Gem
World Jewellers
Facts and figures about Rubies.
History:
Which colour would you
spontaneously associate with love and vividness, passion and
power? Obviously this will evoke the colour red. Red
symbolizes love, it emanates warmth and a strong sense of
life. Red is also the colour of Ruby, the King of gemstones.
After all, in the fascinating realm of gemstones rubies are
the generally accepted emperors.
For thousands of years Ruby has been considered on of the most
valuable gemstones of our Earth. It has got all it takes for a
precious stone: a wonderful colour, excellent hardness and an
overwhelming brilliance. Besides, it is an extremely rare
gemstone, especially in the finer qualities.
For a long time India was considered as the classical country
of Rubies. The literature of India contains a rich and varied
knowledge collected and handed down for over two thousand
years. Even the term "corundum” which we use today is derived
from the Sanskrit word "kuruvinda”. In the Sanskrit language
Ruby is called "ratnaraj”, which does in fact translate as
"King of Gemstones”. And it was a royal welcome indeed which
used to be prepared for this King of Gemstones: Whenever a
spectacular Ruby crystal was found, the emperor sent out his
notables to meet the precious gemstone and welcome it in
appropriate style. Today Rubies decorate the insignia of many
Royal Houses. But are they really all Rubies? Read on to find
out more !
Only a Bit of Chrome:
Ruby is the red variety of the
corundum mineral, one of the hardest minerals on Earth which
also includes Sapphire. Pure corundum is colourless. Slight
traces of the colour creating elements such as chrome, iron,
titanium or vanadium are responsible for the colour. These
gemstones show an excellent hardness. On the Moh’s Scale they
achieve a hardness of 9, second only to diamonds. And only red
corundum may be called Ruby, any other colour is denominate as
Sapphires. The close relationship of Ruby and Sapphire has
been known since the beginning of the 19th century. Up to that
time, also red Garnets or Spinel's were thought to be Rubies –
and due to this misclassification the so-called "Black Ruby”
as well as the "Timur Ruby” decorating the British Crown
Jewels are probably actually no Rubies at all, but Spinel's.
Ruby, this magnificent red variety of the multi-coloured
corundum family, consists of aluminium oxide and chrome as
well as smallest proportions of other trace elements -
depending on the respective occurrence. In really fine colours
and good clarity, however, this gemstone is mined only rarely
all over the world. Responsible for this scarcity is in fact
the colour-creating element chrome. Millions of years ago,
when the gemstones were being created, chrome was the element
awarding Ruby its wonderful colour deep inside the core of the
Earth. But at the same time it is also responsible for causing
a multitude of fissures and tiny irregularities inside the
crystals. Only very few ruby crystals could grow undisturbed
to considerable sizes and crystallise to form a perfect
gemstone. Therefore, then, fine Rubies are quite scarce in
sizes above 3 karats. Thus it is no miracle that Rubies with
hardly any inclusions are so valuable that in good colours and
larger sizes they will achieve top prices at auctions, which
surpass even those paid for diamonds.
Some Rubies show a wonderful silky shine, the so-called "silk”
of the Ruby. The reason for this phenomenon are finest rutilum
needles. And now and then we will come across one of the very
scarce Star Rubies. Again the rutilum mineral is involved
here: it is embedded asterisk-shaped within the Ruby thus
causing the charming light effect which is termed "Asterism”
by the experts. If such Rubies are cut as half-dome shaped
cabochons, this will result in six-ray stars which seem to
magically glide across the surface of the moving stones. Star
Rubies are expensive rarities Their value is assessed
according to beauty and attractive colour, while transparency
is secondary. Fine Star Rubies, however, should always display
rays which are completely shaped including the rounding, and
the stars should be situated right in the centre.
Ruby-red means Passion:
Red like Ruby. Ruby-red. The most
important characteristic about that valuable stone is its
colour. There is of course a reason for this: the name "Ruby”
was derived from the Latin word "rubens” meaning "red”. The
red of Rubies is in a class all by itself: warm and fiery. Two
magical elements are associated with the symbolism of this
colour: fire and blood, implying warmth and life for mankind.
And thus Ruby-red is not just any old colour, no, it is the
epitome of colour: hot, passionate and powerful colour. Like
no other gemstone Ruby is the perfect symbol of powerful
feelings. A ring set with a precious Ruby does not really
symbolise a calm and moderate sympathy, but rather passionate
and unbridled love which two people feel for each other.
Birthplace of Fine Rubies:
Which is the most beautiful Ruby?
This an excellent question. After all, a Ruby may show very
different shades of red depending on its origin. The range of
the different reds is quite considerable; compared to hotel
categories one might say it ranges from luxury accommodation
to simple and plain inns. For example, id the gemstone experts
talk about Burmese Ruby this indicates the top luxury
category. However, it does not necessary follow that the stone
has to be of Burmese origin. It is basically an indication of
the fact that the colour of said Ruby is the typical shade
originally shown by stones from the famous occurrences in
Burma, nowadays called Myanmar: a satiated red with a slightly
bluish hue. Sometimes "dove-blood-red” is also mentioned, but
the term "Burma-colour” is far more precise. An expert will
immediately associate this colour with the legendary "Mogok
Stone Tract” and the gemstone centre of Mogok in the North of
Myanmar. Here we will find the famous Ruby occurrences of the
country situated in a mountain valley surrounded by high
summits. By hard labour gemstones are brought to daylight in
the "valley of Rubies”, stones with a fascinating brilliance
second to none. Unfortunately, fine qualities are quite scarce
here, too. The colour of Burma Ruby is considered to be
exceptionally vivid. It is said to display its unique
brilliance in any light, natural or artificial.
The journey to the most important Ruby occurrences of the
World leads us further on to the small city of Mong Hsu in the
North-East of Myanmar, where we can find the most important
Ruby occurrences of the nineties. Originally these were hardly
considered adequate to be used for jewellery, as Mong Hsu Ruby
crystals show two colours when untreated: a purple to blackish
core and a bright red brim. Only when it was discovered that
the dark core would disappear after heat treatment and only
the deep red would remain, Rubies from Mong Hsu could find
their way to the jewellery market. Today the Mong Hsu gemstone
mines are still among the most important Ruby suppliers. They
mostly offer heat-treated Rubies in commercial qualities and
sizes between 0.5 and 3 carats.
Ruby occurrences exist also in the neighbouring country of
Viet Nam, near the Chinese border. Rubies of Vietnamese origin
generally display a slightly purplish hue. Rubies from
Thailand, another classical supplier of Rubies, however,
produces Rubies which are often dark red tending towards
brown. This "Siam colour” - an elegantly modulated deep red -
is considered almost as beautiful in Rubies as the
Burma-colour, and is especially cherished in the USA. The
Ceylon-Rubies, however, which are quite scarce nowadays, were
mainly light red, like ripe raspberries.
Other Ruby occurrences are located in Northern Pakistan in the
Hunza-Valley, or in Cashmere, Tadchikistan, Laos, Nepal, and
Afghanistan. But Rubies are also produced in India, wherein
the Federal states of Mysore and Orissa there were discovered
occurrences with relatively large Ruby crystals, which are,
however, full of inclusions, but nevertheless excellently
suited to be cut as Ruby beads or cabochons.
Currently East Africa has become an issue concerning Ruby
occurrences. Rubies from Kenya and Tanzania managed ton
surprise everybody, including the experts, when they were
discovered in the sixties. The reason for this was their
remarkably beautiful colour, which may vary from light to dark
red. But also in the African mines fine and clear Rubies in
good colour and size are rarely found. Usually the qualities
mined are more or less simple average.
Colour above (almost) Everything:
As stated above: colour is Ruby’s most important feature, and transparency is secondary only. Therefore, then, inclusions do not effect the quality of a Ruby, unless they decrease the transparency of the stone or are located right in the centre of its table. Quite the contrary applies: inclusions within a ruby are something like the gemstones fingerprints, stating its individuality while at the same time proving its genuineness like a certificate provided by Nature. The cut is essential: only a perfect cut will underline the beauty of this valuable and precious stone appropriately to make it really the "King of Gemstones”. But just as true love is rare indeed, so are really perfect Rubies. And if you find one, it is bound to cost a small fortune. Nevertheless: once you found "your” Ruby, do not hesitate: go for it and keep it!
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