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Ruby
The ruby is a red corundum. The chemical formula is Al2O3. The ruby is the most expensive
precious stone of the world. The ruby, the diamond, the sapphire and the emerald are the first class of precious stones.
Rubies are brown-red, red and pink-red. The color is caused by admixtures of chromium oxide. Because of their color they are often mixed up with spinels which are much cheaper.
The best rubies are in Burma, but there are also rubies in Thailand and Sri Lanka. On the Mohs' hardness scale, which starts with 1 and ends with 10, rubies has got the hardness
9. Mankind know rubies very long so there exist stories about the magical effect of rubies. Some of these stories tells us bad things about rubies. Some stories for example say that rubies kill their owner. The reason is probable that rubies look
very serectful and mystical. Another important thing for precious stones is the carat. It is another thing than with gold.
When we talk about precious stones 1 carat are 200 mg, so 1 g are 5 carats.
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Data about the Ruby
| | Chemical formula |
Al2O3 |
|---|
| Mineral class |
oxides |
|---|
| Crystal system |
trigonal |
|---|
| Hardness |
9 |
|---|
| Density |
3.5 g/cm3 to 4 g/cm3 |
|---|
| Color |
brown-red, red, pink-red |
|---|
| Line color |
white |
|---|
| Gloss |
glass gloss |
|---|
| Break |
shell |
|---|
| Fissileness |
perfectly |
|---|
Author and Webmaster: Lukas Czarnecki
If you have got questions about ruby you can send me an e-mail under the following adress:
webmaster@hpwt.de
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Last Update: 03.11.2004
