The Gemstone Ruby

The red color of the ruby is its most important feature. Fire and blood are two magical elements that are associated with the symbolism of the ruby's red color. The elements of the ruby imply warmth and life for mankind.

Rubies are red gemstones that can vary from a light pink color to a blood red. Rubies are the red variety of the mineral corundum, which is one of the hardest minerals on Earth.

Pure corundum is colorless, but traces of elements such chrome, iron, titanium, and vanadium give it its color. Chromium or aluminum-oxide and chrome causes the red color of the ruby. Red corundum is called a ruby, and all other colors of the mineral are classified as sapphires.

Experts only realized the close relationship of the ruby and the sapphire in the beginning of the 19th century; before this, red garnets were also thought to be rubies. The ruby is considered one of the four precious gems with the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond.  

It is difficult to find rubies in world mines. The color element of chrome is mostly responsible for the gemstone's scarcity. Chrome gives the ruby its color, but it is also responsible for many fissures and cracks inside the crystals. Gem lovers often pay top dollar for rubies with hardly any inclusions, good color, and large size, and these prices often surpass those paid for diamonds in the same category.

Color is the ruby's most important feature, and transparency is the second most important feature of the gemstone. Inclusions do not impair the quality of the ruby unless they decrease the transparency of the ruby.

Inclusions are also known as the ruby's "fingerprint," and may be seen as a statement of the gem's individuality, and provide proof of its genuineness and natural origin. It is one way to distinguish synthetic or lab created rubies from naturally mined rubies.      

The cut of the ruby is important to its value and appearance. It is said that only the perfect cut underlines the beauty of the ruby. However, it is rare to find a ruby that is cut perfectly.

There are some rubies that display a silky shine, which is called the "silk" of the ruby. The fine needles of the mineral rutile cause the shine. The mineral rutile is also responsible for the phenomenon asterism that may also occur in rubies. Forming a star-shaped deposit within the ruby, the mineral causes a bright light effect that is known as asterism. These are commonly known as "star rubies" and can be more valuable than regular rubies because of their rarity.

However, the value of star rubies depends on the attractiveness of their color and on their transparency. The finest star rubies will display rays that are fully formed all the way to the horizontal line that runs through the middle of the stone. Fine star rubies also contain stars that are located in the center of the ruby itself. Star rubies may also rarely show color change. When the rubies are cut into cabochons, the result is a six-spoked star that seems to glide across the surface of the stone when it is moved. 

Rubies are mined in many places, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Greenland, Madagascar, and North Carolina. However, they are most often found in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Madagascar, North Carolina, and Cambodia.

Some of the finest rubies were found in the Mogok Valley in upper Myanmar, but recently there haven't been many ruby discoveries there. Myanmar rubies have a unique color that is known as "pigeon's blood."  These rubies are known as "Mogok" rubies. The last ruby deposit to be found in Myanmar, was found in Nam Ya, and in 2002 a ruby deposit was found in the Waseges River area of Kenya.

The findings of ruby deposits have been a rare occasion in the past few years, and sometimes garnets are found and mistakenly classified as rubies.