DISCOVER LIFE'S PRECIOUS GEMS!

Happy July, Everyone!

To me, July signifies the birth of our nation (July 4^th) and warm weather. July is also the month of two “warm” astrological signs ruled by two very different heavenly bodies.  The warm, sensitive and nurturing Cancers are ruled by the Moon and the warm, proud and sunny disposition Leos are ruled by the Sun.

The birthstone for July is the stone with whom many folks are familiar: Red Corundum.  What? You have never heard of red corundum?  How about it’s more familiar name… RUBY?  More on that strange sounding name later.

Rubies have been around for a very long time and were revered by many ever since.  Rubies were considered the king of the gemstones. The Greeks considered rubies to be the mother of all gemstones and the Romans referred to rubies as the flower among stones. Rubies were believed to resist dis-eases and provide protection from infections. Many believed that rubies instilled manhood and nobility in men and passion and power in women.

Rubies and Sapphires are siblings in the mineral kingdom.  Both of these precious stones belong to the “corundum” family. The word corundum is derived from the Indian name “kuruntam” and the Sanskrit term “kuruvinda” which both mean “ruby.”  Ruby comes from the Latin words “ruber” and “rubeus” which mean red. Corundums are very hard minerals (number  #9 on the Moh’s hardness scale)  below diamonds, the hardest mineral.  However, diamonds are 4 times harder than corundums.

Rubies are known as red corundums, sapphires are blue (and other colors besides red) and lesser known padparadscha are pinkish orange corundums.  Corundums (Al2O3) are aluminum oxide minerals (aluminum and oxygen) which usually contain minute amounts of iron, titanium and chromium. Corundum in its natural state is clear. The red coloring of rubies is due to the trace amounts of chromium.

Ruby is a stone that is often cut, polished and heat treated before being made into fine jewelry: earrings, rings, brooches, etc.  However, ruby in its natural state has a completely different look.  I love to see the expression on people’s faces when I discreetly pull a raw ruby out of my bra and ask them if they can identify the stone.  After a few moments of staring (mostly from the disbelief of what they just saw), I tell them that it is ruby. What follows is pretty much consistent.  “That is ruby?”  I smile and say, “You’d never know. Yet, if someone were wearing red earrings or a ring with a red stone, you would probably guess that it was ruby.”

Raw rubies usually have a very dark red (almost brownish) appearance while polished rubies are often a vibrant dark burgundy”ish” red.  All rubies have natural imperfections as a result of other minerals, including needle like inclusions of rutile (titanium dioxide). Actually, the lack of rutile inclusions is what enables gemologists to determine the real rubies from synthetics.  Before being made into jewelry, rubies are often heat treated to remove the rutile and other impurities, making it more transparent.

Rubies provide warmth (like the month of July), love, happiness, sexual energy, sensitivity in a relationship, power and wealth. The intense energy of ruby can amplify and increase our positive and negative emotions (ie: love, passion, jealousy, joy, enthusiasm, bliss and impatience). It’s intense energy stimulates our motivation and can bring about revelations and visualizations.

Rubies are associated with the root chakra (reproduction and removing sexual blockages) and the heart chakra (our emotions and love of our self and others). Rubies can open up our heart chakra and strengthen our heart physically and emotionally. These red beauties encourage spirituality, rev up our passion, sensuality and sex appeal and bring enthusiasm back to our love life. Be careful not to employ rubies for the use of controlling or pressuring others for love as it can backfire on the user.

Like other red stones, rubies emit an energizing and stimulating energy and help combat exhaustion. They symbolize our life force, strength, stamina and vitality. Rubies benefit our circulatory system, immune system and low blood pressure and help reduce cholesterol, blood clots and infections. They are also a good blood detoxifier. Rubies are also believed to have a positive effect on eye infections.

The energy of rubies can be strong and intense, so we should only call on rubies when we are in a productive mood.  Otherwise, rubies can prevent us from relaxing and sleeping..

Rubies bestow us with courage, wisdom, confidence, creativity, leadership qualities and the ability to prevail over challenges. Rubies encourage us to follow our dreams and gain knowledge from our experiences.. The intensity from rubies can evoke up some angry and negative responses from us if we aren’t careful.

Since rubies are associated with fame, success, invulnerability and protection, rubies can benefit those in many professions: politicians, spiritualists, inventors, engineers, electricians, chemists, doctors, medical field personnel, mathematicians, astronomers, researchers, writers, publishers and athletes.

Rubies have been found primarily in Burma (Myanmar), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Madagascar, Nepal, Kenya  and Sri Lanka. Rubies have also been mined in three U.S. states:  North Carolina, South Carolina and Montana.