There’s no better way to demonstrate your love than by giving a ruby in celebration of a July birthday. Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagination, and are said to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth and success in love. Ruby is a variety of the gems species corundum. It is harder than any natural gemstone except diamond, which means a ruby is durable enough for everyday wear. Fine-quality ruby is extremely rare, and the color of the gem is most important to its value. The most prized color is a medium or medium dark vivid red or slightly purplish red. If the gem is too light or has too much purple or orange, it will be called a fancy-color sapphire.
The ruby is considered to be a precious stone, because it would not change its intense red color during heat treatment. The ruby is a strong stone, has a beautiful intense red color and is quite rare. There has been said that, because of the red color, the ruby stands for love, passion, courage and emotion. Also, the gemstone should protect against bad luck and give courage and authority. For centuries the ruby is considered to be one of the most valuable stones on earth. That’s why many rulers and kings wore and still wear rubies as jewellery and they decorate their clothes with rubies. It is also believed that the ruby has healing powers; it would injure infections, improve the immune system and purify blood.
Ruby is red gemstone corundum. A corundum is a mineral which is extremely hard (with Mohs hardness at 9). It is the next hardest mineral next to diamond. It is used for grinding, polishing, and cleaning hard surfaces. Ruby is closely related to sapphire as they both are of corundum mineral.
The name Ruby came from a Latin word “ruber” which means red. In the past, the word Ruby was generally the name used for kinds of red stones such as red garnet, red spinel and more.
| Category | Oxide Mineral |
| Chemical Formula | Al2O3:Cr |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal Scalenohedral |
| Color | Pink to all shades of red to deep crimson, colorless |
| Hardness | 9 |
| Luster | Subadamantine, vitreous, pearly |
| Streak | White |
| Specific gravity | 3.97 to 4.05 |
