Emerald

EMERALDSTONE

What exactly are Emeralds? The word Emerald is derived from the Greek word "Smaragdos" which means "green stone" reflecting the color of the emerald. It was believed that there was nothing in nature to equal its color and brilliancy and it was an old Hebrew belief that if a serpent fixed its eye upon the lustre of this stone it would become blind. By weight the emerald is the most valuable gemstone in the world.

Who first beholds the light of day
In spring's sweet, flower month of May
And wears an Emerald all her life
Shall be a loved and a loving wife.

Labels: facts about gems

Ruby

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. The ruby is considered one of the four precious stones, together with the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond.

The Mogok Valley in Upper Myanmar (Burma) was for centuries the world's main source for rubies. That region has produced some of the finest rubies ever mined, but in recent years very few good rubies have been found there. The very best color in Myanmar rubies is sometimes described as "pigeon's blood." In central Myanmar, the area of Mong Hsu began producing rubies during the 1990s and rapidly became the world's main ruby mining area. The most recently found ruby deposit in Myanmar is in Namya (Namyazeik) located in the northern state of Kachin.

Rubies have historically been mined in Thailand, the Pailin and Samlout District of Cambodia, Burma, India, Afghanistan and in pakistan. In Sri Lanka, lighter shades of rubies (often "pink sapphires") are more commonly found. After the Second world war ruby deposits were found in Tanzania, Madagascar, Vietnam, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.

Labels: facts about gems