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PRIMARY: RUBY - "The Queen of all gemstones and the stone of love"

Ruby, the primary July birthstone, is a precious gemstone with a hardness level of 9.0 on Moh's scale. Rubies are among the most celebrated gemstones in history, dating back as far as Biblical times, as they are the most often mentioned precious stone in the Bible. The Sanskrit word for ruby is ratnaraj meaning “king of gemstones.” Even today, a sizable, high-quality ruby is more valuable than any other gemstone.

Technically, ruby is the red form of a very hard mineral (only diamond is harder) called corundum. Only truly red corundum can be called ruby; a stone of any other color must be called sapphire. This is why pink corundum is called pink sapphire instead of pink ruby.

Although deep-red, mostly clear rubies are the most valuable. All natural rubies have some inclusions; a "perfect" ruby is a sign of heat treatment or a synthetic stone. Most of the ruby jewelry in our inventory, besides the birthstone earrings are Harem or Argold pieces, although some additional vendors have been known to use a small ruby as an accent stone, too.

Alternate: Carnelian - "The stone of ambition and drive"

Carnelian, the alternate July birthstone, is an ornamental gemstone with a hardness level between 6.0 and 7.0. Carnelian is an orange-red member of the chalcedony family, opaque or sometimes even a bit translucent. Since hot wax does not stick to it, carnelian was a favorite in olden days for signet rings.