Birthstone month: July
Color: Red
Family: Corundum
Moh's Hardness: 9
Transparency: Transparent
Rubies are part of the corundum family, and are, in fact, simply red sapphires. Sapphires come in every color, but red sapphires are differentiated as rubies. They are brilliant red in color, with the highest quality stones leaning slightly towards purple-red. Corundum that is a paler red, leaning towards pink, is sometimes classified as a pink sapphire, instead of as ruby. The determination is often at the discretion of the dealer.
Most natural rubies have some kind of inclusion, often displayed as a milky or "silk" look from overlapping needle inclusions. This often lends a softly glowing, luminous pink tint to naturally mined rubies.
I love the rich, deep color of ruby so much, I chose one for my own engagement ring!
xo,
Christine
Sources:
Ruby Gemstone | Ruby Stone - GIA, www.gia.edu/ruby