Rubies: Everything You Need to Know About the July Birthstone
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The July birthstone, Ruby, is a popular jewelry choice among women, because of its passionate red color. Rubies are actually members of the mineral corundum family. They can be a deep red color, or a light pinkish shade, and sometimes even purplish. When used with other stones, they bring out the color and magnificence of these. July babies are known for their passion and love, thus the red-colored gemstone. Even if you are not born in July, you will still love to have a ruby piece of jewelry in your treasure box.
Rubies are a little softer than diamonds, but harder than turquoise. Most rubies are red, but undertones vary from yellow and orange to blue and purple. Rubies often have to be treated, or heated to bring out their brilliance and enhance their clarity and color. Sometimes, rubies are treated with dyes to intensify the gems’ color. Since rubies are prone to surface fractures, they are coated to camouflage these, but coatings fade as time goes by.
The most gorgeous rubies are the Burmese rubies, but one can also find exquisite pieces in Madagascar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Rubies can be translucent and therefore, they are cut into smooth domes known as cabochons to that they create a six-rayed star on the dome’s surface. Rubies can be synthetically created in a laboratory. These synthetic rubies are more affordable. For this reason, one must always ask about the gem’s origin when purchasing rubies.
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