What fairy tales of enchanted princesses and legendary lore of
the Arabian Nights does not the mere mention of the ruby conjure
up to our imagination! No stone has been more intimately
connected with poetry and romance, and few gems can compare
either in beauty or value with a perfect ruby. When Solomon
exclaimed that "�a virtuous woman was more valuable than rubies,"�
and Job, that "�the price of wisdom is above rubies,"� they both
mentioned what to them was the most valuable thing in existence.
And its value and rarity have not decreased since their time.
Today a perfect ruby of five carats will fetch at least five
times the value of a diamond of the same size and quality, while
rubies without flaw or blemish, and of the true pigeon-blood
variety, weighing as much as ten carats, are so rare and
valuable that ten times the value of a perfect diamond would be
considered a very low price to pay for so perfect a gem.

The ruby is the oldest or first known of all precious stones,
dating far back in the early history of Chaldea and Babylonia.
The finest specimens, as well as the largest quantities, are
found in Upper Burma, and at the present time over one-half of
the world"s supply comes from this locality. The rubies found in
Ceylon, Siam and Australia have not the deep rich color of the
Burmese ruby which is a shade of red slightly inclined to the
purple and is often called "�Pigeon Blood Ruby."� The value of
rubies depends upon their color and transparency.

The red sapphire or ruby is the most valuable of the corundum
family, and when found of a good color, pure and brilliant, and
in sizes of one carat and larger, it is much more valuable than
a fine diamond of the same size.

Rubies and Sapphires are scientifically the same stone,
differing only in color. Corundum, the predominating mineral of
both, is composed of nearly pure alumina. The coloring
substance, which differentiates rubies and sapphires, is
believed to be chromium. In the scale of hardness the gem ranks
as No. 9 and is thus the hardest of all substances excepting the
diamond. Color is the most important factor in determining the
value of the ruby. The gem is always more or less imperfect, but
its freedom from bad imperfections is also important. Since fine
rubies of all sizes are extremely rare, the price increases very
rapidly with an increase in size, and a fine ruby of more than
four carats commands an extraordinary price and can be said to
be the most valuable of all gems, exceeding greatly a diamond of
equal weight. The color of the ruby varies from the lightest
rose tint to the deepest carmine, but the rarest and most
valuable shade is known as Pigeon Blood. This is the color of
arterial blood. The ruby has always been greatly admired, and
many say that the ruby in the British Crown is the most
beautiful gem they have ever seen.

The ruby is found in limestone deposits on side hills, but the
largest quantity is found in alluvial deposits of gravel and
clay in riverbeds. These deposits are about fifteen to twenty
feet below the surface and from a few inches to five feet in
thickness. This material called "�byon"� is mined or removed and
put through a washing process by which the rubies are recovered.

The genuine ruby is gotten from the mineral known as corundum.
Emery, so much used, is an impure form of corundum. The superbly
blood-red color of the perfect ruby is produced by the very tiny
portions of impurity in the substance after they have been
crystallized by Nature"s wonderful processes. All genuine"�that
is natural stones, contain certain tiny flaws and blemishes and
characteristic peculiarities. The fewer these flaws the rarer
the gem. Imitation stones get their imperfections during
manufacture, and as the chemists are more careful than Nature,
these imperfections are less noticeable. By the following
differences between the real and the artificial, you can test
your ruby. A real ruby contains irregularly shaped bubbles; the
imitation ruby contains bubbles that are perfectly round.
Natural rubies all have a silky sheen, due to a number of tiny
parallel lines going in three definite directions; imitation
stones never have this characteristic.

While lab-created rubies and sapphires have a distinct use in
jewelry, they can never affect the sale of the real gems any
more than is the case with imitation pearls. Aside from the fact
that the imitation can always be ultimately detected, the person
desiring to purchase a ruby, as a ruby, and as a work of beauty
and distinction wants a gem which he knows is one of nature"s
rarities and is therefore possessed of intrinsically great
value. A good illustration of this fundamental feeling is given
by Mr. Zell a noted mineralogist, who says, "�Many perfect copies
of the Sistine Madonna have been made by good artists, the
original is priceless, the copies at the most are worth a few
hundred dollars, this is the relation of a gem made in nature"s
laboratory to one produced by the chemist."�

Today, the ruby is still considered one of the most valuable and
beautiful of the precious stones. Artisans of fine jewelry
throughout the world continue to utilize this fine gem in their
creations. Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July.

About the author:
For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially
invite you to visit www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your
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Ripped Off."� This concise, informative special report reveals
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www.morninglightjewelry.com.

Author : Sam Serio
Site : www.goarticles.com

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