Ruby is the accepted birthstone for July. It is also the accepted anniversary gemstone for the 15th and 40th year. Ruby is known as the "Lord of the Gems" because of its rarity and beauty. Derived from the Latin word "ruber", it simply means red. There are so few unflawed Rubies in sizes larger than 5 carats, that anything larger is more valuable than even a Diamond of equal quality and size. The highest quality rubies were said to protect their owners from all kinds of misfortune. A fine ruby assured the owner he would live in harmony with his neighbors. It would protect his stature in life, his home and land. Its protective powers were intensified when set in jewelry, and worn on the left side. Many believed rubies possessed an inner flame which burned eternally.
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. Historically, it has been symbolic of love and passion, considered to be an aid to firm friendship, and believed to ensure beauty. Its color ranges from purplish or bluish red to a yellowish red. The finest color is a vivid, almost pure spectral red with a very faint undertone of blue, as seen in Burmese rubies, which are considered the finest. Burmese rubies, which is a term denoting quality and a high degree of fluorescence. The term Burmese has long been synonymous with ideal beauty in a Ruby although such stones are now mined in Vietnam as well as the legendary Ruby mines of Mogok in Burma (now the country of Myanmar). Ruby gets its red coloring from small amounts of chromium. Burmese Rubies do not contain Iron, which kills the natural florescence of Ruby. Therefore a Burmese Ruby will appear more pink and hot candy red in daylight than its poorer, darker cousins from Thailand or Africa. The red color is even more enhanced in low artificial light such as a restaurant where a fine Burmese Ruby will shine like a hot coal while the common darker Thai Rubies "will hide in shame."The ruby is a very brilliant stone and is also a very hard, durable, and wearable stone (a hardness of 9 on Mohs' scale). Because of these characteristics, ruby makes an unusually fine choice for any piece of jewelry. As it is true for other popular gems - the greater the value and demand, the greater the use of techniques to "improve" or to simulate. Again, examples of almost every type of technique can be found: color enhancement, synthesis, substitutes, doublets, triplets, misleading names, etc. Early synthetics were produced in the late 1800’s. The newest synthetic rubies - the Kashan ruby and Chatham ruby - are so very close to their natural counterparts in all properties, that it requires careful observation by a qualified gemologist to distinguish their origin as natural or synthetic.
As part of the customary fashioning process, virtually all rubies are heated to permanently improve their color and appearance. As with all gemstones, care should be taken to protect it from scratches and sharp blows. The finest rubies emanate from Burma, having been mined there since ancient times. Other sources include Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia, Afghanistan and India.
