A ruby is a very precious gemstone with a red to pink hue. The name comes from the Latin word for red, ruby. Together with sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds, rubies are the world’s most valuable gemstone. The ruby itself consists of the mineral alumina, also called corundum, and the color gets it from a small amount of chromium. The blue-green sapphires are also corundums. Rubies have hardness 9 according to Moh’s hardness scale, only diamonds are harder, and have a melting point of over 2,000 degrees Celsius.
For a ring with ruby in just like other gemstones, the value is judged based on size, clarity, grinding, and color. The most valuable rubies are deep red. Variations in color reduce the value of the ruby. There are also so-called star rubies that have titanium oxide or hematite indented in the stone. When sunlight or a simple light source hits the ruby, one can see star-like formations that refract light in a very specific way, which is a consequence of the presence of these substances.
Ruby deposits are found in many places in the world such as Africa, Greenland, Asia, and Australia with a focus in Thailand, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. The beautiful gemstone in the US has also been found, but this is not common. Along with rubies, you can find spinels that are another type of mineral that has red-pink luster but do not really have the same value as the real rubies. To make sure you get a ruby and not a spinel when you buy a piece of jewelry, ask for a certificate of authenticity from your retailer.
Specialists claim that there is no ruby without defects. These defects are often used to see the difference between genuine rubies and highly skilled copies sold worldwide. Stones that do not have the right shade or have defects, such as cracks and air bubbles, can be heat treated and filled with glass before being ground to produce a more attractive color.
Few rubies sold today are genuine, untreated rubies, so if you want to be sure of getting quality, you should be read and buy your stones from an authorized seller. The heat-treated rubies are nowhere near the same value as those of good quality at the time of refraction.
The world’s largest ruby (2475 carats) is found in India and is called Rajaratnaruby. The stone is owned by G. Vidyaraj, just like the largest double-star ruby at 1370 carats.
