Ruby from the corundum family is said to be the world's most valued gemstone for thousands of years. Being one of the twelve primary stones God created, it is named in Latin "Rubeus" for it’s red colour; in Vedic astrology it is known as Ratnaraj, being "King of Precious Stones" to represent the Sun.  

According to a Burmese legend, there once lived a great serpent that laid three eggs. One of the eggs produced a miraculous seed from whence there sprouted all the rubies. They also believe that if inserted into the flesh of a warrior and if wounded, Ruby would prevent him from bleeding to death. Thought by the Sri Lankans to be formed from the tears of Buddha, it is also believed that when worn, the Ruby turns black or turns pale when the wearer faces imminent danger and changes back to it’s original vibrancy when he/she is out of harm’s way.  

As symbol of health and vitality, it has special curative powers for blood diseases, cleansing the liver and blood. It has been said that Rusputin made use of a Ruby in treating the haemophiliac son of the Tsar of Russia, Nicolas II. Crystal practitioners use Rubies as a cure for anaemia, poor blood circulation and for diseases of the heart.  

The Ancients considered it’s usefulness against psychic attacks, the "evil eye," loss or damage to property, besides keeping infidelity at bay. It helps to promote disinterested love, perfectly acting on the unconscious level for loving communication.  

More valuable and rarer than the top colourless Diamond, a large and exquisite quality Ruby known as "Pigeon’s Blood" is the most prized item in the gemstone market. However, sizes larger than 5 carats are very rare of such quality and they always carry a hefty price tag.

 Ruby is the gem quality of the mineral corundum, which is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide. The most important sources are in India and in Burma, now called Myanmar and recently, the most vivid colour and quality, comes from an area called Mong Hsu, Myanmar.  

The deposits from the Ruva river in Tanzania, Africa show a distinctive hue ranging from purple to brownish red, while the deposits in Sri Lanka from a very light red to raspberry colour, while the finds from Thailand have always been brownish red.

 The rest of the deposits around the world perhaps difficult to mine due to treacherous terrain or are of lesser quality which would be best used for the industry. Ground down to make an abrasive called emery, or used on the tip of the blowtorch to melt or solder metals in the jewellery industry, it also has a vital role in microsurgery and has found it’s good use as a cauterising instrument.

The four "C’s", colour, clarity, carat and cut. Top quality should be a saturated pure spectral hue of red without brown or blue overtones. The lighter shades of red can be included in the category of ruby. 

Rubies that are perfectly transparent without flaws are more valuable than those with inclusions which are visible to the eye. Good faceting can make a big difference in how vibrant a ruby can appear to the eye. A well-cut gemstone should reflect backlight evenly across the surface without a dark or washed-out area in the centre that can result from a stone that is too deep, too shallow or from the wrong orientation. The shape should also be symmetrical and there should not be any scratches in the polishing. The rarer and larger ruby will cost more per carat than smaller gemstones of the same quality. 

Known as the great imposter of gemstone history, many famous "rubies" in crown jewels around the world are actually Red Spinel. The most renown is the Black Prince's Ruby, a magnificent 170-carat Red Spinel that still adorns the British Crown Jewels. In fact the "Timur Ruby" is actually a Red Spinel now owned by Queen Elizabeth. On it is etched with the names of the Mogul Emperors who had previous custody.
Up until the late 1700’s. people recognised Spinel as aRuby. It’s presence occurring alongside or in the same ruby mining area in the gravel pits; the probable reason why Spinel was misidentified.

The larger gem deposits were found in Afghannistan. Of minor importance, the finds were from Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tadjikstan etc.

Spinel, now known in it’s own right, is known for it’s brilliance; is probably one favourite collection amongst gem dealers and collectors alike. Spinel occurs in a myriad of colours of white, yellow, orange, dark green and black. In addition to beautiful rich reds, spinel can be found in a range of beautiful pastel shades of pink and purple and it also comes in beautiful blues which are sometimes called cobalt spinel, but these are extremely rare indeed. The brown variety is known in French as Piconite, while the yellow colour is known as Rubicelle. In the Badakshan region north of Afghanistan where the larger spinels came from and were known as "bala rubies".
Magnesium and alluminium make up the clear white of this crystal, while chromium colours it pinkish or red. Iron or Titanium produces lavender or the rare, vibrant cobalt blue which rivals the colour of the blue sapphire.
Do not mistake the expression "spinel" just because since the 1920’s man made synthetics are called "spinels".
Fine red Spinels are now rarer than the rubies they used to imitate. The quirk is that, Spinel is also a lot more affordable than ruby. and is a durable gemstone that is perfect for all jewellery purposes. Most often faceted in ovals, rounds or cushion shapes. Due to it’s rarity, one will not find calibrated spinel in the gemstone market.

Magnesium aluminium oxide

Mohs’ scale 8