8/6/2019 Ruby - Gemstone for the month of July

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Gemstone for the month of July: Ruby

The name ruby comes from the Latin ruber , meaning red. In Sanskrit , ruby is known as ratnaraj meaning king of precious stones . Ruby is one of the most sought after gems in Pakistan. It comesfrom the family of minerals called corundum , the same mineral where sapphire comes fromand thesecond hardest substance after diamond. The colour red comes from the small presence of chromium in corundum that replaces some of the aluminium in the structure of mineral. Mining forruby has been going on since the 8 th Century B.C. from the gem gravels of Srilanka.

Rubies are generally smaller stones , usually under 10 carats as the presence of chromium limits thegrowth of crystal structures. The most appealing colour in rubies is blood red. The gem quality rubygenerally comes from Burma (now Myanmar) , Thailand and Srilanka with minor amounts fromAfghanistan , Madagascar , Vietnam , Cambodia , USA and Tanzania. Kashmir also produces largequantities of rubies , however , relatively little is of gem quality.

Earlier , the distinction between rubies and other red coloured stones was not clear and due to thisreason , sometimes , other red coloured stones such as garnets , red tourmalines , rubellite and spinels

have been wrongly called rubies. A very famous example is that of the Black Prince s Ruby , now inthe Imperial State crown of England and part of the Crown Jewels since 1367. It was not until the19 th century when it was discovered to be a spinel and not ruby.

Like other gems , various types of treatments are done on Rubies to fetch a better price. One of themost common industry practices is heat treatment of rubies. Here the roughs of rubies are heatedat a particular temperature in a furnace to improve the colour and clarity. Other type of treatmentcommon with rubies and one that especially lowers the price is called glass filling . Here thefractures on rubies are filled with lead glass that dramatically improves the transparency of previously unsuited ruby. Glass filled rubies are usually the cheapest varieties you will find inmarket. The point here is that , whichever gemstone you choose to buy , you should make a more

well-informed decision and also ask your jeweller for the types of treatments applied on a certaingemstone.

More than 90% of rubies found in the market are treated in some ways or the other.A word of advice , always request your jeweller to give you an authentic certificate for a gemstone you rebuying , especially if it is an expensive piece. A few hundred rupees spent on a gemstone certificateare worth spending to avoid future disappointments. One of the famous gemstone certifying

institution here , is , the Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company. On a certificate , lookout for the types of treatments applied on the stone.

What determines the price of rubies?

As a matter of rule , the deep blood red coloured rubies are more expensive and desired ascompared to the lighter ones and the better the clarity the higher price it fetches. Similarly , a naturalruby is far more expensive than a treated one and within treated rubies , the prices of stones alsovary with the types of treatments applied.

8/6/2019 Ruby - Gemstone for the month of July

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This article is authored by Hussain Noorullah, director of Silveria, a Gems and Silver jewellery storelocated at Level III, Park Towers Shopping Mall, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.

If you have any questions regarding gems and jewellery, you may email Hussain at:Hussain@Silveria.com.pk

To book an appointment with him please call: 0336-2663829