Ruby and diamond ring

Rubies have always been one of the most sort after gemstones of them all.

The distinction between rubies and sapphires is commonly made, though I’ll let you in on a little secret.

Rubies are actually red sapphires. Rubies and sapphires are the same thing!

A ruby is a sapphire that has a red color.

Sapphires are made of the mineral called corundum (aka aluminum oxide).

Rubies are also made of the mineral corundum. The red color in rubies is caused by natural chromium impurities.

That means that sapphires and rubies are the same, with rubies simply also having chromium which causes the red color.

Red ruby and diamond pendant

Red rubies, aka red sapphires are very hard gemstones. They have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of gemstone hardness. That makes rubies and sapphires second only to diamonds as the hardest natural gemstones and natural substances in the world.

This special hardness property of rubies makes them especially suited to jewelry, especially for dress rings , engagement rings , pendants and earrings.

Where does the name ruby come from? The name Ruby comes from the latin word ruber, meaning red.

Red ruby and diamond pendant