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Identification
Rubies are the red variety of an extremely hard mineral known as corundum, which is a chemical combination of aluminum and oxygen. On the Moh's scale of hardness, which was designed to show the relative hardness of minerals, corundum is rated a 9. Diamonds are the hardest mineral, being as much as four times harder than corundum with a rating of 10. Below corundum are minerals such as topaz and quartz in terms of hardness. The red in a ruby comes from minute amounts of iron and chromium. Corundum that comes in other colors is known as a sapphire, with shades such as green, purple and yellow commonly seen.
Types
The color of a ruby can vary from barely pink to an orange hue and all the way to purplish red. This is dictated by the amount of chromium in the stone. Of all the red colors ruby can come in the deep red with a tinge of bluish color called pigeon's blood red is the one that makes the stone the most valuable. Another characteristic of this gem is that a ruby's color will vary depending upon which direction it is observed from.
Geography
The country of Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma, is a leading producer of rubies, with many of the pigeon's blood colored ones coming from this part of the world. Thailand is a country where rubies with a brownish red color have been mined and Sri Lanka traditionally produces light red rubies. The African nation of Tanzania has been yielding violet to brownish red rubies. Other countries that rubies are found and mined in include Afghanistan, Kenya, Cambodia, Vietnam, Madagascar and Australia.
History
Some of the most beautiful and famous rubies are found in museums in both the U.S. and in Britain. The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. is home to the "Rosser Reeves Star Ruby," a 138.7-carat stone. The "De Long Star Ruby", smaller at 100 carats but still impressive, is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The "Edwardes Ruby," a 167-carat giant, is on exhibit in the British Museum of Natural History which is located in London.
Expert Insight
The ruby has long been a symbol of passion. The red color is said to represent fire and warmth as well as fire and blood. The ruby is given as a gift by those whose desire it is to express strong emotions and feelings to another person. In science, man-made crystals of rubies were employed in the first lasers ever perfected. Rubies have long been believed to protect those that own and wear them from misfortune and bad health.