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Formula : Al2O 3
Birthstone
For the month of July
For a list of all birthstones, click here
Mineral hardness (Mohs)
Particular hardness: 9
Ruby can only be scratched by materials that are of equal or higher hardness. Diamond might scratch a ruby for example. Due to its toughness a ruby will not break easily.
Color
Red (dove’s blood red)
Ruby occurs in different shades of red. The intensity of the color is decisive in assessing the value of the stone. The different shades range from an intense dove’s blood red to a pinkish shade of red.
Origin & History
Ruby is most commonly found in: Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam. Other countries of origin might include: Australia, China, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Nepal, Russia, and the USA.
In the past a lot was written down about gemstones and their mythology. The people of the 16 th century, for example, believed that ruby could help control the passions of a person and that it could banish sinful thoughts from their bodies. If its owner took proper care of the stone it was said to bring peace, strength and good health.
Care
Generally speaking the tough ruby is resistant to damage from contact or liquid, still –for reasons given in the above paragraph– we recommend taking proper care of the stone.
Imitation stones
A quality ruby is extremely valuable. Many different materials are used to create imitations of this truly precious stone. A few examples include: red glass, red tourmaline, almandine garnet, red spinel, etc. Of course traders of imitation rubies will not want to tell you what material they are really made of and just sell you the imitation for a real price. To make sure we only offer quality rubies we buy our stones at authorized traders. This way we are able to sell you only the quality stones you are looking for.
One may recognize a quality ruby by its intense color and lack of impurities. The quality stone is a dove’s blood red and has a lively shimmer.
Cut
Rubies may appear in any number of cuts. The most common cut for rubies is the faceted cut. In addition to this cut, however, there are many more options ranging from oval facetted cuts to cabochons with a star-like effect in the stone.
Jewelry with ruby can be found here: