Rubies which are darker and have purple hues are less valuable than with a bright, red color. Corundum attributes its red color mainly to chromium. Ruby is a red precious stone it is made of the mineral corundum. “Sapphire” has originated from a Latin word, “saphirus,” meaning blue. The name “ruby” has originated from the Latin word, “rubeus,” meaning red. What most people do not know is that they are made of the same mineral called corundum. This is the basic difference between sapphires and rubies. In the 1880's, French jewelers called the ruby the gem of gems or the dearly loved stone.People who know about gemstones know that a sapphire is blue in color and a ruby is red. A red jewel stone meant he was a key figure among the great. In China, a Mandarin's rank was indicated by the color of the stone in his ruby ring. Elaborate ruby earrings have been a popular jewelry choice in India for centuries. Hindus consider light colored rubies to be appropriate for women, and darker rubies to be appropriate for men.

In India, those who donated rubies to honor Krishna were assured being reborn as an emperor in a future life.

Much like today's exclusive county clubs and their upper-class clientele, no inferior Ruby was allowed contact with a superior one because it was believed the inferior one would contaminate the better one, thereby diminishing its magical powers. Rubies were sorted into upper class, middle class, and lower class in terms of flawlessness and beauty. They used to divide rubies into castes, much like social classes. The Hindus called the ruby the king of precious stones and the leader of gems. The Indians call the ruby Ratnanayaka, the lord of the gemstones. 'A drop of the heart's blood of Mother Earth'' is how the ruby is described in the Orient.

Ruby sapphire stone