A beautiful ruby ring is a welcome addition to most fine jewelry collections. The gorgeous red gemstone is the perfect gift for her July birthday, your 40th wedding anniversary, or just because she likes the color red. In addition, contemporary couples wanting a different type of engagement ring, might well consider a ruby.

Like sapphire, ruby is a member of the corundum family — ruby is the name for red-colored corundum. Ruby is an ancient gemstone and much revered in Asia, where it has been used to decorate armor and scabbards. In China, builders even placed rubies under building foundations to ensure good fortune.

Ruby has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale — second only to diamond — so it is suitable for regular wear, including use as either an anniversary ring or an engagement ring. The gemstone is available in many shapes from round and ovals to more elaborate cushion and trillion cuts.

Most rubies have been heated to improve clarity and color. This enhancement is a long-standing practice in the jewelry industry and, for the most part, is considered stable and permissible. Recently, though, some gemstones have been treated with lead glass —the gemstone’s natural fractures are filled with the glass material to improve the gemstone’s clarity. However, depending on the quantity of glass and the actual process used during treatment, the alterations may present problems when the ring is repaired.

Always work with a graduate gemologist and ask about any possible treatments. He or she will help you keep your ruby ring in top condition so you can enjoy it for a long time.

Filed under: Gemstones
by Jacq