Popular Name  :  Ruby

Other Name : Ruby Corundum

Constituent Compound : aluminium oxide

Hardness Factor : 9

Colors : shades of red

Cuts : Brilliant; Cabochon; Step; Mixed

Substitutes : Garnet; Glass

Ruby - The Birthstone for July

Rubies are a stunning variety of corundum and the gemstone most people associate with red colors. This is the rarest, hardest and certainly the most valuable of red gems.

Found and produced mainly in Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Afghanistan, the gems vary in color from a pinkish red to a dark brownish tawny red.  The very best quality bright red stones come from Burma.

These gemstones are most commonly mined from igneous rocks but are still sometimes found as smooth stones in deposit.

Rubies have been highly regarded as a gemstone for millennia and are thought to possess magical properties which guard the owner from ill health and bad luck.

It is very hard and durable, second only to diamond and therefore very suitable for a gemstone and for jewelry purposes. It does however possess a tendency to fracture.

Ruby crystals grow in a layered formation, hexagonally, which can give rise to interesting color zoning forming. This is dependent on the surrounding geological and mineral environment.

The strength and tone of the red color is dependent on the amount of iron or chromium that is present within the stone compound.

Famous red rebies include:-

The Black Prince's Ruby

The Delong Star Ruby (100 carat - Natural History Museum NY)

The Malanday Ruby

The Hixon Ruby Crystal (200 carat uncut - Natural History Museum LA)

The Mogok Ruby