- What kind of stone: Precious;
- Deposits: Burma, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Afghanistan, East Africa, Russia (Urals);
- Colours: Red with hints of pink, purple or orange;
- Mohs hardness: 9;
- Transparency: Transparent;
- Density: 3.99—4.10 g/cm³
- Formula: Al2O3;
- Suitable for zodiac sign: Leo, Aries, Sagittarius, Scorpio;
- How much does it cost: no less than $100 per carat (lowest quality).
The magnificent, unsurpassed, beautiful ruby stone is the king among precious minerals, the leader of gems.
The Sun Stone is one of the rarest and most expensive in the world, along with diamond, sapphire and emerald. The stone of power and prosperity, belonging to the element of Fire, has no equal in anything.
The moonlight and the shine of distant stars, the beauty of the most magnificent beauty and the morning dawn fade before him. The radiance coming from its depths exudes mystery and infinity.
Its brilliance and richness are so captivating that you cannot take your eyes off this unique creation of nature. Ruby has a special magical power that is incomparable to other stones.
Description of the stone and its meaning
The king of gems and looks the part. A real ruby has a blood red color, which corresponds to its name, which means “red” in Latin.
A high-quality gem looks like this:
- transparent;
- smooth;
- brilliant;
- sparkling;
- solid;
- correct shape;
- heavy;
- without defects (cracks, scratches, voids, impurities); color – carmine red with a bluish tint and silky or milky inclusions.
The gem symbolizes love and beauty, strength and royalty, health and a thirst for life. The stone of mystics and magicians has an incredible layer and does not tolerate lies.
History of the origin of ruby
One of the most valuable jewelry materials, ruby, according to one of the beautiful ancient Indian legends, was tempered in the blood of the terrible demon Vala.
It was his Sun god Surya, fleeing from Ravana (the king of Sri Lanka, famous for his power and victories over the demigods), dropped into the deep waters of Bhakarta (ancient India) with gentle waves shining under the bright sunlight, surrounded by shores overgrown with walnut trees .
This is how amazing precious stones appeared on the shores of these waters, sparkling with a unique brilliance.
Magnificent and radiant, bright red and other shades of gems began to be found on the fragrant banks of the Ravana Ganga (Burma, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet, etc.).
In these fragrant lands, rubies of various colors and shades are still found today.
Some of them resemble human blood, while others resemble pomegranate seeds or saffron. The best of them are evenly colored, and a unique glow emanates from the core, reflecting the sun's rays in all directions.
The most expensive ruby in the world is the stone found in a Bulgari ring. Its weight is 8.62 carats. This ring was purchased by London jeweler Laurence Graff for £3.6 million in 2006.
One of the legendary ones is the Black Prince. Although it is called a ruby, it is actually not a ruby, but a spinel. It weighs 170 carats.
The stone was first mentioned in the 14th century, when it became the property of the British kings. Now this gem adorns the front cross of the Crown of the British Empire
Interesting facts about ruby:
- There are deposits of rubies everywhere, except in Antarctica, but, nevertheless, a real stone is rare.
- Opaque rubies of the lowest quality are polished with an appropriate cabochon, after which a six-pointed star is sometimes found on them - an unusually beautiful optical effect.
- Of all the precious stones in the Bible, the most frequently mentioned is the ruby.
- The black stones on the crown of the British Empire are called the Black Prince and Timur rubies, but they are spinel.
- In ancient times, rubies were placed in the foundations of buildings to make them strong and strong.
- The famous ring from the J.R.R. trilogy was inlaid with rubies. Tolkien, as well as the sword of Godric Gryffindor in the Harry Potter series of books (Joan Rowling).
Physical properties
Ruby, and in ancient times yakhont and carbuncle, is an igneous rock. The composition of the stone is corundum (Al2O3). The color of the stone, mainly blood red, is due to the content of impurities of chromium and iron oxides.
Other characteristics:
- jewelry class – I;
- hardness – 9 (on the Mohs scale), which is slightly inferior to the hardness of a diamond;
- density – 3.99–4.10 g/cm³;
- transparent;
- may have rutile inclusions;
- The brilliance of a ruby can only be compared to the brilliance of a diamond.
Sapphire
As you know, during their engagement, Prince Charles gave the future Princess Diana a ring decorated not with a diamond, but with a sapphire. The most valuable and high-quality sapphires are mined in Kashmir - local stones have a standard cornflower blue color that does not fade even under artificial lighting, and a signature shine that makes you hold your breath to watch the iridescence on the edges. Stones of darker and paler shades are less valuable.
Lady Di's engagement ring
The most expensive sapphire is the Millennium stone, weighing 61.5 thousand carats. On its edges, the artist Alessio Boschi carved 134 portraits of prominent personalities. The stone is currently on sale for $180 million.
Sapphire "Millennium"
Place of Birth
The gem is found all over the world, but these are, most often, semi-precious opaque specimens with various defects that cannot be cut.
The highest quality rubies are mined in Asia. One of the oldest deposits, according to ancient legend, is located in Burma, near Myanmar.
Large deposits of the king of stones are found in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Afghanistan, as well as in East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania).
Russia also has gem deposits - in the Polar Urals. Another stone is found in the Pamir region.
Colors and varieties
The main color of the mineral is blood red. The stone can also be fiery crimson, red-brown, yellowish-red, red-pink.
The most valuable gemstone is one that has bluish or purple hues, the so-called “pigeon’s blood” colored stone.
"Pigeon's Blood"
Ruby is very close in composition to sapphire, which is also corundum (aluminum oxide), but does not have such a rich range of colors as its relative, therefore, if suddenly someone somewhere hears about a pink or green ruby, then most likely , we will talk specifically about sapphire.
However, pink ruby still exists. This is a young natural gem of light pink or lilac shades.
Pink ruby
A star ruby is essentially a sapphire and can be any color. Its value lies in the shining six-rayed star located in the center of the processed stone.
Star ruby
A variety of ruby is anionite - a unique rock consisting of green cyosite with inclusions of dark pink or dark red ruby.
The mineral is valued due to its amazing pattern, as well as the combination of colors created by the two rocks in this beautiful creation, the cost of which is very high.
The color and quality of a ruby depend on its deposit.
Ruby
Ruby is a type of corundum mineral, one of the most valuable gems born in the depths of our planet. For the formation of ruby, a temperature of at least 450 C0 is required, so deposits of the stone can be found at a depth of 10–29 kilometers.
Determining the quality of a ruby
Ruby color can vary from brown to pink; It is this factor that primarily determines the final price of the found gem. Jewelers also pay attention to the number of foreign inclusions - the fewer, the better. To give a ruby an untarnished shine, it is “ennobled” by hand through heat treatment. The inclusions disappear, but the stone loses weight and value.
This is what an uncut ruby looks like
The rarest stones have a rare shade - the so-called “pigeon blood color”. Such rubies are mined from deposits in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. In 2015, a ruby of this color was sold for a record $30 million.
The most expensive ruby is the color of pigeon blood
Magic properties
First of all, ruby is a stone of power.
It raises the political authority of its owner and contributes to the growth of his political career. Also, the gem is a symbol of love.
It helps people who own it to learn love, compassion, self-sacrifice, selflessness both towards individuals and towards humanity as a whole, thereby bringing harmony and joy to the world.
The stone symbolizes passionate love. It is presented as a gift to those people from whom they want to achieve reciprocity.
It is believed that the stone changes color as danger approaches. Ruby has great mystical significance.
It is an excellent amulet against damage and the evil eye, and also protects against the machinations of ill-wishers. The unprocessed gem was worn by those who were afraid of being poisoned.
The mineral enhances those human qualities that predominate in it. He makes the good one better, and the evil one more evil. A stone can bring misfortune to someone whose character traits are far from perfect. Rubin prefers those people who have purity of thoughts and strength of character, and he also does not tolerate lies.
The magical power of the gem is used by people with superpowers - magicians, sorcerers and psychics.
The cost of a real ruby in different countries of the world
There are organizations around the world that produce tables that include the value of rubies. They differ in classification and parameters. As an example, the following gradation is worth mentioning:
- A low-quality ruby, taking into account the place of extraction, will cost $75-3,500. Burmese ones are considered the most expensive, heated ones are the cheapest.
- A good quality ruby from Burma will cost 5-12 thousand. Stones with the same characteristics from Mozambique will cost 2-8 thousand. Processed crystals will cost 1.5-4 thousand.
- Very good quality rubies are more expensive. You can buy processed crystals for 5-9 thousand, Burmese unprocessed gems - 16-40 thousand.
- Excellent quality gems from Mozambique cost 20-30 thousand, crystals from Burma - 40-70.
Medicinal properties
The healing properties of the stone have been known since ancient times.
Lithotherapists use it to treat:
- digestive organs;
- joints and spine;
- throat diseases;
- paralysis and epilepsy;
- blood diseases;
- hypertension.
Also, the mineral improves immunity, relieves insomnia and depression, and improves metabolism.
If you place a gem in water and let it sit for a day, then this water helps rejuvenate the skin, restoring damaged cells, alleviates the human condition from colds, improves metabolism and removes toxins.
The stone is considered feminine, as it relieves the fair sex from gynecological ailments and helps them get pregnant.
Who is suitable according to the horoscope?
Ruby is in the power of the Sun and belongs to the element of Fire, so it is perfect for those zodiac signs that correspond specifically to this element, that is, Leo, Aries and Sagittarius.
It is not at all suitable for the signs of the water element - Pisces and Cancer , however, Scorpio is an exception - it is under the protection of the fiery planet Mars.
Taurus and Virgo should also not wear jewelry with ruby, and Capricorn , but will not bring any benefit either.
How to choose gems
If you are puzzled by the question of how to choose stones, try to take into account everything - what internal sensations arise, whether the stone is suitable for the horoscope, at what time of year which stones should be worn. If gemstones according to your zodiac signs are chosen correctly, they will feed you with their energy, and not suppress and deplete your energy.
For people with brown eyes, aventurine, golden topaz, dark amber, as well as all yellow-orange-red stones are perfect. For green-eyed people, it is best to choose chrysoprase, turquoise, malachite and other light green and blue gemstones. As for blue-eyed people, yellow agate, aventurine, red corals and other stones are suitable for them.
For those who do not particularly trust horoscopes, there is an option - choose a stone by date of birth.
A huge variety and photos of precious stones are presented in online stores at an affordable price.
Talismans and amulets
The stone is an excellent amulet for military personnel and firefighters, protecting them from death. It warns owners of danger by changing its color.
It is believed that the ruby talisman will protect against natural disasters and negative magical effects. If you have a ruby crystal in your house, it will protect your home from fire and thieves.
If you wear a stone amulet constantly, then good luck will always accompany its owner . Any situation, be it finances, health or work, will change for the better.
The energy of the stone allows a person to strive for everything new and unknown, opening up vast horizons of possibilities. Such a talisman will help people of mental and creative professions, as well as those who love adventure.
A gem amulet can bring prophetic dreams. If a person dreams of a ruby, then luck, success and prosperity await him in life.
Ruby jewelry
Ruby is widely used in jewelry. Absolutely all jewelry can be decorated with it: rings, earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, necklaces, etc.
Every girl or woman will be pleased with exquisite ruby jewelry, of which there is such a variety that you can satisfy even the most demanding taste.
A ruby in silver looks most luxurious. This noble metal allows the mysterious and bewitching stone to fully reveal itself.
The silver ring with a ruby is especially chic.
If it is intended for everyday wear, then it is better to choose a thin ring that will look stylish and modest, and for going out in public, massive rings with large rubies of dark and rich colors of an exclusive cut are suitable.
Ruby in silver fits perfectly into any style and image, and is suitable for both stylish and business women, as well as sensual beauties. Absolutely everyone - both blondes and brunettes - will be able to choose a piece of jewelry to their liking.
For an engagement, you should choose a gold ring with a ruby, as it is a symbol of fiery love and devotion. Such a ring will support the fire of feelings and will not allow love and passion to go out for a long time.
Price
Natural stone of rich, bright color is very rare in nature.
The cost of the most valuable “pigeon’s blood” ruby ranges from $50,000 per carat.
The price of a stone may depend on color, weight, cut, processing and inclusions.
If there are cracks, bubbles or darkening inside the stone, and they interfere with the play of light, then the price of such gems will be low.
The richer the color of the stone and the greater its mass, the more expensive its cost will be.
Also, the price depends on whether the ruby is refined or not. Untreated gems will be more expensive than refined ones:
- In the world, it is customary to indicate the price of such precious stones as rubies and diamonds in dollars.
- In order to find out how much it will be in rubles, it is worth performing a simple mathematical operation or referring to tables in publications such as Gem Guide magazine.
How many thousand rubles are asked for 1 carat of ruby in Russian retail chains?
On one of the sites, a pair of natural rubies from Madagascar, weighing 1.68 carats, round in shape, for earrings, rich red color, is offered for sale for 3,500 rubles. The dimensions of the pebbles are diameter 5 mm, length, height and width – 5x5x3.6 mm. The rubies have been heat treated.
On another site, a natural, unheated ruby (as sellers claim) is offered at a price of 70,000 rubles per carat. This is the most approximate range of prices for rubies in Russia. Their cost changes with changes in the dollar exchange rate, quality and location of production.
The cost of large rubies is higher not only because of their size, but because they are much less common.
Therefore, the price of 1 carat of a large ruby is higher than the price of 1 carat of a small stone, as a result, the cost of the stone can reach several million dollars.
In Russia, and in other countries of the world, it is very difficult to purchase high-quality rubies larger than two carats. It is even more difficult to find two or three natural stones of the same color and quality for earrings, for a set of pendants and earrings, rings and pendants, and so on.
Top expensive gems
Organic gems are the first stones to be discovered by ancient people. It was these minerals that began to be used to make jewelry. They are not the most expensive stones on the planet. What stones are included in the top most expensive gems? It includes stones, most of which are not sold, but are kept as valuable exhibits in state museums.
Sapphires
Ring with black sapphire
When assessing the quality of crystals, uniqueness is taken into account. This factor is especially relevant when considering sapphires and emeralds. Gemologists classify these precious stones as first order.
In the jewelry industry, sapphires include a variety of this mineral of any color except red-lilac. The rarest natural sapphires are black and star-shaped stones.
From a chemical point of view, sapphire is aluminum oxide. In the Russian Federation, these precious stones are rare, so they are not mined on an industrial scale.
Most of the sapphires that are used to make jewelry in Russia are synthesized artificially. It is on the territory of the Russian Federation that the world's largest sapphire production plant operates. Blue minerals with the highest degree of purity are in demand among jewelers.
Emerald
Raw emerald
The top most expensive gems include green emeralds. The assessment of these fragile, natural exhibits is carried out by jewelers “by eye”. If the color of the stone matches the scale, there are no defects, and maximum purity, the mineral has a high value.
Bixbit
Red Beryl Jewelry
Similar to emerald, this stone is a variety of beryl (distinguished by its rich pinkish-red color).
The second name for bixbite is red beryl. This stone is rarely used to create standard jewelry, which is why professional collectors are interested in it.
Large deposits of bixbite have been discovered in the USA (in the rocky mountains of New Mexico and Utah). After cutting, the cost of stones ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 dollars per carat (there are no bixbite deposits in other countries).
Alexandrite
Chameleon stone
This rare and beautiful gem, which has a glassy luster, has the ability to change its color when the light in the room changes.
If you look at alexandrite in sunlight, it will have blue-green hues. Under artificial light, the stone has crimson, lilac, and pink colors.
Alexandrite is rightly called a chameleon stone. It is much harder than emerald. The main deposits of this gem:
- Malyshevskoye field in the Russian Federation;
- Madagascar;
- Southeast Asia
The cost of 1 carat of this gem is $1,200. Of average quality, small crystals sell for several hundred dollars.
FAQ
Why is alexandrite considered a talisman stone?
This gem is distinguished by its unique ability to change its color depending on the degree of illumination. Mediums associate the color change of this stone with the state of the human aura. When problems arise, in their opinion, the stone darkens, and after getting rid of damage, alexandrite brightens. There are only a few grams of this metal in the world.
Paraiba Tourmaline
Paraiba
This variety of rare tourmaline got its name after the state of Brazil where it was discovered. The gem is distinguished by a rich shade of aquamarine color.
Regular tourmaline has a dark green color, and to obtain an aquamarine hue, the gems must be heated (Paraiba stones do not require additional heat treatment).
The cost of a gem is influenced by the quality of the stone (lack of defects). The price of large stones can reach $20,000 for 1 carat.
Precious ruby
Rubies
are similar in chemical composition to sapphires, but there are differences in color. Rubies have a purple, rich scarlet, brownish-red color.
Rubies are considered one of the most expensive stones on earth. In addition to the jewelry industry, they are in demand in watchmaking, as well as in quantum electronics (synthetic specimens are used for technical purposes).
Unique jewelry is created from large natural stones. Ruby is considered to be a symbol of power and love.
Those stones, which were once mined in the territory of the modern state of Myanmar, were of high value. Currently, the largest examples of rubies reach 40 carats (for reference: a large example of a ruby, weighing 25.59 carats, was sold at a New York auction for thirty million dollars).
Diamond
Uncut Diamonds
Many people believe that the most expensive gemstone is the diamond. In fact, this is absolutely not true.
- Diamond has the highest hardness of all minerals.
- This stone is stable, that is, with minor changes in storage conditions, the stone can be stored for several centuries.
- Diamond is a rare mineral. Its main deposits are found in Africa, Australia, Canada, and Russia.
- When a diamond is flawlessly cut, a diamond is created.
Thanks to processing, the natural color and beauty of the mineral is revealed (in translation, the word “diamond” sounds like “sparkling”).
One of the most expensive diamonds, the Orlov, is in the Diamond Fund of the Russian Federation (the stone is inlaid into the scepter of Catherine II).
Diamond is transparent both before and after cutting. Due to the refraction of sunlight hitting the diamond's facets, a beautiful shine is formed.
Colored diamonds are practically never found in nature (there are only yellow minerals). Each colored diamond is a unique work of nature, the result of a jeweler’s skill (pink, red, green, black diamonds are offered at auctions, the cost of which exceeds tens of millions of dollars).
Jade
Ring with jadeite
Gems and crystals of jadeite can be confused with jade. An opaque gem is used as an ornamental stone, while the jewelry industry requires transparent specimens. Such stones have an emerald color, uniform color, and incomplete transparency (a similar variety of jadeite is called “Imperial”).
Due to their rare occurrence in nature, the cost of minerals is quite high. The more transparent the jadeite, the higher its price.
This stone is considered a symbol of purity, a masculine stone, and it is customary to make the most expensive Buddha figurines from it in China.
Padparadscha
Padparadscha in a ring
The stone is one of the representatives of precious corundum; it has an unusual orange-yellow color (gems with a hint of pink champagne are mostly common). Padparadscha is harvested on the island of Sri Lanka.
Currently, they are practically non-existent in nature, so if there are no defects, the price for 1 carat is $30,000.
FAQ
What stone is considered the most expensive in the world?
The most expensive mineral on our planet is grandidierite. The reason for the high price is the insignificant prevalence of the stone. There are no more than twenty copies of this mineral in the world.
Grandidierite
Natural stones
It is recognized as the most expensive mineral on Earth. There are no more than 20 copies of this gem in the world. Currently, it is mined in the Indian Ocean (Madagascar). The mineral has a unique beauty; it has a white-blue color with small milky inclusions.
Small stones from Madagascar are offered for $2,500 (per 1 carat), large samples are sold only through special auctions.
Red diamond
Red diamond
A stone with an unusual color has a high price. The deposit of such minerals is located in Australia. This stone is used only to create luxury jewelry.
Care
Care involves proper storage and cleaning of the stone from dirt. Store ruby separately from other gems:
- It is best to purchase an individual box for him and place it in the eastern part of the home.
- Once a week, the stone must be cleansed of negativity using running water, under which the gem is placed for several hours.
- Also, it needs to be cleaned of dirt from time to time using a soap solution and a soft cloth.
How to distinguish a fake?
The authenticity of a stone is quite easy to determine.
Determination methods:
- You can examine the stone in daylight using a magnifying glass. You need to look inside the gem. A real ruby will never be perfect; there must be some inclusions inside.
- If you put the mineral in a container of milk, the milk will turn pink.
- From a certain angle , the stone will have a bright color on one side and a pale color on the opposite side.
- If you place the stone on your eyelid , if the ruby is real, it will remain cool for a long time. The artificial one will heat up quickly.
- In a glass glass, the ruby will give off a reddish color.
- When exposed to ultraviolet light, its color will turn orange.
- If you look at a crack , then in a natural stone it will be zigzag, and in a fake one it will be straight and shining.
How to distinguish a real ruby from a fake one
It is quite difficult to distinguish a real ruby.
To do this, it is brought to the light. In bright light, a real stone darkens, but its color and shine remain even and uniform, while an artificial stone either does not change color or becomes lighter and has an uneven shine. An accurate result is obtained by testing using ultraviolet radiation: if the stone turns orange, then it is synthetic.
Also, fake stones break easily and may have even cracks. Cracks on real rubies have jagged, zigzag edges.
Natural ruby leaves scratches on turquoise and garnet, but artificial ruby does not. There are no bubbles in it, or they are the same color as the stone.
What stones does it go with?
Combination with amethyst
Combination with pearls
Combination with turquoise
Ruby goes well with gems such as agate, amethyst, white pearl, beryl, turquoise, emerald, coral, lapis lazuli, sapphire, carnelian.
Absolutely incompatible with malachite, onyx, obsidian, sardonyx.
It has inconsistent compatibility with aquamarine, garnet, rose quartz, heliotrope, moonstone, opal, jasper, and neutral compatibility with topaz.
Museums
The British Natural History Museum carefully preserves the Edwardian Ruby, which impresses viewers with its own weight of 167 carats. If you happen to visit the Smithsonian National Museum, you should stop and look at one of the largest and most valuable rubies - the Reeves Ruby. The weight of the stone reaches 138.7 carats. The Natural History Museum of New York is proud of the De Long Ruby. The stone is slightly smaller in size than the Edward Ruby and Reeves Ruby, but also quite impressive at 100 carats. Such indicators are almost impossible for rubies, which, unlike emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, rarely exceed the 20-carat level.
Artificial ruby
Ruby is one of the first gems grown artificially on an industrial scale. During the Soviet period, these stones were used both for jewelry and for technical purposes.
Synthetic doesn't mean bad. Its properties are so close to the properties and characteristics of natural, and there are no flaws in it and the purity is much higher. The only difference is in hardness - in artificial stone it is one less.
Artificially created gems are also precious, of course not as precious as a natural ruby.
Currently, they are not popular, and you can no longer find them in jewelry stores, except perhaps in your grandmother’s box.
Ruby and zodiac signs
The zodiac sign for ruby is Leo.
It is also recommended for Sagittarius. Virgo and Taurus, as well as Cancer and Scorpio should not wear the stone. Ruby is associated with the element of Fire. In its owner it “awakens” passionate character traits: courage, mercy, will, determination and activity. But the stone can also enhance a person’s natural negative traits, which is important to consider when choosing it.
Interesting Facts
The high hardness of the mineral allows it to make deep scratches on glass. However, if you want to check the authenticity of your stone, do not try to test its strength in this way.
If the ruby turns out to be real, then there is a high probability that the stone will begin to crumble under pressure.
If you like the gem, the price suits you, and the jewelry store inspires trust, then think again and... buy it! And if you find it difficult to choose a pebble, contact the seller, he will be happy to help you!
