Ruby stone: properties, types, who is suitable for it

Ruby is a transparent gemstone with a bright red color. It is a variety of the mineral corundum. Its name comes from the Latin “rubens” - red. A high-quality ruby with rich color is extremely rare and often has a very high price.

The red color of ruby is due to traces of chromium. Its color can vary from blood red to orange-red, purple and even pinkish red. Chromium replaces aluminum in the mineral and changes its hue. It has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and is only behind diamond, which scores a 10.

Rough Ruby

Today, ruby is one of the most popular and expensive gemstones on the mineral market. For centuries, members of the nobility and high clergy adorned themselves with rubies; it was a desirable stone for many people. I suggest you take a closer look at this beautiful stone and find out why it is so attractive and how it differs from other minerals.

Red ruby: name and history

The name comes from the Latin word “rubeus” - “red”. The ancient name of ruby is noble red corundum, lala, manikiya, ratnanayana. It is believed that the stone became known in Europe in the 4th century. BC, when the campaigns of Alexander the Great took place. Meanwhile, it is likely that under the guise of carbuncles the stone was known even in earlier times, brought from Africa. The gem was highly valued in the East and India. Of course, only the highest nobility could afford jewelry with rubies. Since then it has been considered a “royal” stone. In India and Burma, it has been considered a talisman and amulet since ancient times.

Burmese is the most expensive ruby in the world

How much is a ruby worth? The most expensive is the Sunrise ruby, which was sold in 2015 at Sotheby’s for $30.3 million. It was found in Burma, weighs 25.59 carats and is pigeon's blood in color.

Yakhont worm-shaped is the ancient name for ruby in Rus' (and Yakhont azure is a sapphire).

The most expensive emerald

Today, the most expensive emerald is valued at $150 million. The unique stone was given the name Fura after the place where it was discovered. The rock was mined in the area of Mount Fura, located 80 km north of the Colombian capital Bogota. The weight of the giant is 11,350 carats or 2.27 kg. The owner of the extraordinary find is Colombian industrialist Victor Carranza, who has been mining emeralds for half a century.

Emerald Fura

Realizing the high value of the acquisition, Victor Carranza hid the news from the public for more than 10 years. He is also the proud owner of another large and clear green emerald called Thera. It weighs 2000 carats or 0.4 kg. The owner deliberately does not cut the Fura and Tera emeralds in order to preserve their natural beauty.

Place of Birth

Burma (Myanmar) is famous for the extraction of the highest quality minerals, transparent, without defects and with a purple tint, which are highly valued in the jewelry world. The deposits were developed already in the Bronze Age.

Sri Lanka, Thailand, Afghanistan, Russia, Tanzania and Kenya also mine minerals. The same deposit can produce crystals of significantly different quality.

Ruby mining Sri Lanka

Gems mined in Tanzania are distinguished by their rare crimson color, transparency and absence of defects. And although they are not large in this deposit (the largest stone is 2.5 carats), their rare color has earned them fame throughout the world. Thai gems have a dark red, brownish tint. A special feature of mining in Thailand is their open mining method - at a depth of 8 meters or at the bottom of the river. In Russia, a famous mining site is the Polar Urals. The gems are quite large, up to 15 cm, have a deep purple-red color, can be transparent and exhibit star-shaped asterism. Their value is much lower than Burmese minerals due to the developed isolation and the presence of inclusions.

Gem prices in the world

In world practice, there are organizations that produce guide tables with the value of rubies. For example, in one of the magazines the following classification is given:

A low quality ruby will cost, depending on its origin, from $75 to $3,500 per carat. The most expensive are Burmese, the cheapest are heated.
Good quality rubies originating from Burma will be valued at 5-12 thousand, from Mozambique - 2-8 thousand, processed - 1.5-4 thousand.
A very good quality ruby is much more expensive. Treated stones from this category will have a price of 5–9 thousand, and untreated stones from Burma will cost 16–40 thousand.
Ruby of excellent quality: heated 12-23 thousand, Mozambique - 20-30 thousand, Burma - 40-70 thousand.
Rubies weighing more than 4 carats will be more expensive. For example, such specimens from Burma will be valued at 60–90 thousand per carat.

The price of a ruby directly depends on its beauty, color, purity and the absence of visible defects

Ruby - magical properties

“Dragon blood clot,” as ancient magicians believed, has an irresistible effect on people, thereby making its owner powerful and powerful.

Favorite gem of Ivan the Terrible. Monomakh's hat is decorated with rubies and emeralds.

Fire element stone. Modern astrologers believe that the mineral gives clarity to the mind, strengthens the heart, and gives courage and bravery. It is one of the most revered stones in India, where it symbolizes the Sun. There it was believed that, along with power, the stone bestows generosity and compassion. In the East, it is a symbol of vital energy, health and passionate love (pink stone - tender love). Undoubtedly, the stone has magical properties.

For power – gives energy and strength.
A powerful amulet - protection from evil energy, envy, and danger. (Recommended for people in “dangerous” professions: rescuers, military, etc.).
Protects against poisoning - it is believed that the mineral loses its shine or transparency if it comes into contact with poison (poisoned drink or food). One of the reasons for its popularity among the reigning people, who were afraid of poisoning.
Love. It is believed that if you give a gem to a girl, she will awaken reciprocal feelings. It is also believed to make women fertile.
Energy. Ruby not only bestows strength and power, but also strengthens the health of its owner, enhances his vital energy, gives joy and prolongs life.

People with negative energy, that is, those who have wicked thoughts and goals, should not wear a gemstone. It can harm them because it only reinforces negative traits such as hatred and greed.

How to wear and care?

The high hardness of a mineral does not mean that it can be treated with disdain. Storing and wearing products with gemstones requires care and strict adherence to established rules.

General rules

Like other expensive gems, ruby is finicky to care for . Experts recommend:

Protect the stone from sunlight, cosmetics and household chemicals.
Put on jewelry only after all makeup is done.
Store in a closed box with soft upholstery on the inside. Diamonds and sapphires can be kept together with rubies.
To clean a ruby, use a soapy water solution and a soft-haired brush.

Cautions

It is difficult to resist the magical beauty of one of the most beautiful gems on Earth, but not everyone can wear it without fear. Esotericists and astrologers warn :

Ruby does not accept hypocrisy and double standards in its owner; it ceases to support him energetically.
A gem can deprive a person who has gone to the heights of his career or achieving a goal in a single moment of everything he has achieved.
Increases the thirst for power, which leads to negative changes in character and mental state.

Specifics of wearing jewelry

To enhance the healing and magical abilities of a ruby, you need to know how to wear it. If you are looking for love, wear earrings and a ring. If you have immunity problems, wear earrings and a pendant. To solve problems of the heart, beads, a pendant or a necklace are suitable. Creative people should pay attention to a silver ring with a ruby. The stone will help reveal your gift and improve the good impression of your creative activity.

Ruby stone - healing properties

In ancient India, the mineral was used in the treatment of epilepsy, paralysis and depression. In Europe in the Middle Ages, a powder was made from it, which was “prescribed” to rich patients to treat the gastrointestinal tract (the powder should be drunk by dissolving the powder in wine), as well as impotence. In modern lithotherapy, the mineral plays a large role in the treatment of diseases such as hypertension, bronchial asthma, diseases of the eyes, throat, ears, joints and spine. Helps get rid of insomnia and depression.

Healing properties are not only manifested when wearing jewelry with a gem, but also when drinking a water infusion (the larger the size of the stone, the more healing the infusion - ancient healers believed). Needless to say, synthetic ruby cannot have healing properties.

Varieties and colors

By its nature, ruby is corundum, colored red. Varieties of the mineral are distinguished by color and structure:

The “pigeon blood” ruby is the highest society of the family, its most expensive and beautiful representative. It has a stunning bright red color with an amazing purple tint.
The star ruby is so named because of its asterism, an amazing optical effect that produces a six-rayed star-like brilliance. Available in various shades of red. There is also a pink ruby with a star-like glow.

What color can a ruby be? In the palette of ruby shades, in addition to the prevailing red, there are crimson tones, light and dark red, scarlet and rich pink. Gemologists classify green rubies as sapphires.

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Natural stones

What does a mineral look like in nature? It is very difficult to find a completely transparent stone. Typically, ruby crystals have various inclusions and cannot boast of high transparency. Successful finds, in which the natural stone was divinely pure and bright, entered the category of the highest values and became legends.

However, some of them, as it turned out, had nothing to do with the precious mineral. Thus, the famous “Timur” ruby, which was owned by Tamerlane, Ulugbek, Jahangir and admired by Queen Victoria of England, turned out to be an ordinary red spinel. The truth was established in 1851, when the stone was thoroughly examined.

Refined mineral

Experiments with the mineral have shown that when heated, visible defects of ruby (impurities, yellow tint) can be removed. Experts call such crystals “heated”, and the procedure itself is called “treatment”.

Such gems cost 3–4 times less than natural ones and are used in most products that go on sale.

Artificial ruby

The first artificial ruby crystals were obtained by the Verneuil method by melting ruby powder. Today the hydrothermal method is used:

Minerals of weak quality are mixed with various additives and the mixture is melted.
The resulting mass is subjected to crystallization. The process takes place at a certain pressure and temperature.
The result is large minerals. Their properties are identical to natural stones.

Ruby crystal for zodiac signs

Astrologers recommend wearing rubies to Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. You can wear the mineral with caution for Virgos and Taurus. They almost categorically insist on the danger of the gem for Cancers and Scorpios. Some modern astrologers believe that for Cancers this stone is suitable for strengthening love, as well as showing determination in achieving their goals. For Sagittarius, the mineral helps smooth out negative traits and solve important life problems. According to the horoscope, representatives of Libra, Aquarius and Cancer should be very careful when using the mineral as a talisman or amulet. If they are overly sensitive, they may not be able to cope with the energy of the stone.

How to choose gems

If you are puzzled by the question of how to choose stones, try to take into account everything - what internal sensations arise, whether the stone is suitable for the horoscope, at what time of year which stones should be worn. If gemstones according to your zodiac signs are chosen correctly, they will feed you with their energy, and not suppress and deplete your energy.

For people with brown eyes, aventurine, golden topaz, dark amber, as well as all yellow-orange-red stones are perfect. For green-eyed people, it is best to choose chrysoprase, turquoise, malachite and other light green and blue gemstones. As for blue-eyed people, yellow agate, aventurine, red corals and other stones are suitable for them.

For those who do not particularly trust horoscopes, there is an option - choose a stone by date of birth.

A huge variety and photos of precious stones are presented in online stores at an affordable price.

Artificial ruby

In the gemstone market, it is customary to “ennoble” rubies. Impurities are removed from the mineral, thus making it more transparent, and defects (cracks and voids) are filled with glass. An artificial analogue of a gem becomes more attractive in appearance and inexpensive compared to a natural one. Another way is to grow the mineral artificially. Only a specialist can distinguish artificial from natural minerals.

Also, scammers can use a less expensive one that is similar in appearance as a gemstone. Usually these are garnet and ruby. For technical purposes, artificial ruby is widely used, since it has the property of not entering into chemical reactions. For example, in dentistry - as a material for implantation and prosthetics.

Museums

The British Natural History Museum carefully preserves the Edwardian Ruby, which impresses viewers with its own weight of 167 carats. If you happen to visit the Smithsonian National Museum, you should stop and look at one of the largest and most valuable rubies - the Reeves Ruby. The weight of the stone reaches 138.7 carats. The Natural History Museum of New York is proud of the De Long Ruby. The stone is slightly smaller in size than the Edward Ruby and Reeves Ruby, but also quite impressive at 100 carats. Such indicators are almost impossible for rubies, which, unlike emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, rarely exceed the 20-carat level.

How to distinguish a ruby from a fake

Both synthetic and other stones are similar to natural ruby: spinel, garnet, tourmaline. Most often, scammers can sell garnets under the guise of a ruby. A large natural ruby is a very rare phenomenon and its cost will be very high. By the obvious discrepancy between price and size, one can distinguish between synthetic and natural stone. How to distinguish a natural ruby? It can be distinguished from pyrope, a type of garnet that is most often passed off as a ruby, by its dichroism property. This phenomenon can be seen using a dichroscope (a special magnifying glass through which color changes from dark to light can be seen in layers). Dichroism is characteristic only of rubies.

Property of dichroism

Unfortunately, it is not possible to distinguish natural from artificial at home; this can only be done by a specialist using special tools.

Physicochemical characteristics

Ruby is part of the corundum family . Chemical formula – Al2O3. The red color of the stone is formed due to the presence of ferrum, chromium and titanium in it. The color can vary from pink-red to purple with a red tint.

The physical properties look like this: