| Which colour would you spontaneously associate with love
and vivacity, passion and power? It's obvious, isn't it? Red. Red is the
colour of love. It radiates warmth and a strong sense of vitality. And red
is also the colour of the ruby, the king of the gemstones. In the fascinating
world of gemstones, the ruby is the undisputed ruler.
For thousands of years, the ruby has been considered one of the most
valuable gemstones on Earth. It has everything a precious stone should
have: magnificent colour, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance.
In addition to that, it is an extremely rare gemstone, especially in its
finer qualities.
For a long time India was regarded as the ruby's classical country of
origin. In the major works of Indian literature, a rich store of knowledge
about gemstones has been handed down over a period of more than two thousand
years. The term 'corundum', which we use today, is derived from the Sanskrit
word 'kuruvinda'. The Sanskrit word for ruby is 'ratnaraj', which means
something like 'king of the gemstones'. And it was a royal welcome indeed
which used to be prepared for it. Whenever a particularly beautiful ruby
crystal was found, the ruler sent high dignitaries out to meet the precious
gemstone and welcome it in appropriate style. Today, rubies still decorate
the insignia of many royal households. But are they really all genuine
rubies? Read on to find out more
Only a little bit of chrome ...
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum, one of the hardest minerals
on Earth, of which the sapphire is also a variety. Pure corundum is colourless.
Slight traces of elements such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are
responsible for the colour. These gemstones have excellent hardness. On
the Mohs scale their score of 9 is second only to that of the diamond.
Only red corundum is entitled to be called ruby, all other colours being
classified as sapphires. The close relationship between the ruby and the
sapphire has only been known since
the beginning of the 19th century. Up to that time, red garnets or spinels
were also thought to be rubies. (That, indeed, is why the 'Black Ruby'
and the 'Timur Ruby', two of the British Crown Jewels, were so named,
when they are not actually rubies at all, but spinels.)
Ruby, this magnificent red variety from the multi-coloured corundum family,
consists of aluminium oxide and chrome as well as very fine traces of
other elements - depending on which deposit it was from. In really fine
colours and good clarity, however, this gemstone occurs only very rarely
in the world's mines. Somewhat paradoxically, it is actually the colouring
element chrome which is responsible for this scarcity. True enough, millions
of years ago, when the gemstones were being created deep inside the core
of the Earth, chrome was the element which gave the ruby its wonderful
colour. But at the same time it was also responsible for causing a multitude
of fissures and cracks inside the crystals. Thus only very few ruby crystals
were given the good conditions in which they could grow undisturbed to
considerable sizes and crystallise to form perfect gemstones. For this
reason, rubies of more than 3 carats in size are very rare. So it is no
wonder that rubies with hardly any inclusions are so valuable that in
good colours and larger sizes they achieve top prices at auctions, surpassing
even those paid for diamonds in the same category.
Some rubies display a wonderful silky shine, the so-called 'silk' of
the ruby. This phenomenon is caused by very fine needles of rutile. And
now and then one of the rare star rubies is found. Here too, the mineral
rutile is involved: having formed a star-shaped deposit within the ruby,
it causes a captivating light effect known by the experts as asterism.
If rubies of this kind are cut as half-dome shaped cabochons, the result
is a six-spoked star which seems to glide magically across the surface
of the stone when the latter is moved. Star rubies are precious rarities.
Their value depends on the beauty and attractiveness of the colour and,
though only to a lesser extent, on their transparency. Fine star rubies,
however, should always display rays which are fully formed all the way
to the imaginary horizontal line which runs through the middle of the
stone, and the star itself should be situated right in the centre.
Ruby-red means passion
Red for ruby. Ruby-red. The most important thing about this precious
stone is its colour. It was not for no reason that the name 'ruby' was
derived from the Latin word 'rubens', meaning 'red'. The red of the ruby
is incomparable: warm and fiery. Two magical elements are associated with
the symbolism of this colour: fire and blood, implying warmth and life
for mankind. So ruby-red is not just any old colour, no, it is absolutely
undiluted, hot, passionate, powerful colour. Like no other gemstone, the
ruby is the perfect way to express powerful feelings. Instead of symbolising
a calm, controlled affection, a ring set with a precious ruby bears witness
to that passionate, unbridled love that people can feel for each other.
Birthplaces of fine rubies
Which is the most beautiful ruby-red? Good question. The red of a ruby
may involve very different nuances depending on its origin. The range
of those nuances is quite wide, and could perhaps be compared to hotel
categories, from luxury accommodation down to a plain inn or hostel. For
example, if the gemstone experts refer to a 'Burmese ruby', they are talking
about the top luxury category. However, it does not necessarily follow
that the stone is of Burmese origin. It is basically an indication of
the fact that the colour of the ruby in question is that typically shown
by stones from the famous deposits in Burma (now Myanmar): a rich, full
red with a slightly bluish hue. The colour is sometimes referred to as
'pigeon-blood-red', but the term 'Burmese colour' is a more fitting description.
A connoisseur will immediately associate this colour with the legendary
'Mogok Stone Tract' and the gemstone centre of Mogok in the North of Myanmar.
Here, the country's famous ruby deposits lie in a mountain valley surrounded
by high peaks. Painstakingly, gemstones of an irresistible luminosity
are brought to light in the 'valley of the rubies'. Unfortunately, really
fine qualities are quite rare even here. The colour of a Burmese ruby
is regarded as exceptionally vivid. It is said to display its unique brilliance
in any light, be it natural or artificial.
The journey to the world's most important ruby deposits takes us further
on to the small town of Mong Hsu in the North-East of Myanmar, where the
most important ruby deposits of the nineties lie. Originally, it was believed
that these rubies would hardly prove suitable for use in jewellery, since
untreated Mong Hsu ruby crystals actually display two colours: a purple
to black core and a bright red periphery. Only when it had been discovered
that the dark core could be turned into deep red by means of heat treatment
did rubies from Mong Hsu begin to find their way on to the jewellery market.
Today, the Mong Hsu gemstone mines are still among the most important
ruby suppliers. In the main, they offer heat-treated rubies in commercial
qualities and sizes between 0.5 and 3 carats.
Ruby deposits also exist in neighbouring Vietnam, near the Chinese border.
Rubies of Vietnamese origin generally display a slightly purplish hue.
Rubies from Thailand, another classical supplier, however, often have
a darker red which tends towards brown. This 'Siamese colour' - an elegantly
muted deep red - is considered second in beauty only to the Burmese colour,
and is especially popular in the USA. Ceylon rubies, which have now become
very rare, are mainly light red, like ripe raspberries.
Other ruby deposits are located in Northern Pakistan in the Hunza Valley,
Kashmir, Tadzhikistan, Laos, Nepal, and Afghanistan. But rubies are also
produced in India, where deposits with relatively large crystals were
discovered in the federal states of Mysore and Orissa. These crystals
have many inclusions, but they are, nevertheless, eminently suited to
being cut as beads or cabochons.
Lately, people have begun to talk about Africa as a source of rubies.
Straight after their discovery in the 1960s, rubies from Madagascar, Kenya
and Tanzania surprised the experts by their beautiful, strong colour,
which may vary from light to dark red. But in the African mines too, fine
and clear rubies of good colour, purity and size are very rare. Usually
the qualities mined are of a merely average quality.
Colour above (almost) everything
As we have said, colour is a ruby's most important feature. Its transparency
is only of secondary importance. So inclusions do not impair the quality
of a ruby unless they decrease the transparency of the stone or are located
right in the centre of its table. On the contrary: inclusions within a
ruby could be said to be its 'fingerprint', a statement of its individuality
and, at the same time, proof of its genuineness and natural origin. The
cut is essential: only a perfect cut will underline the beauty of this
valuable and precious stone in a way befitting the 'king of the gemstones'.
However, a really perfect ruby is as rare as perfect love. If you do come
across it, it will cost a small fortune. But when you have found 'your'
ruby, don't hesitate: hang on to it!
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