Ruby

Ruby

Which color would you impulsively correlate with love and exuberance, obsession and influence? It's evident, isn't it? It is obviously red. Red is the color of feel affection for. It radiates tenderness and a brawny sagacity of vivacity. And red is also the color of the ruby, the king of the precious stones. In the captivating world of precious stones, the ruby is the acknowledged ruler. For thousands of years, the ruby has been measured one of the most expensive precious stones on Earth. It has the whole thing an expensive stone should encompass: glorious color, exceptional hardness and outstanding brilliancy. In accumulation to that, it is an enormously exceptional precious stone, particularly in its greater qualities.

Ruby is the red diversity of the mineral corundum, one of the sturdiest minerals on globe, of which the sapphire is furthermore a variety. Pure corundum is colorless. Slender traces of rudiments such as chrome, iron, titanium or vanadium are dependable for the color. These precious stones have brilliant hardness. On the Mohs scale their score of 9 is 2nd when compared to that of the diamond. Only red corundum is permitted to be christened ruby, all other colors being classified as sapphires. The close association edged by the ruby and the sapphire has only been acknowledged since the commencement of the 19th century. Up to that instance, red garnets or spinels were also deliberated to be rubies.

Ruby, this outstanding red assortment from the multi-colored corundum family, contains of aluminum oxide and chrome as well as very superior traces of supplementary elements - depending on which put down it was from. In really fine colors and superior transparency, however, this precious stone occurs merely very infrequently in the world's mines. Somewhat ironically, it is essentially the coloring element chrome which is answerable for this insufficiency. True adequate, millions of years ago, when the gemstones were being created deep inside the core of the Earth, chrome was the constituent which gave the ruby its magnificent color. But at the similar instance it was also accountable for causing a massive amount of fissures and cracks contained by the crystals. Thus only very little ruby crystals were provided the best conditions in which they could cultivate undisturbed to sizeable sizes and crystallize to form faultless precious stones. For this cause, rubies of more tha n 3 carats in volume are very atypical. So it is no marvel that rubies with scarcely any additions are so expensive that in good colors and superior sizes they accomplish top prices at marts, surpassing even those rewarded for diamonds in the similar category.

Historical and cultural references :

According to Rebbenu Bachya, and the New International Version, the word odem means "ruby" in the verse Exodus 28:17 (referring to a stone on the Hoshen), and was the stone representing the tribe of Reuben. Modern Hebrew has taken this meaning. However, odem actually means earth, and is cognate with Adam; in the Middle East, the earth it refers to is certainly reddish, but the Septuagint translates the term as sard (which also means red), which is also the name of a common, somewhat opaque, gem. Scholars think the stone intended is probably a sard, as does the King James Version, scholars think that if not a sard it may possibly be the related gem carnelian; it is thought possible that sard and odem here just mean the colour of the stone, and red jasper would therefore also be a possibility.

Ruby is the most commonly named precious stone in English translations of the Bible; an example being Proverbs 31: "A virtuous wife is more precious than rubies.". The underlying masoretic text doesn't necessarily refer to rubies, however. Not only are there issues such as that mentioned with odem, but in the case of Proverbs 31, the masoretic text merely states jewels, and the Septuagint makes Proverbs 31 refer to precious stones (estin lithon ); some English versions of the bible believe that pearls is a better translation here. An early recorded note of the transport and trading of rubies arises in the literature on the North Silk Road of China, where in about 100 BC rubies were carried along this ancient trackway moving westward from China.

The famous lighted "Red Stars" mounted above Kremlin spires, thought to be giant rubies mined in Siberia, are colored glass.

Ruby is the birthstone associated with July and of the zodiac sign Leo.

Ruby is associated with the sun in Vedic astrology.

Ruby is associated with a 40th wedding anniversary.

Rubies have always been held in high esteem in Asian countries. They were used to ornament armor, scabbards, and harnesses of noblemen in India and China. Rubies were laid beneath the foundation of buildings to secure good fortune to the structure.