Ruby

The word ruby comes from the Latin rubens which means red. Rubies are found in shades of red, from rich darkish red to pigeon blood red and pinkish red. The red hue comes from traces of the mineral chromium. They are extremely strong, registering 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, as resilient as sapphires and only slightly softer than diamonds.

Rubies have been found all over the world, including in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Africa, Australia and the USA, however, the majority of rubies for sale originate in Myanmar, Thailand and other locations in Asia. The most precious rubies are those with a full, rich red color with just a hint of blue tones. Rubies without imperfections are exceptionally rare. Originally, the finest rubies were mined in Myanmar and it is from there that the term Burmese ruby began to describe the finest rubies, and command prices even higher than diamonds of a similar weight and quality. Ruby prices have been rising this year.  Almost all natural rubies are treated to improve their color and strengthen them, and this is standard practice in the jewelry industry.

Credit: Israel Diamonds