РефератыИностранный языкRuRubies Essay Research Paper The ruby has

Rubies Essay Research Paper The ruby has

Rubies Essay, Research Paper


The ruby has been admired by man throughout he ages. It has been coveted for it’s


captivating color and rarity. It is made of surprisingly simple elements, and can be


found mostly in southern Asia. It has been a symbol of love since ancient times, and is


still highly prized and very expensive today.


The ruby is a made of corundum, which is a mineral form of aluminum oxide. It


comes in all shades of red, including pink. Sapphires are also made of corundum, and


include nearly all colors of the spectrum, (most famously blue), except of course for red.


The red color of the ruby is caused by trace amounts of the element chromium. Ruby


has a hardness of 9 on Mho’s scale, making it the hardest mineral second only to


diamonds. This hardness makes it a very durably stone and therefore excellent for


jewelry. It may also be used in drills the same way a diamond is, or as an abrasive, but


it is actually much rarer than the diamond, and therefore more expensive, often making


this application rather impractical. Ruby forms a trigonal crystal system, and has no


cleavage but some basal parting. It’s fracture is considered to be uneven to conchodial


and it’s luster is glassy. If exposed to a high temperature, it will turn green, but regains


it’s original color once it is cooled. When subjected to radiation or UV light, ruby


phosphoresces with a vivid red glow. One rare form of the ruby is the star ruby. The


property it exhibits (when cut properly) is called asterism. A six-rayed star can be seen


inside of the stone. The star is best visible when the stone is illuminated by a single


light source, and will move across the stone as the light is moved. This effect is caused


by light reflecting off of tiny rutile needles called “silk” which are oriented along the


crystal faces. These stones are very highly prized.


The most famous source of rubies is Burma, India, which is now called


Myanmar. These rubies tend to have a strong fluorescence when exposed to UV rays.


Thailand is also a significant source of rubies. Over 80% over the world’s rubies pass


through Thailand at some point in the trading cycle. The rubies mined from Thailand


tend to be a darker red, and are popular here in the U.S. Chanthaburi has the world’s


largest ruby cutting factories, and Bangkok is generally where the world’s buyers go to


purchase rubies. In 1992 a new ruby mine was found in Vietnam. The quality of these


stones is comparable to those in Myanmar, and it is believed that this mine may simply


be a continuation of the deposit in India. Rubies have also been found in Madagascar,


Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, Kampuchea, and even


North Carolina.


The ru

by has been admired by man since Biblical times. It has been said to be


the most precious of the twelve stones that God created at the time of Creation, and


that this “lord of gems” was placed on Aaron’s neck by God’s command. The Bible


says that “Wisdom is more precious than rubies”, which shows that they were


considered to be very valuable. The intensity of the color of a ruby can be like that of a


glowing coal, and was probably the most intensely colored object early man ever saw.


They saw them as continually burning fires that never went out, and considered them to


have magical powers. Colored stones have been a symbol of love since ancient Egypt.


Ruby, the color of the heart, has historically symbolized love, passion, virility, and


sexual desire. Rubies have also been a cause for greed and even warfare. The British


took over Burma during the mid-1800s in the third Burmese campaign when they heard


that the French were about to sign for exclusive mining rights of the ruby mines there.


They then, of course, had control of the rubies. Rubies became very popular again in


modern times when the Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was auctioned in April


of 1996. The ruby was one of her favorite gemstones, and she wore it as a bold symbol


of her strong personality. 1996 was declared the year of the ruby by the International


Colored Gemstone Association, the non-profit organization that represents the


world-wide gemstone industry. 1996 was also the year that the mine in Vietnam was


discovered.


As I said before, rubies are rarer and more expensive than diamonds. Today it


costs about $120 for a one carat and $7200 for a three carat stone. I visited Fred


Seufert’s Jewelers in Greenwich, CT. The owner, Fred, is a friend of mine. He showed


me a 14K gold ring that had and emerald-cut 1.0 CT ruby set in it, with two tiny


diamonds on either side. (The diamond weight totaled 0.28 CTTW). The ring was


prong set and cost $655.00.


In conclusion, these gems, although quite overpriced in my opinion, are very


beautiful. I can understand why mankind has been captivated by their beauty for so


long. It is amazing how nature can create such wonderful beauty from three simple


elements; aluminum, oxygen, and chromium. Their popularity, fueled by their rarity and


symbolism, has continued for literally thousands of years, and I am sure that it will


continue for thousands to come.


BIBLIOGRAPHY


1.1999-2000 Encyclopedia Britannica.com Inc.


2. The War of the Rubies by David Federman, taken from Modern Jeweler on


www.gemstone.org


3. Red-hot Ruby Adds Passion to Jewelery from www.gemstone.org


5. The Cambridge Guide To Minerals and Fossils by Bishop, Woolley, Hamilton

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