22 Interesting Facts about Ruby

The highly sought-after gemstone, the enigmatic rubies are known for their rich pigeon blood red color that symbolizes passion, love, wealth and success! This gemstone has always been the talk of the town between celebrities and royalties alike. For more than 1000 centuries, cultures all over the world have desired Rubies for their brilliance and their fiery red color and have won over everyone’s heart to be used as a day to day adornment!  

Here is a list of interesting facts about our favorite gemstone!

1. Ruby derives its name from a latin word – ‘Ruber’ or ‘Ruben’ which means red.
2. Rubies are said to be the sister stone of sapphires as they also come from the same mineral, corundum. 
3. Corundum mineral stones come in an array of different colors! These stones are known as sapphire. Rubies are therefore the sister stone to sapphires.
4. Being a sister stone to sapphire, rubies too are the second hardest stones in the world. They rank 9 out of 10 on the Mohs Scale of hardness, making them durable for everyday wear.
5. Rubies are one of the cardinal gemstones along with amethyst, sapphire, emerald and diamonds.
6. The red gemstone achieves its exceptional red color from the element chromium
7. Rubies are said to be the stone of passion and love. They also symbolize power, protection, wealth, and success. They are also said to bring out beauty and wisdom in its wearer!
8. The talismani soldiers believed that the stone had the power to protect the warriors in the battle.
9. According to ancient folklore, Indians believed that rubies would help them to be at peace with their enemies.
10. Eastern legends believe that the ruby contains the glow of life and hence have named it “a deep drop of the heart’s blood of the mother earth”.
11. Till the 19th Century, red spinels were believed to be rubies! Renowned stones like “black prince’s ruby” and “Taimur Ruby” were all considered rubies when in reality they were red spinels!
12. In 2011, an 8.24-carat ruby ring that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and created by Van Cleef and Arpels was sold at an auction for $ 4.2 million, wherein the price per carat amounted to $ 500,000.
13. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for the month of July! It is also the 15th and 40th-year anniversary gift.
14. The Liberty Bell ruby is the largest mined ruby in the world. It was found in East Africa in the 1950s
15. The sunrise ruby is the world’s most expensive ruby. It is a 25.59-carat Burmese ruby that was set in a Cartier ring flanked by white diamonds. This beautiful ring was named after a poem, written by a Sufi poet, Rumi. This ring was sold at a whopping $30 million making it one of the most expensive colored gemstone auctions.
16. The precious red gemstone has played an important role in the world of technology as well, Theodore H Maiman created the first functional laser in the year 1960 in which he used synthetic ruby crystal. Microelectronics also uses synthetic rubies in an efficient manner.
17. Queen Elizabeth is known for her collection of ruby jewelry! Her collection consists of an Edwardian style diamond and ruby necklace, she also owns a tiara that has rubies all over it, this beautiful tiara was gifted to her by the people of Burma.
18. There are 5 different color shades that the rubies are known for – Pigeon blood, deep, medium, purplish, and pinkish. As the color saturation of the gemstone increases, its value increases! The most desirable ruby is of the shade – pigeon’s blood.
19. Though Burmese rubies are preferred, fine quality rubies can be found in other areas such as – Madagascar, Thailand, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
20. Rubies are treated in 2 ways – Heat, and composite.  – Heat treatment consists of heating a ruby at a temperature between 800 to 1,800 degrees to increase color saturation. This is standard in the trade. Composite treatment is done in conjunction with heat treatment to fill the ruby with glass or lead. This must be disclosed to buyers as these rubies are more susceptible to damage. It is believed that the rubies grow in size, this happens when the stone is exposed to sunlight, apparently, the chromium and the UV rays interact, which leads to the growth of the gemstone.
21. The rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, generate more economic impact than any other gemstone 

The finest and the best quality rubies from all over the world can be found at GemsNY. We are a bespoke jewelry company that believes in providing our clients the best gemstones. We have more than 50,000 different types of gemstones. Explore our collection of these quintessential gemstones now!