Ruby: characteristics and curiosities
Jewelry is not made only of precious metals like gold and silver, but also of precious stones. Among the many mineral varieties found worldwide, four precious stones stand out for their priceless value: diamond, ruby, emerald, and sapphire.
Today we will discover together the ruby and some of its features and curiosities.
The name and the history
The ruby is a red corundum, that is, a mineral of aluminum oxide with chromium inclusions. The name of the precious stone comes from the Latin word 'ruber', which means, precisely, 'red'. A gem among gems, in ancient times it was believed to be even more precious than the diamond.
The ruby has always been the protagonist of myths and legends: in India it was believed that the ruby held a fire within it. During the Middle Ages it was thought to have divinatory powers and to darken near negative events. In the nineteenth century it was considered a symbol of nobility, but also a magical talisman to keep away illnesses, nightmares, and sufferings.
What is it made of?
The ruby is a colored variety of Corundum, a crystal formed from aluminum oxide. The cause of its color is chromium, present in traces in some corundums. The brownish tone of some rubies is instead due to the presence of iron.
Where is it found?
The ruby is a precious stone that was already used in ancient Greece and Rome from 480 B.C. Probably originating from Sri Lanka, it is thought that these rubies now displayed in ancient museums had an origin even earlier than the classical Western world. The origin of the ruby is conventionally attributed to Burma, in its Mogok Valley. Even today the ruby is mined just north of this country, long considered the 'Lord of Rubies' land. Other mining locations include Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Madagascar, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Its characteristics
The ruby is one of the rarest gems, sometimes harder to find than the more famous diamond. Exposed to natural light, or under white light, it can display a bright red fluorescence.
The ruby can have a prismatic, bipyramidal, or rhombohedral shape and has a glassy shine. Its color can vary from violet, to burgundy, to dark red, but it can also have pink and orange shades. This precious stone, even in its purest form, presents 80% red, with the remainder being orange, pink, purple, and violet. It generally does not exceed 3 carats in weight.
The ruby is a precious stone highly valued in jewelry, watchmaking, and medicine, where it is used in lasers for surgical purposes.
Some small curiosities
The ruby is thought to symbolize the sun and its fire and to protect against illnesses and dangers. It was believed to bring serenity and was linked to feelings of love and passion. The ruby is also connected to the root chakra and would increase its strength and vitality.
It seems to promote mental clarity and concentration, but also encourage sexual pleasure. Always considered a stone of immense magical power, there is a further variety called the star ruby, due to the six-rayed star present inside it caused by rutile inclusions. This one is said to have greater magical power. It is thought to increase its healing powers with the full moon and to be very effective in cases of sexual trauma.
And you, did you already know the ruby and its characteristics? Do you have any jewelry made of rubies?
We will meet here again very soon to discover many new curiosities together.
