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Ruby
Throughout most of recorded history,
Ruby has been the world's most valued
gemstone. Even
diamond was
 considered common in comparison to the
supreme beauty and value of this glowing
red gem. Named from the Latin word
for its hue, ruber, Ruby is the epitome
of the boldest of colours: the gem of
desire, passion, courage, and emotion.
In the ancient language of Sanskrit,
Ruby is called ratnaraj, or "king of
precious stones." In the Bible, only
wisdom and virtuous women are "more
precious than Rubies.”
Early in the eleventh century, Persian
sage al-Biruni was only conveying the
popular wisdom of the time when he wrote
that Ruby has "the first place in color,
beauty and rank" among all gems.
Around 1550, Italian
goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini reported
that the finest one-carat Ruby cost
eight times more than a
comparable-quality one-carat diamond.
Even today Ruby costs more than its diamond
equivalent.
Ruby's status as the most
valuable gem of the age helps to explain
why England took the rather drastic step
of invading and annexing Upper Burma in
1885 when it learned a French company
would begin mining of this gem at the
famed Mogok Ruby tract. This is
still the most
celebrated source for Ruby today.
Sources
Certain colour tones are
associated with different country's
mines: Burma, now known as Myanmar, with
pure reds. Vietnam with vivid
pinkish Rubies with exceptional clarity.
Sri Lanka with more pastel softer
pinkish reds. Thailand with dark red to
burgundy. Kenya with translucent stones
with juicy pure reds. Madagascar with
pure transparent reds.
Most Rubies are heated almost to 2,000
degrees in order to maximize the red and
remove secondary colours of blue and
brown.
Heat enhancement is stable, does not
require special care, and does not
reduce the stone's value.
Ruby is most common in oval and cushion
shapes. Other shapes may be difficult to
find in sizes above a carat. Rubies
above five carats are extremely rare and
valuable.
Ruby, like sapphire, is the mineral
corundum, one of the most durable
minerals, a crystalline form of
aluminum
oxide. Corundum has a hardness of
9 on the
Mohs scale and is also
extremely tough. In its common
form, it is even used as an abrasive.
As a result, Rubies are the most durable
of gems. Clean with mild dish soap: use
a toothbrush to scrub behind the stone
where dust can collect. |
