Why Buy a Ruby Engagement Ring
R12546 | medium | play | “Ruby ID: R12546”
Ruby ID: R12546
Weight: 1.06 carats
Origin: Myanmar (formerly Burma)
Rubies are an excellent choice for engagement rings! Aside from red being one of, if not the, most popular colors of all time the world over, they symbolize love, power, passion, and positive energy in general. This meaning is reinforced by using it in an engagement ring.
One of the main reasons we have rings for engagements and weddings, and even secret societies, is because they are round. The circle shape lends itself to the idea of infinity or forever. This is to make your promises hopefully last forever too. So making a promise of love in the form of a ruby engagement ring is very romantic!
Orangish Red
U6671
Ruby ID: U6671
Weight: 0.77 carats
Origin: Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon)
Purplish Red
R4704
Ruby ID: R4704
Weight: 1.76 carats
Origin: Madagascar
Pinkish Red
R7699
Ruby ID: R7699
Weight: 1.38 carats
Origin: Mozambique
Glow
Most people do not realize this, but most rubies actually fluoresce (The scientific term for emitting light under UV light) red under black light. It makes them appear lighter, softer, and more vivid due to the UV component of sunlight. This is caused by chromium, the element that makes them red. Not all rubies will fluoresce under UV, though there is a difference in appearance between rubies with low and with high amounts of iron. High iron rubies will not fluoresce at-all, though they typically have a sharper appearance. Neither appearance is better than the other, and is really a matter of preference when choosing.
Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Mozambique produce most of the fine-quality rubies on the market. Burmese rubies fluoresce due to the fact that they are marble-hosted, and low iron. Mozambique rubies (and most other African rubies in general) are basalt hosted, which means higher iron.
Ruby Durability
Mohs Scale
| Stone | Hardness |
| Diamond | 10 |
| Corundum | 9 |
| Topaz | 8 |
| Quartz | 7 |
| Feldspar | 6 |
| Apatite | 5 |
| Fluorite | 4 |
| Calcite | 3 |
| Gypsum | 2 |
| Talc | 1 |
On a more practical note; rubies are a very good choice for items like rings and bracelets, jewelry items that are more vulnerable to being hit. As they belong to the mineral species corundum, they are overall more durable than other stone options.
Many places cite their hardness on the Mohs scale (second only to diamond) as a measure of durability. This is only partially correct.
Durability is made up of three things: hardness (as stated above), toughness, and stability. Rubies are also very tough, which means resistance to breaking and chipping. They are very stable, which means their color does not fade sunlight and will not chemically react to most things.
Reminder that chemical stability is not an invitation to bleach ruby jewelry. Only use cleaners specifically meant for jewelry, or gentle alternatives like soap and water.
Note that stability is not to be confused with fluorescence, how rubies glow under UV light (including sunlight to a small degree). Fluorescence is a potential property of rubies since some glow and some don’t under UV.
This is completely separate from durability, and is a stable feature that can be used to identify individual rubies in combination with things like inclusion arrangements.
Just like people and relationships, there are no two rubies exactly alike.