Ruby
A variety of Corundum
What is Ruby?
Prized for its brilliance and wonderful red color, ruby is a highly valuable precious stone that has been adored for ages. This popular gemstone is used almost exclusively for jewelry. The Sunrise Ruby, the most expensive colored gemstone ever, was sold for $30.3 million in 2015. Ruby is a birthstone of July, and it's symbolically associated with passion.
Uses & Applications
Ruby is one of the world's best-known and most valuable gemstones. It has all the qualities required of top-class gems; hardness, durability, clearness, and good color. For this reason, they have been collected for millennia and used for all forms of high-end jewelry. Ruby is also used in the manufacture of lasers; the world's first laser was made in 1960 using a ruby rod.
Healing Properties
Popular belief suggests that ruby can enhance the positive parts of your natural energy while diminishing the negative aspects. Ruby is supposedly a stone of love and nurture, but is also associated with knowledge, wealth, and honor, connecting primarily with the root and heart chakras. It acts to stimulate the Kundalini energy, providing a full-body energizing and cleansing experience.
Optical Properties
- Refractive Index
- 1.762-1.778
- Birefringence
- 0.008
- Pleochroism
- Strong: purplish-red, orangy-red
- Optical Character
- Uniaxial negative
- Dispersion
- 0.018
Discover Values
This stone excels in rarity, popularity, beauty, collection value.
Market Value Factors
Pricing varies for every rock and mineral, so use these universal factors to gauge Ruby before comparing listings or appraisals.
Size & Weight
Larger, intact specimens usually command higher prices.
Rarity & Demand
Scarce material or popular varieties sell at a premium.
Condition & Finish
Chips, repairs, and heavy wear lower value; clean prep helps.
Treatment & Provenance
Untreated specimens with documented locality are prized.
Ruby Localities Map
See where Ruby is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.
Associated Chakras
More Images
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Red
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 9
- Density
- 3.97 - 4.05 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Pearly, Vitreous, Adamantine
- Crystal System
- Trigonal
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- Al2O3
- Elements
- Al, O
Also Known As
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Ruby FAQs
How do I identify Ruby?
Ruby can be identified by its hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, Red color, Pearly, Vitreous, Adamantine luster, Trigonal crystal system. Look for these key characteristics when examining specimens.
What color is Ruby?
Ruby typically appears in Red. Color can vary depending on impurities and formation conditions.
How hard is Ruby?
Ruby has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. This makes it a relatively hard mineral suitable for jewelry.
