The Ruby
The ruby is the beautiful precious stone with a intense red color , fiery , whose name derives from the Latin "ruber", which means, precisely, red.
Chemically it is a mineral in which chromium and iron are present which determine its particular color .
But we are not interested in the chemical composition of the ruby: we know for sure that it is one of the most loved precious stones in the world, together with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, which is the birthstone for those born in the month of July and which represents passion, love and romance.
The mines from which the most beautiful rubies in the world are extracted can be found in the East - in India he is known as "ratnaraj", the king of gems. Here, in ancient times, it was believed that the ruby possessed an internal fire that had the power to guarantee a long life.
In Burma, however, rubies were known as "drops of blood gushing from the heart of mother earth "and were used as talismans against disease, bad luck and wounds.
But also in the West the ruby was the protagonist of myths and legends: in the Middle Ages, for example, it was believed that it had divinatory powers and that its color would darken when fatal events were about to occur.
Ruby also has another characteristic: it is a very rare gem . It happened several times in ancient times, since there are no means for gemological analysis that we have today, that other less valuable red stones were exchanged for rubies, such as spinel - also called balascio ruby, almandine garnet, pyrope - known as bohemian ruby, red zircon, topaz - ruby from Brazil - and tourmaline - called ruby from Siberia.
Striking cases are those of two famous crown jewels British: the "Ruby of the black prince" and the "Ruby of Timur", both results then spinels.
So be careful when choosing your jewel with rubies!
Chemically it is a mineral in which chromium and iron are present which determine its particular color .
But we are not interested in the chemical composition of the ruby: we know for sure that it is one of the most loved precious stones in the world, together with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, which is the birthstone for those born in the month of July and which represents passion, love and romance.
The mines from which the most beautiful rubies in the world are extracted can be found in the East - in India he is known as "ratnaraj", the king of gems. Here, in ancient times, it was believed that the ruby possessed an internal fire that had the power to guarantee a long life.
In Burma, however, rubies were known as "drops of blood gushing from the heart of mother earth "and were used as talismans against disease, bad luck and wounds.
But also in the West the ruby was the protagonist of myths and legends: in the Middle Ages, for example, it was believed that it had divinatory powers and that its color would darken when fatal events were about to occur.
Ruby also has another characteristic: it is a very rare gem . It happened several times in ancient times, since there are no means for gemological analysis that we have today, that other less valuable red stones were exchanged for rubies, such as spinel - also called balascio ruby, almandine garnet, pyrope - known as bohemian ruby, red zircon, topaz - ruby from Brazil - and tourmaline - called ruby from Siberia.
Striking cases are those of two famous crown jewels British: the "Ruby of the black prince" and the "Ruby of Timur", both results then spinels.
So be careful when choosing your jewel with rubies!