Two Special Gemstones: Rubies and Sapphires
A mineral called corundum when combined with other elements can create one of three precious gemstones. If these gemstones are red or dark pink they will be called rubies, when they are orange they are called padparadscha (some people might consider them to be rubies, others insists they are sapphire but a growing body of opinion say now that they are another gemstone altogether).
When the gemstone is of any other colour it will be a sapphire. Rubies can be found in several countries, mainly Pakistan and Thailand. Recently a large deposit was discovered under the ice sheet in Greenland. Historically the best and largest rubies have come from Burma now Myanmar, unfortunately the current government has blocked all exports of this gem. Ruby rings are extremely popular and with good reasons too. Rubies are, after diamonds, the hardest gemstones, therefore they are ideal for rings as they do not scratch or damage easily. Also red signifies passion which makes it ideal for engagement rings and if that is not enough, ruby also is the birthstone for July and a ruby is the perfect gemstone for an engagement ring for someone born in that month or a July engagement.
(Extremely rare & valuable 2.34ct certified unheated ruby in the ring above. Appraised in 2010 at $18,550 CAD , it's available only from VIANVI JEWELRY)
The best and most valuable sapphires should be blue or just violet blue, if they have green hues or tones they might lose some value. There are also some very sought after sapphires that are able to change colour with the type of light and orientation. Like rubies, sapphires are extremely hard gemstones that will not get damaged easily. For that reason and also because they are excellent heat conductors, sapphires have several industrial applications, therefore it has made sense to produce synthetic sapphires. While it is easy to judge a sapphire by its colour you will need to be more of an expert to judge it by its cut and origins, therefore unless you are prepared to do a lot of research you are advised to go to a well known store or jeweller to get as much information as possible before you buy any sapphire jewelry.
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