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| Source: angelreikihealing.com |
The colour of a ruby can vary between pink to deep blood red
and the stone is named after ruber in
Latin which means red.
Rubies have played an important part in Asian history, they
were used to decorate armour, harnesses and scabbards of noblemen in India and
China and also were laid beneath building foundations to bring good fortune to
the structure and its new tenants.
Rubies are very durable, having a hardness rating of 9.0 on
the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Amongst the other natural gems found today,
only the diamond is stronger and harder with a rating on the same scale of
10.0. All natural rubies contain
imperfections, which can vary from colour impurities to needle inclusions. Almost all rubies today are treated with heat
treatment being the most common. However
that is not to say that EVERY ruby is treated - completely untreated rubies that
are of an excellent quality command a steep price. Rubies have historically been mined in Thailand, Cambodia,
Burma, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Mogok Valley in Burma was for many centuries the worlds one stop
for rubies and subsequently produced some of the finest and most valuable
rubies ever mined. In recent years, very
few rubies of a good standard have been found here though and focuses have
switched to Namya, Burma.The only mainland country in Europe to have naturally occurring rubies is
Macedonia and these gems have a very unique and distinctive raspberry colour.
The Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History in
Washington DC is home of to one of the largest and finest rubies courtesy of
businessman Peter Buck. Mr Buck donated the 23.10 carat ring, pictured, in
memory to his late wife. The delightful
stone has a deep red colour with vivid red reflections and it was one of the
greatest finds when it was mined in Burma in the 1930s.
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