July Birthstone

July Gemstone: Ruby
July Birthstone Color: Red 

History of ruby
The ruby is one of the most highly valued of all gems. Ancient Hindus referred to it as "the king of gems," and royalty used ruby to ward off evil because it was believed to have magical powers. One such magical power was that the ruby would get darker in the presence of evil and lighter when the evil was gone—but only if possessed by its rightful owner.

All colors of corundum except red are called sapphires, which has created a controversy on the boundary between ruby and sapphire in shades of pink corundum. In 1991 the Convention of the International Colored Gemstone Association has passed a resolution: All shades of red should be called ruby because it is too difficult to delineate the different shades of red and pink. In practice the pink stones are known as well as pink ruby / pink sapphire. The most traditional source of fine rubies is Burma now called Myanmar. Rubies of these mines have sometimes color legend purest, described as "pigeon blood". Some fine rubies from Thailand can compete with the Burmese but they generally tend to be darker, with more than a hint of dark purple than pink as the Burmese. Thailand is the most important place of trade in rubies. Nearly 90% of the ruby world spends at one time or another trading. Size industries are located in the region of Chanthaburi. Since two new deposits have been discovered in Vietnam and Madagascar. The most important factor in the value of a ruby is color. The finest qualities are of the purest red.