Ruby: July’s Birthstone
July’s birthstone is the ruby. Rubies are one of the hardest known minerals. With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, it is only softer than a diamond. Rubies are known for their beautiful red color. A ruby is a variety of the mineral corundum.
The photo on the left shows corundum ruby in its rough form.Rubies have a glassy luster which makes them shiny. Rubies are most commonly used 
for jewelry. The ring shown in the photo on the right shows a large ruby flanked by smaller diamonds. Rubies are commonly mined in Myanmar, Thailand, Kenya, the United States, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. In 2005, a 440 carat ruby was discovered and thought to be one of the largest gems found to date.
Fun Fact: The gemstone sapphire is also a variety of corundum and comes in many colors, except for red.
Filed under: Geology / Earth Science, Minerals on July 16th, 2009
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