Scientific Name: Red/pink variety of corundum
Group: Oxides
Chemical composition: Al2O3
Colors: Red – pink color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium
Hardness: 9
Formation: Hexagonal – trigonal crystal; pyramidal, prismatic barrel-shape form
Principal Sources: Thailand; Myanmar, Sri Lanka; Afghanistan; Madagascar; Vietnam; Cambodia; North Carolina, Montana, USA
Special Notes: The ruby is considered one of the four precious stones, together with the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Blue varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. It was believed by ancient Hindu and Burmese miners that colorless or pale pink sapphires were rubies that had not completely ripened.