July Birthstone - Ruby
Ruby is the birthstone for July and the 15th and 40th wedding anniversary stone.
Historically, the ruby is associated with royalty, love and vividness, passion and power. Thirteenth century medical literature from India tells us that a ruby could cure digestive disorders. In the Bible, only wisdom and a virtuous woman are more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 8:11 & 31:10).
An extremely rare flawless ruby is actually more valuable than a diamond, the true emperor of gemstones. In 1550, the finest 1-carat ruby cost eight times more than a comparable quality 1-carat diamond. Wow! By 1894, this is dropped to a 2:1 ratio in favor of the ruby, but it is still incredible. I don’t know about you, but I generally think of the diamond as the most expensive gem stone available.
Some famous rubies include:
The Edwardes Ruby, a 167-carat ruby, donated to the British Museum of Natural History in 1887.
The Rosser Reeves Ruby, a 137-carat ruby, displayed at The Smithsonian.
The Edith Haggin de Long Ruby, a 100-carat ruby, displayed at The American Museum of Natural History.
Rubies are made of the mineral corundum, one of the most durable minerals, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and is extremely tough - Diamonds are a 10.
