The blood red gemstone Ruby is the birthstone for those who are born in the month of July. Like the ones born in this month, Ruby symbolizes opulence, passion, vitality and fertility. It has been revered since the ancient times owing to its ability to increase one’s awareness and energy while promoting courage and imparting success in love, wealth and on the battlefield.

The mineral corundrum has a red variety tinted by the element Chromium which imparts the red hue to Ruby. All the other colours of gem quality corundrum are called Sapphire which suggests that colour is the most crucial aspect.

The word Ruby is derived from the Latin Word ‘rubeus’ which means ‘red.’ In Sanskrit, ruby is called Ratnaraj meaning the king of all precious stones. The fiery red appearance of rubies can be attributed to chromium which makes them glow like fire on the inside. Chromium can also cause cracks making this gem much rare. Rubies are at times treated as more precious than diamonds if they grow big enough to crystallize.

Some of the world’s finest rubies were historically procured from Myanmar’s Mogok Valley which had the quintessential deep red hues with purple tinge. These are premium priced Rubies that fetch a much better price in the International Market when compared to orange hued or brownish rubies from other regions in Burma. The Mong Hsu region in Myanmar also provides rubies world over. These heat treated rubies exhibit bright clear hues. Rubies are also supplied in the International Markets from deposits in India, East Africa, Thailand, United States, Vietnam and the Middle East.

Ruby is a hard gemstone which measures 9 on the Mohs scale, less hard than only the Diamond. It is not only used in jewellery, it is also widely used in making watches, lasers, and for making medical instruments. The deep red fluorescence power of ruby help build the world’s first working laser in the year 1960. Both natural and synthetic rubies power lasers as well as watches and medical instruments.

Rubies too like other gemstones are judged based on the 4Cs in addition to their size and the region they are sourced from. The red colour is the most important feature of this gemstone because even a slight variation of the hues makes it a sapphire. The more transparent a ruby, the more valuable it is. The premium quality will be rich purplish transparent red while the lower qualities will range from brown to orange or pink. Lower quality rubies are heated to improve their colour and minimize the silk effect and are more affordable. Most natural rubies will have imperfections called ‘silk’ in them which actually indicate whether the gem is authentic or not.

Read blog: Zodiac Birth Stone Jewelry For July Ruby Jewelry

The world’s most expensive gemstone, except a diamond, is a Sunrise Ruby weighing 25.6 carat set between two diamonds weighing 2.5 and 2.7 carats sold at an auction for nearly $30 million USD fetching a record price. 

You can buy rubies – both natural and synthetic from some of the world’s best suppliers using Jewelxy’s exclusive gemstone inventory. Try now.