The Ruby For millennia rubies have been considered the king of gemstones, their red vibrant colour is equated with love and vitality. It is the colour and brilliance that make rubies one of the most popular of gemstones. Rubies are derived from the mineral Corundum, in its pure form Corundum has no colour, however the presence of aluminium oxide, chrome and other trace elements give the corundum its red colour and it is only red Corundum rubies are cut from. Rubies of fine colour and clarity occur very rarely in the worlds mines, it is the presence of chrome that adds to the rarity, without chrome the crystals would not be red, chrome however causes multiple fissures and cracks, consequently few ruby crystals have the optimum conditions to develop to larger sizes in perfect form. Larger gems in fine quality can fetch prices above diamonds, however gems over 3 carats are very rare which again enhances their value. In some instances needles of rutile in the crystal forms the phenomena of Silk in rubies, rutile also creates the rare Star Ruby. The rutile in star rubies form a star shape deposit creating a light effect known as asterism. Inclusions in rubies, if they do not decrease transparency, make a statement of the gems authenticity, as opposed to created rubies which will be the subject of another post soon. India was considered the original country of origin for rubies, with great reverence placed upon them by Indias elite. Today mines are found in many places in Asia and Africa, with colour and quality varying from mine to mine. Burma (now Myanmar) - Pigeon Blood Red - considered by most as the best. Thailand - second to Myanmar with darker red/brown colour. Ceylon - ( now Sri Lanka) - very rare light red gems. Vietnam - slightly purplish in colour. Madagascar - vary from dark to light red with good colour. Kenya and Tanzania also have ruby mines. There could be others, if you know of any make a comment. Like all things good rubies are rare, if you find a good one grab it with both hands. Trevor Coward - Jewelsure
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:30:53 +0000
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