Rubies

Ruby
Natural ruby crystals from Winza, Tanzania
General
Category	Mineral variety
Formula (repeating unit)	aluminium oxide with chromium, Al2O3:Cr
Crystal system	Trigonal
Crystal class	Hexagonal scalenohedral (3m) H-M symbol: (3 2/m)
Space group	R3c
Identification
Color	Near colorless through pink through all shades of red to a deep crimson
Crystal habit	Terminated tabular hexagonal prisms.
Cleavage	No true cleavage
Fracture	Conchoidal, splintery
Tenacity	Brittle
Mohs scale hardness	9.0
Luster	Subadamantine, vitreous, pearly (on partings)
Streak	white
Diaphaneity	transparent, translucent
Specific gravity	3.97 – 4.05
Optical properties	Uniaxial -
Refractive index	nω=1.768–1.772 nε=1.760–1.763
Birefringence	0.008
Pleochroism	Strong: purplish-red – orangy-red
Dispersion	0.018
Ultraviolet fluorescence	red under longwave
References

A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is considered one of the four precious stones, together with sapphire, emerald and diamond.

The quality of a ruby is determined by its color, cut, and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value. The brightest and most valuable "red" called blood-red or "pigeon blood", commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. After color follows clarity: similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like rutile inclusions may indicate that the stone has been treated. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and is usually more pink than garnet, although some rhodolite garnets have a similar pinkish hue to most rubies. The world's most expensive ruby is the Sunrise Ruby.

Rubies have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Among the natural gems only moissanite and diamond are harder, with diamond having a Mohs hardness of 10.0 and moissanite falling somewhere in between corundum (ruby) and diamond in hardness. Sapphire, ruby, and pure corundum are α-alumina, the most stable form of Al₂O₃, in which 3 electrons leave each aluminum ion to join the regular octahedral group of six nearby O²⁻ ions; in pure corundum this leaves all of the aluminum ions with a very stable configuration of no unpaired electrons or unfilled energy levels, and the crystal is perfectly colorless.