Today is National Jewel Day, so here are ten facts about rubies:
Rubies were named after the Latin word for “red” – ruber. Although the Sanskrit word for them is “Ratnaraj,” which means something like “king of the gems.
Rubies are a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. Only Diamonds and moissanite are harder.
The Red colour comes from the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). They form, like diamonds, under extreme heat and pressure, so that Oxygen and Aluminium atoms turn into corundum. All rubies are red, but they can have Orange, Pink or Purple tints.
Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and the stone associated with 40th anniversaries.
Rubies are mentioned several times in The Bible, especially in the Books of Exodus and Proverbs.
The Republic of North Macedonia is the only country in mainland Europe to have naturally occurring rubies, which have a characteristic raspberry shade.
In China and India, rubies are often used to adorn armour and scabbards, as well as being placed in the foundations of buildings to bring good fortune. According to the Hindu religion, rubies are the "gemstone of the Sun and also the heavenly deity Surya”. Wearing a ruby means the sun will look favourably on you.
One famous ruby is the Liberty Bell Ruby, which is a sculpture of America’s Liberty Bell, crafted from the world's largest mined ruby, discovered in East Africa in the 1950s. It has 50 diamonds set in it and is valued at $2 million, but was stolen in a heist in 2011.
Another is the Sunrise Ruby, which is the world’s most valuable after it sold for a record US$30.42 million in 2015 at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rubies appear in Marvel Comics, too. The Godstone is a ruby that John Jameson found on the Moon. It is activated by moonlight, grafts itself to his chest and turns him into the Man-Wolf.
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