RUBY

REFRACTIVE INDEX     1.757  -  1.779
HARDNESS        9
SPECIFIC GRAVITY       3.99  -  4.0

MINERAL  CLASS          Corundum

 

One of the most sought after gemstones in the world are Rubies. Ruby gemstones  come from the mineral Corundum.  Mineral corundum creates two distinct gemstones,  Ruby and  Sapphires.  Rubies are the most valuable members of the Corundum family.

 

 Large, good quality Rubies can be more valuable than comparably sized diamonds and are certainly rarer.

 

Themost desirable color for ruby is the so-called "pigeon's blood", a pure red with a hint of blue.Color saturation makes all the difference.  Ruby color tends to vary with  trace mineral of the  geological  region they come from. And, the color ranges from pinkish red, puplish, brownish and orangish red depending on the chromium and iron content of the stone. Its expected the color of Ruby gemstone should be dark red to medium red.  Anything lighter  than this is called Pink Sapphire, but there is no general agreement where exactly the line is to be drawn.
...
.Myanmar (Burma) is said to produce the most valuable rubies of all, pigeon’s blood  color for centuries.Rubies found in Thailand  often have a brown or violet tint. Other deposites of rubies are found in Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Afganistan, Australia,India, Brazil and USA.