Where Are Rubies Found? Amazing Gemstone Facts Revealed For Kids

Rubies derive their name from 'ruber' which is Latin for red and are one of the most valuable and rare gemstones that can be found on Earth!

The natural dazzle of sparkling gemstones has always attracted many admirers, and rubies are no less. Rubies are formed due to the presence of the mineral corundum, which is essentially composed of aluminum and oxygen and is typically colorless.

So you may wonder where rubies get their bright red color from. Well, when the aluminum atoms are replaced by other minerals, the stone takes on different colors. In the case of rubies, the dark blood-red hue is due to the presence of chromium within the host stone. The color of a ruby usually ranges from hues of light pink to blackish dark red.

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Where is ruby most commonly found?

Wondering which countries produce the most number of rubies in the world? Read on to find out!

The finest and most stunning rubies that the world has seen have mostly all been mined in Myanmar. This ruby-making country is the oldest, world's main ruby capital contributing to more than 90% of the world's rubies. The mountainous Mogok Valley in Burma, that is, Upper Myanmar was the leading source of ruby mining in the world. During the 1990s, Mong Hsu in central Myanmar became the world's main mining area for rubies. The most recent deposit of ruby has been found in Namya, situated in the state of Kachin, North Myanmar.

Historically, ruby mining took place in the countries of Thailand, Scotland, Cambodia, Brazil, Australia, Namibia, Japan, India, and Afghanistan. After World War II, a variety of countries including Vietnam, Nepal, Madagascar, Pakistan, and Tajikistan had been found to have precious ruby deposits. Pink sapphires (light shades of the ruby) are commonly mined in Sri Lanka.

Over the recent years, ruby deposits have also been found in the US States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Montana, and Wyoming. Recently, many large ruby deposits have been found in the receding ice shelf of Greenland. In the entire mainland of Europe, the Republic of Macedonia is the only country till now where evidence has been found of the naturally occurring rubies. The Macedonian rubies mined in and around the province of Prilep have a very unique and lovely raspberry color. Tanzania is another nation with an abundance of rubies and newer deposit locations are being discovered still.

What type of rocks are rubies found in?

The gem-quality forms of corundum are generally found in metamorphic rocks (gneiss and schist) and igneous rocks (basalt and/or syenite).

Mining gem conundrums directly from these rocks are extremely expensive and it also results in the breaking of the gems. Although conundrum is a mineral that is resistant to weathering, in most areas, the natural process of weathering and erosion have led to the liberation of these gems from their parent rock and streams have carried them over a very large period of geologic time. Therefore, most ruby deposits are found to be stream sediment deposits. The gravel from these ruby deposits is washed off by hand and this is how the rubies are procured.

Is a ruby more expensive than a diamond?

Rubies are a highly valuable stone and can command exponentially higher prices depending on their rarity, value, and clarity. However, most rubies are less expensive than a diamond of the same size, which makes them a luxurious alternative to a diamond or any other gem of value.

Rubies are regarded as one of the four precious stones, which are the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond. Gem-quality rubies are rarer than diamonds, but based on color diamonds are considered to be rarer. The price of a ruby largely depends on how saturated its enriching red color is besides its cut, clarity, and carat weight.

How can you tell if a ruby is real or synthetic?

Natural rubies are only required to be cut and polished and hence have several impurities and imperfections that may sometimes appear to the naked eye. On the other hand, synthetic rubies are artificially made in laboratories with the desired looks and contain almost negligible impurities. A real ruby glows brilliantly with an opaque or diluted blood-red color, whereas synthetic rubies although vivid, look crystal-like and are not that bright.

Also, quality rubies do not get scratched as they are naturally very hard stones. Only a diamond can scratch a natural ruby. Synthetic rubies can get scratched, and unlike quality rubies, they also leave a trail of red color when scratched against a plain hard surface like a porcelain surface or clear glass.

No wonder this cardinal gem has been heralded for its unmatched beauty since the beginning of eternity.

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