Ruby

Ruby is the July birthstone, and the Capricorn Zodiac stone. Ruby has been associated with the values of love, success, integrity, passion, and promise.  The ruby is considered to be the most powerful gem in the universe, and is associated with many astral signs. To own a ruby is said to have contentment and peace. Placed under a pillow the ruby may ward off bad dreams. Ruby rings should be worn on the left hand so as to receive the life force and have protection. Given as a gift, the ruby is a symbol of friendship and love. The ruby is also the symbol of vitality and royalty.

"Ruby" derives from the Latin "rubens"/"ruber" which means "red." The universally acknowledged synonym for ruby is "red" gemstone, even though there are also rubies in shades of pink and purplish-red.

 Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum, one of the hardest minerals on Earth, of which the sapphire is also a variety. Pure corundum is colorless. Slight traces of elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are responsible for the color. These gemstones have excellent hardness. On the Mohs scale their score of 9 is second only to that of the diamond. Only red corundum is entitled to be called ruby, all other colors being classified as sapphires. The close relationship between the ruby and the sapphire has only been known since the beginning of the 19th century. Up to that time, red garnets or spinels were also thought to be rubies. (That, indeed, is why the 'Black Ruby' and the 'Timur Ruby', two of the British Crown Jewels, were so named, when they are not actually rubies at all, but spinels.) The famous ‘Star 
of India’ known as the world’s largest and costliest ruby, which now adorns the Smithsonian Institute in Washington (USD), has a weight of 100 carats; whereas the Myanmar (Burma) Government has a crimson colored uncut ruby weighting 496.5 carats and which now forms part of the State’s treasure.

The 196-ct Hixon Ruby

of the Los Angeles County

Museum of Natural History

is one of the finest

Burmese ruby crystals

on public display.

Ruby, this magnificent red variety from the multi-colored corundum family, consists of aluminum oxide and chrome as well as very fine traces of other elements - depending on which deposit it was from. In really fine colors and good clarity, however, this gemstone occurs only very rarely in the world's mines. Somewhat paradoxically, it is actually the coloring element chrome, which is responsible for this scarcity. True enough, millions of years ago, when the gemstones were being created deep inside the core of the Earth, chrome was the element, which gave the Ruby its wonderful color. But at the same time it was also responsible for causing a multitude of fissures and cracks inside the crystals. Thus only very few Ruby crystals were given the good conditions in which they could grow undisturbed to considerable sizes and crystallize to form perfect gemstones. For this reason, Rubies of more than 3 carats in size are very rare. So it is no wonder that Rubies with hardly any inclusions are so valuable that in good colors and larger sizes they achieve top prices at auctions, surpassing even those paid for diamonds in the same category.

Heart-shaped

Burma Ruby Necklace:

$14 million

The romantic shaped

ruby necklace that has

as a centerpiece a

40.63 carat Burma

ruby belongs to an

English jeweler.

It is mounted also

with 155 carat worth

of diamonds.

Some Rubies display a wonderful silky shine, the so-called 'silk' of the Ruby. Very fine needles of rutile cause this phenomenon. And now and then one of the rare Star Rubies is found. Here too, the mineral rutile is involved: having formed a star-shaped deposit within the Ruby, it causes a captivating light effect known by the experts as asterism. If Rubies of this kind are cut as half-dome shaped cabochons, the result is a six-spoked star that seems to glide magically across the surface of the stone when the latter is moved. Star Rubies are precious rarities. Their value depends on the beauty and attractiveness of the color and, though only to a lesser extent, on their transparency. Fine Star Rubies, however, should always display rays that are fully formed all the way to the imaginary horizontal line that runs through the middle of the stone, and the star itself should be situated right in the center.

Ruby varieties include:

• Burma Ruby  - Ruby from Burma; synonym of Burmese Ruby.
• Burmese Ruby  - Ruby with an exceptional red color (usually but not necessarily from Burma). Occasionally also used to describe synthetic Ruby.
  Pigeon's Blood Ruby  - Highly desirable form of Ruby of a blood-red color with a hint of blue.
• Ruby Fuchsite  - Describes a dark red Ruby in a green Fuchsite mica matrix found in India.
• Ruby Zoisite  - Mixture of opaque red Ruby in green Zoisite from Tanzania. Ruby Zoisite has pretty contrast and is used as a minor gemstone, being polished into cabochons and carved into ornamental figures.
• Star Ruby - Well-known form of Ruby displaying asterism, most often in the form of a six-rayed star.

Many deceitful names are given to less valuable red gems in connotation with Ruby. Unscrupulous dealers to confuse inexperienced buyers use many of these names. Generally speaking, any time the word Ruby is used with a prefix (except for those outlined above), it is a fake or a less valuable red gemstone. The red Garnet gemstone Pyrope is particularly vulnerable to be called Ruby with a tacky prefix. The list below describes false names for Ruby that are in fact Pyrope:

Adelaide Ruby
American Ruby
Arizona Ruby
Australian Ruby
Bohemian Ruby
California Ruby
Cape Ruby
Colorado Ruby
Elie Ruby
Montana Ruby
Rocky Mountain Ruby

Beside for Pyrope Garnet, other red gemstones have also been assigned false names in connotation with ruby. These include:
Alabandine Ruby - Almandine Garnet
Ancona Ruby - Rose Quartz
Balas Ruby - Pink to pale red Spinel
Brazilian Ruby - Pink Topaz
Copper Ruby - Cuprite
Garnet Ruby - Red Garnet
Geneva Ruby - Synthetic Ruby
Ruby Copper - Cuprite
Ruby Jack - Red Sphalerite
Ruby Garnet - Red Garnet
Ruby Spinel - Red Spinel
Siberian Ruby - Red Tourmaline
Spinel Ruby - Red Spinel
Verneul Ruby - Synthetic Ruby

Ruby was first synthesized in 1902. The process of creating synthetic Ruby is known as the Verneuil process. Only experts can distinguish between natural and synthetic, lab-created Ruby.

Rubies are often heat treated to improve color as well as burn out certain inclusions. It is common industry practice to heat-treat Rubies, and untreated Rubies with excellent natural can be exceptionally valuable. 

A recent practice in the gemstone industry is to fracture-fill Rubies to conceal flaws. Heating them in molten lead glass, which has a very similar refractive index to Ruby gemstones, does this. Fracture-filled Rubies are significantly cheaper than their more authentic counterparts, and because of this one should always buy a Ruby from a reputable dealer.

Rubies have a famous place in science - the first lasers were made from artificial Ruby crystals.  They still are used for this purpose although other materials offer improved efficiency.  Some natural Ruby crystals show the fluorescence (actually very short term phosphorescence) that makes a laser possible.