Ruby stone is a true jewel

Ruby stone is a mineral, one of the varieties of corundum. From the point of view of chemistry, it is aluminum oxide with a small admixture of chromium ions. The color of the mineral is due precisely to the impurity, the higher the content of chromium ions, the more saturated the color.

Ruby - a precious stone of the 1st class, which also includes emerald, diamond (diamond) and sapphire. They are classified as truly precious stones. All the rest are either semi-precious or semi-precious.

These minerals are mined mainly in Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, India. In Russia, their deposits are also found in the form of placers in the Urals.

The first artificial rubies were synthesized more than a hundred years ago. They are widely used. Quantum electronics and the watch industry are inconceivable today without them, not to mention jewelery. Synthetic stones are produced in the same way as corundum, but with the addition of a coloring component (chromium oxide).

Ruby stone is known since ancient times. In Ancient Russia he was called a yakhont. Mention of him is even in the annals of the Hindus, dating from the IV century. In the Roman Empire, he was not only known, but also appreciated above the diamond. These beautiful minerals are decorated with the famous Cap of Monomakh, in which, from the 16th century onwards, A wedding was held on the reign of all Russian tsars.

The most valuable stones are considered to be saturated bright red color and red with a purple tint, but in nature they are rare. Such minerals are comparable in price to diamonds. For example, a stone found in Burma, was sold for 500 thousand dollars, its mass was 4.12 carats.

Very rarely there are rubies, on the surface of which a hexagonal star is viewed, they are called asterics. They are even more valuable than stones with a purple tint, although the star is formed as a result of impregnations of foreign substances.

The ruby stone is quite solid, its hardness is 9 points on the Mohs scale. For comparison, the hardness of a diamond is 10. With such a high hardness, this mineral is brittle, from impact against a hard surface it can break, and if not cut right, it will crack.

To distinguish a precious stone from a synthetic ruby, you will need a magnifying glass with a multiple magnification. In the natural structure defects and inclusions are seen, there may be small cracks, the synthetic one does not have any flaws.

Ruby has long been shrouded in legends, it was prescribed unusual properties. It was believed that it can protect the owner from diseases, save them from various poisons, energetically nourish the body, improve the memory of a person, increase his strength.

Lithotherapists are convinced that this mineral improves the structure of the blood, contributes to the healing of the joints, spine and tonsillitis. They recommend wearing a ruby stone to people who have epileptic seizures, believe that it can stop an epileptic fit. To a hypertonic this stone is counter-indicative. Lithotherapists recommend rubies to people timid, these stones will give them a lack of determination. Active people, he can become a faithful ally in all matters.