With summer in full swing, it’s time for beaches, barbecues, and rubies!
The hardest gemstone after diamond, rubies in their purest form are actually colorless. Trace amounts of the element chromium in the crystal structure of the ruby give it the distinctive red color. The more chromium present in the ruby the stronger the red color.
Rubies are one of the most prized and sought after color gemstones along with sapphires, which happen to be the same mineral with the only difference being the color. A ruby can only be red, while a sapphire can be a variety of colors from pink to the popular blue. The most sought after rubies come from Myanmar, the Himalayas, and northern Vietnam, and usually form in marble.
Know as the ‘King of Gems’ for centuries, rubies with their strong red hues have come to symbolize all things power and desire. Sought after by royalty and upper classes for the belief that rubies would aid in fortune, wisdom, wealth, love. July babies are lucky indeed to have such a gorgeous and beloved birthstone.
You can read more about rubies at: http://www.gia.edu/ and http://www.wixonjewelers.com/
