What Is the Birthstone of July?

The ruby is the birthstone associated with those born in the month of July. Rubies are a variety of a mineral known as corundum, which is extremely hard. The name "ruby" is Latin and means red, and rubies are indeed various shades of this color. The ruby is also an appropriate gift for both the 15th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of a couple's marriage.

Corundum

Corundum does not quickly come to mind when gemstones are mentioned despite the fact that two important stones, the ruby and the sapphire, are composed of this mineral. The red type of corundum is the ruby while colors such as blue, yellow, green, and purple are sapphires. Corundum is a combination of aluminum and oxygen that is surpassed in hardness only by the diamond, which is as much as four times harder. Corundum is rated a 9 on the Moh's scale of hardness for minerals; a diamond is tops at 10 and the mineral talc is the softest at a 1.

Geography

Rubies are found and mined in such places as North Carolina in the Untied States and countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar in Africa. Rubies are also found in Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Myanmar has long been a leading producer of this gem as well.

Significance

The ruby, mostly due to its red color, has long represented emotions such as passion and love. The red color's association with fire is also said to be linked to everlasting love. In addition to fire, rubies have also been said to symbolize blood. The ancient Hindus considered the ruby to be the most valuable of all gemstones.

Folklore

Rubies have a long history of folklore attached to them. One legend states that an individual should never make a face in a museum at a ruby on exhibit, nor should she simply ignore the gem, as this will cause it to lose much of its luster. Another myth linked to rubies is that the gem would become darker when danger was close by and then lighten back up when it had passed. Rubies supposedly could only do this when in the hands of the person that owned them.

Expert Insight

The element chromium is responsible for the red hue that rubies have when it is present in trace amounts. Jewelers employ the term "pigeon blood red" for a specific shade of red that is among the most prized rubies. Rubies were employed to make the first lasers, with artificial crystals being produced for this purpose.