Interesting Facts About the Gemstone Ruby

Rubies and diamonds make a stunning necklace.

July's birthstone, the ruby, is known for its fiery red color. Its desirability comes from a combination of its hardness, durability, rarity and luster. Rubies must be transparent to have commercial value as gemstones. Large, transparent rubies are rare and more valuable than diamonds.

Types

Rubies displaying asterism, a symmetrical pattern with six rays, are known as star rubies. If transparent, they are extremely valuable. Burmese rubies or pigeon's blood rubies have a deep, blood-red color with a slightly bluish cast. Cat's eye ruby have dense inclusions of tiny, slender fibers. The first synthetic ruby was made in 1902 by a process known as flame fusion.

Imposters

The Black Prince ruby, until recently one of the world's most famous rubies, is set in the royal crown of England. The Black Prince ruby was discovered to be another type of stone called a spinel, which resembles a ruby. Garnets and tourmalines are other gemstones that are sometimes mistaken for rubies. Today, hardness tests and X-rays are used to determine whether a stone is a ruby.

Uses

Because of their hardness and durability, rubies are ideally suited for faceting into a variety of different cut styles. Inexpensive synthetic rubies are often substituted for the real thing in jewelry.

References

• The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom: Ruby