Ruby is one of the four precious gemstones along with Sapphire, Emerald and the Diamond. Ruby as a mineral is hard; it only comes second to the diamond when it comes to hardness.
The color of the Ruby comes in different shades of red from light pink to blood red. This color is due to chromium. The word “Ruby” come from “rubber”, the Latin word for red.
Although Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July, it is a common gift for lovers in February in time for the Valentines. Its deep red color shows passion and power. In the past, royalties wear a Ruby to make use of its believed to be magical powers to fight against evil. According to myths and legends, the stone grows darker to warn the wearer of imminent perils. Even today’s modern royalties still use Rubies to adorn the insignia of their households.
Ruby is faceted into different styles of cuts and marketed as high class jewelries. The most preferred cuts are the brilliant and step cuts. Some rubies that have asterism are polished and shaped (the result is called cabochon) instead of faceted to display the best effect of the stone. Asterism is an inclusion that can...