Ruby is July’s Birthstone

If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it. But at your age, we bet you don't really know the SIGNIFICANCE of your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would be bestowed about you by wearing it.

July's Birthstone: Ruby
Birthstone Properties: Fire and emotion
Alternative Birthstone: Sapphire

Ruby is the birthstone for July and also the anniversary gemstone for the 15th and 40th years of marriage. The history of ruby mining dates back more than 2,500 years ago, and today the coveted gemstone is found in Burma, Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States.

Called the "Lord of Gems" by ancient Hindus, rubies are one of the most highly prized gems throughout history. The fiery glow of rubies is said to come from the gemstone's internal and eternal flame.

For this reason, the gift of a ruby is a symbol of everlasting love. If worn on the left hand, ancient lore has it that the Ruby will bring good fortune. It is a perfect engagement ring gemstone and a popular alternative to or addition to diamond engagement bands.

Hard, but Soft
The word ruby comes from the Latin "ruber," meaning red. It is a variety of the mineral Corundum that is called sapphire when it is any color except red...only when it is red does it earn the designation of "ruby."

But that's not to say that there's only one "red" for rubies. Rubies range in hue from an orangey red to a purplish red, although the most treasured rubies are still true red in color.

The ruby is a very durable gemstone, surpassed in hardness only by diamonds. But despite its hard nature, it has a soft side. According to legend, you should never make faces at a ruby in a museum or ignore it because it will grow dull if slighted or not worn or seen.

Deliver Me From Evil
Royalty chose rubies as a powerful talisman that could help protect them against evil by anticipating its arrival. Monarchs thought that rubies would darken when peril was danger, and then return to its original color once the threat was past.

In an interesting way, rubies had their own built-in anti-theft device: it was believed that in order for rubies to act for good, it was believed that they had to be in the hands of their rightful owner.

A Ruby By Any Other Name
Gemstones that are not rubies are also called rubies. The Balas Ruby is a type of spinel (a hard glassy mineral). Bohemian Rubies are derived from rose quartz, and Siberian "rubies" are really red or pink tourmaline. In the United States, the American, Cape, Montana, and Rocky Mountain "rubies" are really different varieties of garnet.

By: Sam Serio

About the Author:

Learn How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off. This informative Special Report reveals little-known facts and insider trade secrets that many jewelers would prefer you didn’t know. To get your FREE copy please go to http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.

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Sapphires, Rubies, And Emeralds: How Colored Gemstones Are Valued

The colors of the rainbow caught forever in glittering jewels that take your breath away. Colored gemstones can rival diamonds for their beauty but how are they valued?

Even though sapphires, rubies and emeralds differ in color and weight for example, there is a consistency in how they are valued. And that includes lesser known gemstones like tourmaline, alexandrite, peridots, and garnets as well. The four characteristics that determine value in a colored gemstones are color, clarity, cut, and carats, but the most important is color, color, and more color.

The intensity of the color and the closer it comes to the true spectral color means the stone has more value. Emeralds should be a pure green, rubies the reddest red, and sapphires a deep rich blue. As the color varies from the spectral ideal, the value declines. For example: Burmese rubies have the best color. Rubies that are a lighter red, reddish orange, or with a touch of brown or a bit of blue aren't nearly as valuable.

Color is measured in intensity or saturation, in other words the vividness of the color. It also reflects the hue, or how close the color approximates the pure spectral color; tone which is how light or dark ie., how much black or white is in the color; and finally the distribution of the color or how even the color is across and within the stone.

The other factors of clarity, cut, and carats are not as important to the value of a stone that has the best color and inversely have a greater impact on the value of a stone that is not as pure a color.

Clarity is the absence of internal flaws that can be seen with a magnification of 10. Most colored gemstones naturally have inclusions or flaws. A prime example are emeralds which very rarely don't have flaws. The lighter the color of the stone the more visible the flaws become, while the darker the color of the stone the less obvious. The type of flaw and where it occurs in the stone affects its value as well.

Cut is the way a stone is faceted to bring out the best characteristics of that particular stone for its type. The cut brings out the color, fire, and brilliance of the stone, not sacrificing one for the other. Unlike diamonds colored gemstones can also be presented as a smooth rounded surface known as cabochon cut. Cabochon cut sapphires and rubies often reflect a star and are known as star sapphires and star rubies.

Carat is the weight of the stone, not how big it is. Different types of gemstones have different weights when cut to the same size. The density of rubies is greater than the density of emeralds so a one carat ruby will be smaller than a one carat identically cut emerald. Stones can be cut to look bigger as well. Some gemstones are more readily available in larger weights such as amethysts or tourmalines, that say emeralds. For example: An 18 carat tourmaline will have a lesser value per carat than a 5 carat alexandrite because large tourmaline stones are more common than large alexandrite stones.

The best safety precaution when buying gemstones or gemstone jewelry is to buy from a reputable jeweler. You will get what you pay for.

By: Dee Power

About the Author:

Peace sign jewelry celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the peace sign. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking and fine jewelry.

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