A ruby is basically a
gemstone - there are other uses of the word ruby ,
sometimes of high value, sometimes not, used in all
kind of jewelry, like a ring, earring, bracelet,
engagement ring, necklace, rubies and
diamond
ring, pendant,
gemstones, gold
ring, bracelets and many other variants.
There are
also synthetic rubies used as fake items and for
industrial purposes such as bearings for watches,
base for red laser light and more.
Burma gemstones
such as ruby, sapphire, jade and other gems made the country world famous on the
"gemstone radar".
Ruby
jewelry are also very popular as a gift,
engagement rings, for anniversary, wedding gifts and so on.
Most precious stones come from the area around
Mogok which
is a real Myanmar ruby land.
When having a look for the
Burmese rubies pictures below you will see how they are
mined and how this precious stones look like. In the area around the Chanthargyi Pagoda in
Mogok a small hill provides a great panorama of the
town, lake and the surrounding hills, other mining
areas are Madagascar and Sri Lanka, among other.
The red stones are very
popular but the country has lost quite a bit of the
trade since there is a total lack of
sophisticated mining. To mine Myanmar rubies
everything is still done the traditional way as it was done since
hundreds of years ago. Little
investment is made into mining since all this is
tightly controlled by the government to get their
share of the precious gems.
Mogok in
central Myanmar
is the centre of
Burmese rubies mining, stones with a "Pigeon's
blood" color and good clarity are the most
valuable. The precious
stones have
been found there for about 800 years. The area is
also well known as a source of sapphires which may be violet, green,
yellow or orange in addition to the
usual deep blue. Star sapphire and
star ruby,
reflecting a six-pointed star in the light, are
particularly attractive.
They are
mined via open mining or tunnel mining,
lots of deposits are there but the mined
stones get smaller and smaller. Precious
stones from the
Mogok
area are the finest that were ever mined, the
most valuable known as the pigeon's
blood ruby, they also have very distinctive
hair like inclusions named "Shu Taings"
which
give them a
particular
signature.
There are a few
famous stones, dug up in
recent times, in
1984 a 5.5 carat big
ruby was
found, the stone is
very valuable
because almost
flawless which is
rather seldom. In
April 1990 another
big Myanmar ruby with
9.25 carat was
discovered at the Pyinlon mine tract
at Mogok, named
"Crown of Nawarat".
Another
Myanmar ruby
with 504
carats was
found at Mogok in
early 1990. This
hexagonal shaped
natural stone was
later cut and
polished, after it
still had 495
carats. This mineral
is kept in the
Museum in Yangon. The
biggest red gem
was found in Kin
village at Mogok
county in 1996 with
a weight of 21450
carat.
Before the British
conquered Burma the
"Ngamauk Ruby" was
the crown jewel of
several
Big Ruby
Burma Ruby
Burmese
Kings, one British military
stole the precious item in
1885 and it disappeared, it
was probably recut. Mogok
came onto the "gemstone
radar" in 1207 AD, the
county was part of the
kingdom of a Shan Sabwa when
the first red stones were found.
Burmese
rubies
have some distinctive
characteristics, one of them
is reflection, another are
particular inclusions. In
the same layer of earth
garnet and red spinel are
also found. Although at a
first glance all three look
very similar but observing
the stone in bright light
the color change from
light red to dark red which
is physically a double
refraction the other two
don't have because of the
different crystal structure.
But its not easy to find
that out if one is not a
real specialist. The best
example is, in the crown
jewels of the British Queen
is a spinel which was
thought is a Myanmar ruby when they
were made.
at
Mogok
is operated by a mixture of
all tribes and ethnic groups
of Myanmar, there are Lisus, Shans, Gurkhas,
Kachins, Bamars, Chinese, Shan, try
their luck in the gemstone business, some were lucky in the past to find
natural gems and got a lot of
dollars for it, that the stuff legends are
made from, more.
However, because of the
constant mining over several
hundreds of years and over
exploitation, the quality
stones that were
once abundant in Myanmar are
not so many anymore, there
are still plenty of small
red stones but quality
stones bigger than around 7
mm became very rare. Actually
another reason for
this is the lack of
investment into new mining
technology due to a lack of
funds, this might change now
(2012). More
called the
King of gemstone and it has some true since if
the ruby has the right color and a perfect cut it is
a real beautiful piece of gemstone.
Perhaps no gemstone has been as prized
throughout time. Celebrated in the Bible and in
ancient Sanskrit writings as the most precious of
all gemstone, they have adorned emperors and
kings.
This stone is the red
variety of corundum, a sister of
Sapphire.
Like Sapphire, Ruby is measured 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it the second
hardest material known after diamonds.
They also have been used as a
talisman against danger,
disaster, to stop bleeding, and a
number of other ailments. Its
intense color was thought to come
from an undying flame inside the
stone; or, as some
legends would have it, a piece of
planet Mars.
A ruby gemstone and cut and
polished
in general have symbolized passion and romance
for centuries. The gemstone is also the birthstone for month of
July, and it is recommended for married couples
celebrating their 15th and 40th wedding anniversary.
Also the Myanmar ruby color of blood, the stone is symbolic of
courage and bravery. Warriors were said to have
implanted them under their skin to bring them
valor in battle and make them invincible read
more.
The most valuable
come from Myanmar,
but they are mined
throughout
Southeast Asia. Good quality
gemstones also come from
Thailand,
but what is called Thai ruby is almost all
the time from across the border, means is
smuggled in.
Sri Lanka, Vietnam
and Madagascar is also becoming more important as
a source. Unfortunately most of them from
Africa have inclusions that diminish
their transparency and value. However, the East
African stones are displayed to full advantage in
cabochon cuts and have done well in the mass
jewelry
market. Meanwhile,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia
have all produced occasional top
quality gemstone, but the rough
terrain in these areas has made
mining difficult. The most important
factor to consider when purchasing
the red gemstone is its color. It
comes in a variety of shades ranging
from purplish-red and bluish- red to
orange-
red. Like
Sapphires, there is
also a translucent variety of ruby called star ruby
that display
a six pointer star when in a smooth domed Cabochon
cut.
The
best
ruby gemstone
has intensely saturated, pure red
with no overtones of brown or blue. After color, the
factors that influence value are clarity, cut and
size, stones with no visible
inclusions are more valuable than those with visible
internal flaws.
Burmese rubies are available
easy in sizes up to 2
carats, because of their intense color and
durability, they make excellent jewelry stones.
Larger
sizes are available, but top quality stones are much
more
Burmese rubies
at Chanthaburi
Burmese Rubies
Chanthaburi
Raw stones at Chanthaburi
Rubies and Sapphires Cabochon
rare and
some even more valuable than colorless diamonds,
particularly in sizes above 5 carats. For instance,
a 16 carats gemstone sold at auction for more than
$200,000at Sotheby's in 1988. In May 1995, a 27.37
carats Burmese ruby ring sold for 4 million dollars
at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, an
astounding $146,145 per carat.
In contrast,
none of the D-color, internally flawless
diamonds over 50 carats sold in the last
decade can match this value per carat.
Most gems end up in
Chanthaburi, the gem
capital of Thailand and south
east Asia and Bangkok to be resold or manufactured into
ruby jewelry. Rubies are rarely
found perfect in nature, which is why
many are heat treated to intensify or
lighten their color or improve their
clarity, heat enhancement is permanent. Some rubies also have
cracks and cavities that are
filled with glass like materials to improve
their appearance. This filler may break,
fall or wear out over time if exposed to
heat, abrasives or an impact.
for both treated or untreated stones, best cleaning method is just use soapy
water and a
brush, more.
More on
Jewelry here.
Myanmar,
Madagascar plus Bangkok and
Chanthaburi in Thailand are some of
the places where raw rubies can
be bought at a gemstone
market. Markets are in Myanmar
either at Mogok where the mines are
or at the Bogyoke Market in Yangon.
At Bogyoke Market
every day lots of gem dealers offer rubies
and sapphires just out from the pocket. At the open
Bogyoke Market a gemstone shouldn't be
bought by foreigners since nobody know where to go after the
buyer maybe find out that the value is not
as good as promised, maybe heat treated, who
knows.
On top of it if you want to export
the ruby you need a official paper and this
is only available from a licensed dealer.
Actually this is somehow similar
Rubies in crystal,
Ruby pictures, gemstone
rubies
Bogyoke Market Jewelry Necklaces
at Bogyoke Market
to Sri Lanka,
Madagascar and elsewhere. Sapphire are
physically the same mineral as a
ruby only with a different
color. Many ruby of Birma or Burma find
their way to
Thailand
and in particular to
Bangkok and
Chanthaburi.
Chanthaburi
is also a gemstones marketplace. Myanmar also has a small
production of
diamonds.
If you are
interested in ruby jewelry,
ring,
necklace, pendant, engagement rings
or bracelet and don't have enough money available you
could also buy a deep red spinel necklace or
other spinel jewelry, a spinel looks almost similar
like a
ruby. Naturally Burmese ruby is the real
red stuff. Auction are done
twice per year at the Yangon emporium. If
you ask yourself quality rubies comes from where?
the answer is always it's Myanmar, read
more.
is a variant of the mineral
corundum, like sapphire.The difference between a sapphire and
a ruby is the color.
A corundum mineral in red is a ruby,
any other color it's a sapphire. The
birthstone for the month of July is ruby and
together with sapphire,
emerald and
diamond, this is one of the four very
precious stones.
The old Romans gave the ruby's name
in Latin, it's ruber which which
means red. Currently about 70 % of
the world's production come from Myanmar
or Burma. But there is a new "ruby
kid in the block" its Madagascar.
With the help of Thai investors
Madagascar is quickly becoming a
major player in worlds market, since
the main Myanmar production
facilities Mogok sees no investment into
sophisticated mining. Mogok still
produces the most valuable and rare
ruby called 'pigeon's blood' ruby.
Due to no investment the working
conditions in Mogok's mines are not
the best but in Madagascar
its even worst.
Other
mining
is going on in Vietnam,
Thailand,
Sri
Lanka
and as mentioned before Madagascar,
they have been known
and high valued since the
antique.
Words about them are
in the bible and also India
has a long tradition of ruby
appreciation.
They are real hard stuff, only
diamonds beat them in hardness.
Ruby-tipped blades for the cutting
of other very hard materials takes
this into account, but most of these
applications
use synthetic
stones. Synthetic stones are also
used for jewelry, and make a more
affordable choice, so, watch out.
Colors
clarity and size are the determining
factor of value. Less priced
precious stones are used in less
expensive jewelry, they are more
opaque. Real
high quality gems are very rare,
even more rare than diamonds,
especially stones that are over 3
carats in weight. A variation of
gemstone almost identical to ruby is spinel it
comes in lots of colors, most
popular is red.
These stones can be
found in the same locations as
authentic ruby, and one of the few
ways to tell the difference between
the stones is by testing its
hardness, a ruby is much harder.
The real difference between ruby
and sapphire are traces of
chromium,
which produce the red ruby color.
A star
ruby
is a
very special Myanmar ruby, this
amazing six rays and even up to 12
rays are something real
unique, actually its the same with
sapphires which are the same
minerals only with a different color. Many
beautiful pieces of Burmese rubies
jewelry are made with synthetic
stones this
days, or gemstone looking similar
- such as spinel, because it becomes
more and more difficult to find real
good minerals.
On the other
hand synthetic stones are very clear
and have no inclusions, since almost
all genuine rubies have some
inclusions or at least small flaws
in them it is a good indicator if it
is a natural ruby or from the lab.
Inclusions naturally always affect
the price
along with other factors such as the
depth of the red color, the cut and
the carat size of the mineral. Many
times other stones like red spinel,
red tourmaline and red garnet are
used instead of rubies, since they
look very similar to a untrained
eye. It needs a thorough gemological
Burmese Rubies, Star Ruby.
Burmese rubies
check of any ruby
jewelry
before you purchase it,
since all other red precious stones are
worth much less than a genuine ruby.
Buying
gemstones, raw at Chanthaburi or directly from the
jewelry shop in Myanmar will come with a
certification and a official invoice -
no credit cards - to be presented to custom
at leaving Burma, that means it is very
unlikely you will be cheated with a false
ruby. It is possible to hire a ruby expert to go with
you on a shopping tour, use the contact for
info.
In terms of hardness, the diamond is on
top with a mohs scale of 10 while the ruby's
hardness is 9. In 1960 Theodore Maiman
has successfully made the first laser and
this laser was based on a ruby which opened
up a whole new field of technical
applications, but this has been
taken over by synthetic stones with similar
properties than natural rubies but much
cheaper. A Ruby gemstone can be found at internet shops,
jewelry shops and jewelry auctions and gem
stores.
and your
budget is not big enough for of authentic
pigeon's blood
ruby jewelry,
acceptable substitutes and synthetic
replacements are easy to find and you can be
almost sure no one will see the difference
anyway since most synthetic rubies cannot be
distinguished from their genuine
counterparts unless a expert is looking at
them. The probability to get cheated with
false stones and/or heat treated stones is
very high in Thailand. However its turned or
twisted they are some of the
most popular gemstone in the world. The
color ranges from pink to pigeon
blood, this color is the most valuable, they belong to the mineral group corundum
which is also the mineral group for another
popular gemstone,
Myanmar Ruby
Jewelry
the
sapphire. As with other gemstone,
there are different factors to
determining the price and quality. Prices are
determined by color and clarity and
size.
With ruby
jewelry
the more saturated the red and more
clearer the ruby is, the higher the
price will be. The other
factors are the cut and size
/ weight in carat, this are the
parameter to determine the rings,
pendant, earrings, bracelets and
other ruby jewelry.But
however it
is twisted
and turned a
top quality
stone is
almost
Myanmar Ruby
Jewelry
Bangles
always a
Myanmar ruby and some of them
fetched higher prices than
comparable diamonds. It is
somehow common to make great
ruby diamond jewelry since
the ruby won't sparkle, the
diamond does, and that is an
ideal combination.
Color
range of rubies is from brownish red
to light red but most rubies
have a slight blue tendency.
The stones fluorescence
under the right light, this
is because of different
density with natural and
synthetic stones which again
is a good indicator what is
good and no good.
