Passionate, powerful, exotic and vivacious red - the color of Ruby. Throughout history ruby has been known to adorn mortals and immortals with its beauty and brilliance. The dramatic color and the regal heritage make this precious gemstone even more prized.

Ruby gets its name from the Latin word 'ruber' meaning 'red'. The ancient legends from the east talked of rubies as the glint of life - "a deep drop of the heart's blood of Mother Earth". According to other legends, ruby was believed to be self-illuminated, and was also referred to as the glowing stone.

According to Hindu mythology the palaces of Gods are lit by enormous emeralds and rubies. The Emperor of China used a ruby to light-up his room. More folklore talks of ruby as promoting long, healthy and happy life. Women in ancient times used it as a charm to assist in fertility, and warriors from Burma inserted genuine rubies beneath their skin as they believed it would protect them from being wounded in battle.

Traditionally India was regarded as ruby's classical country of origin. Ancient Indian literature, composed some two thousand years ago, has a rich store of knowledge about gemstones and their effect on one's life. The term 'corundum', which we use today for this particular mineral, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kuruvinda' meaning 'hard stone'. The Sanskrit word for ruby is 'ratnaraj' meaning 'king of the gems'.

Prior to the 20th century, Rubies were considered more precious than diamonds, and in the mid-16th century were even valued around 8 times greater than comparable diamonds.

Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July and the anniversary gift for the 15th and 40th years of marriage. It is the astrological stone for the zodiac sign Capricorn.

The stones from Burma (now Myanmar) are the finest quality rubies available. These stones have the purest and the most vivid red that can be imagined. The color is popularly known as 'pigeon-blood-red', but the term 'Burmese color' is a more apt description. These rubies are rare, valuable and often found adorning a connoisseur's collection. These stones are typically found in Mogok, North of Myanmar. Here, the much celebrated stones lie in a mountain valley surrounded by high peaks in a tough terrain. Another important deposit is from a small town of Mong Hsu in the North-East of Myanmar. These gemstones had a purple black core with a bright red periphery. These stones were initially not accepted in the jewelry market for the typical color characteristic. But when it was discovered that heat treatment could transform the dark core into deep red, the gems became an instant hit.

Other sources of ruby include Vietnam (the celebrated 'Siamese color'), Northern Pakistan in the Hunza Valley, Tadzhikistan, Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan and India (Kashmir, Mysore and Orissa). A new emerging source, East Africa, has lately emerged as an important cradle of fine rubies.

From the mines, the rough crystal is taken for lapidary. The crystal is carefully cut into different parts optimizing the size of each piece for the best color and quality available. Once this is done, the best suited shape and cut for that particular piece is determined. The crystal is then shaped and faceted accordingly. The facets are important as they help in reflection and refraction of the light from the inside of gem which gives the gemstone its luster. A skilled lapidist can transform a rough stone into an exquisite piece of jewel.

The transparent or the lighter hues of ruby are most often faceted. In lighter hues it is important that the light that enters the gem should reflect back evenly across the face of the gemstone, making it vivacious and more lustrous. The darker gemstones look good in all shapes and cuts. Rubies can be found in a variety of cuts and fancy shapes including triangles, squares, emerald cuts, marquises, pear shapes, baguette shapes, and cabochon cuts (dome shape). The rare star rubies with an unusual kind of tiny needle-like inclusions are cut in a cabochon shape to display a six-rayed white star on its surface.

Ruby (Aluminum Oxide, AL2 O3) is the red variety of the mineral corundum with a hardness of 9 on Mohs scale. Corundum is the hardest of all minerals only next to diamond, which has a hardness of 10 on Mohs scale. Higher the level of hardness, better the chances of the gemstone's resistance to scratches and abrasion. Also, the chemical structure of ruby makes it very tough, helping in resistance to breaking, chipping and cracking. The hardness of this gemstone combined with the toughness makes ruby perfect choice for daily wear.
Sapphire is the sister stone of ruby belonging to the corundum mineral family. Red corundum is called ruby rest all are sapphire. Even the pink variety with a tint of red is classified as sapphire. The finest quality of ruby is the one that is intensely saturated, pure red with no overtones of brown or blue. This color is reflected in the gems from Burma which have the much celebrated 'pigeon-blood-red' hue.
Rubies, like the other precious stones (diamonds, sapphires and emeralds), are usually not free of inclusions. Flawless rubies are found rarely and are very valuable. But for the beauty of the vivacious color, the inclusions are accepted. Moreover, these inclusions are finger prints of the gems giving a distinct character to each piece. It is said that a perfect ruby is as rare as perfect love.
Up to 2 carats, rubies are readily available but the gems are extremely rare in large sizes. Top quality rubies can be more valuable than colorless diamonds particularly in sizes above 5 carats. For instance, in the year 1995, a ring mounted with Burmese ruby weighing 27.37 carats was sold for $4 million at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland - an astounding $146,145 per carat!

Like other gemstones, rubies are rarely found perfect in nature - which is why these gemstones are heat-treated to intensify or lighten their color or improve their clarity. Heat enhancement for gemstones is a permanent, stable process and an accepted norm in the jewelry industry.

The passionate color combined with the excellent brilliance makes ruby irresistible for jewelry lovers. Fine, large rubies may be worth more than clear diamonds of comparable size. They make elegant center stones for rings and pendants. Smaller stones make great accents for these pieces as well as brooches, bracelets, and earrings. Small rubies combined with diamonds make lovely ornaments. Rubies look stunning against a backdrop of white, black, royal blue or emerald green.

Ruby jewelry can be cleaned using hot soapy water, or mild detergent. Brushing with an old tooth brush to remove dirt and grease, or using a soft cloth damped in warm water cleans it very well. Cleaning agents containing chlorine or harsh chemicals, or petroleum products must be avoided.