of a ruby is color.The top qualities are as red as you can imagine: a saturated pure spectralhue without any overtones of brown or blue. The word red is derived from theLatin word for ruby, ruber, which is derived from similar words in Persian,Hebrew, and Sanskrit. The intensity of colour of a fine ruby is like aglowing coal, probably the most intensely coloured substance our ancestorsever saw. It is no wonder they ascribed magical powers to these fires thatburned perpetually and never extinguished themselves.
Besides color, other factors that influence the value of a ruby are clarity,cut, and size. Rubies that are perfectly transparent, with no tiny flaws,are more valuable than those with inclusions, which are visible to the eye.Cut can make a big difference in how attractive and lively a ruby appears tothe eye. A well-cut stone should reflect backlight evenly across the surfacewithout a dark or washed-out area in the centre that can result from a stonethat is too deep or shallow. The shape should also be symmetrical and thereshould not be any nicks or scratches in the polish. Rubies and othergemstones are sold per carat, a unit of weight equal to one-fifth of a gram.Larger rubies, because they are more rare, will cost more per carat thansmaller stones of the same quality.
The Ruby sometimes displays a three-ray, six-point star. These star rubiesare cut in a smooth domed cabochon cut to display the effect. The star ismost visible when illuminated with a single light source: it moves acrossthe stone as the light moves. This effect, called asterism, is caused bylight reflecting off tiny rutile needles, called "silk," which are orientedalong the crystal faces.
The value of star rubies and sapphires are influenced by two factors: theintensity and attractiveness of the body colour and the strength andsharpness of the star. All six legs should be straight and equallyprominent. Star rubies rarely have the combination of a fine translucent ortransparent color and a sharp prominent star. These gems are valuable andexpensive.
The most famous source of fine rubies is Burma, which is now called Myanmar.The ruby mines of Myanmar date back to centuries ago: stone age and bronzeage mining tools have been found in the mining area of Mogok. Rubies fromthe legendary mines in Mogok often have a pure red color, sometimesdescribed as "pigeon's-blood", although that term is more fanciful than anactual practical standard in the trade today. Myanmar also produces intensepinkish red rubies, which are vivid and extremely beautiful. Many of therubies from Burma have a strong fluorescence when exposed to ultravioletrays like those in sunlight, which layers on extra colour. Burma rubies havea reputation of holding their vivid colour under all lighting conditions.
Sri Lankan stones are often pinkish in hue and many are pastel in tone.Some, however, resemble the vivid pinkish red hues from Burma. Rubies fromKenya and Tanzania surprised the world when they were discovered in thesixties because their color rivals the world's best. Unfortunately, most ofthe ruby production from these countries has many inclusions, tiny flawsthat diminish transparency.
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