Burma Ruby

 

Burmese Rubies are considered the best, for one simple reason - their color. The most famous localities for Burma Rubies are in the districts around Mogok in northern Burma and at Mong Hsu about 250km east of Mandalay. Burmese Rubies are known for their fine fluorescent red color in any kind of light. The red color of Burma stones is often said, to be pigeon’s blood red. Many of the Rubies are bright red and may contain traces of blue or pink. Burma Rubies are rarely clean and the prices for Burma Ruby are higher than that of Rubies from any other deposits.

 

There are many reasons, but basically it boils down to value and choice...

When buying your gemstone loose instead of a pre-set stone, you can be sure you are getting the best value for your money.  Loose gemstones are less expensive, a better value, and you can really see what you are paying for.  The most important part of getting the right price and finding the best value is to first see what you're getting.  A jewelry setting will hide the inclusions inside a gem, and can deepen or brighten its color.  With a loose stone you can much more easily inspect the gem and see it for what it really is.  In this way you can get a better idea of its true worth and be sure you are paying a fair price.

The second advantage of buying a loose gemstone is choice.  You are free to pick the exact color, cut, shape and variety of the stone for the setting of your dreams, be it yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver; prong set or bezel set.  You can experience the joy of creating your very own, one-of-a-kind jewelry design. Choose from a variety of jewelry settings and styles to create a completely original presentation that will perfectly suit your individual gemstone and will be as unique as you are!

                                                                     

Sapphire and Burma Ruby are both corundum, Sapphires are corundum of all colors except red. Red corundum is called ruby, Burmese ruby comes from Burma. Although pure corundum is colorless, sapphire results from a combination of titanium and iron oxides. Sapphire is one of the most important of all the loose colored gemstones and comes in a wide verity of colors: blue, pink, yellow, green, purple, orange, padparadscha, blue green, lemon yellow, color change, and black color.   With a hardness of 9 on the Moh's scale, loose cut sapphires and rubies are extremely hard tough and durable, they are suitable for use in any kind of jewelry.  Blue, pink and yellow sapphire and Burma Ruby are more familiar and treasured than almost any other gemstone variety.

              

Cut

 

Ovals, rounds, cushions and emeralds are the most common cuts for Burmese ruby, due to the typical shape of sapphire rough. Other popular Burmese ruby shapes include pears, briolettes, hearts and  marquises.  Star rubies are cut into the cabochon shape in order to develop and properly display the star effect.  Fibers or fibrous cavities within a star ruby reflect the light which causes a star to appear within the stone. A six-ray star ruby has three sets of parallel fibers. Skilled cutters can sometimes create a 12-ray star ruby but they are rare.

Treatments

The heating of Burma Rubies and Sapphires is quite common and an accepted enhancement process (when no other color enhancing elements are added) this can improve the transparency and the color of the stones in a natural way. Techniques range from simply throwing gems into a fire to be cooked to employing sophisticated electric or gas furnaces at specific pressures and atmospheric conditions. The treatment of Burma ruby is permanent and heated stones do not require special care. We at AJS Gems, wash and re-cut all our rubies so they have no surface pits filled with any glass-like material (glass fill). We sell only Natural Gemstones.

New treatments which are used to produce blue, pink, orange and yellow sapphire stones are more controversial. This new treatment is a heat-diffusion process which is stable and may or may not completely penetrate the stone. The color is achieved through a process which includes the addition of foreign elements to achieve the desired color alteration. We at AJS Gems will always disclose this treatment.

 

To find a fine red ruby from Mogok that has not undergone high temperature enhancement is to find a truly rare and prized gem indeed...

AJS Gems fully discloses any and all treatments to our gemstones.

Sources

 

 

 

The most famous source of top quality rubies known to mankind is the Mogok Stone tract of Burma (Myanmar). This has remained the world’s premier source of gem grade rubies for over 800 years. While fine examples can be found in Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and a few other sources, none can compare with the purity and intensity of the finest “pigeon blood” rubies of Burma.

About 650 kilometers north of the Burmese capital Rangoon (Yangoon) in the Katha district of Northern Burma, lies a 180 square kilometer zone consisting of heavily jungled hills, several ethnic groups, and what is arguably one of the most picturesque regions in the entire country. For several centuries the region has seen lots more human blood spilt that pigeon’s blood in the quest of the prized “padamya” the Burmese term for ruby.

Other terms for ruby such as the Thai word “taubptim” are also derived from the word for the pomegranate fruit. Traditionally, the Burmese have referred to the finest hue of ruby as “pigeon’s blood” (ko-twe), a term which may be of Chinese origin. Top quality color was described as that of a drop of blood (drawn from an artery) on a highly polished silver plate.

Rubies from Mogok owe their intense beauty to two different optical effects. First is the purity and saturation of the red color common to these rare gems. Second is the often strong flourescent reaction to ultraviolet light which adds a red glow to the gems when viewed in natural light. Put the two together and you have an unbeatable combination of color sources resulting in a glowing red not found elsewhere in nature.

Pigeons Blood Burma Ruby Ring Stone Loose Burma Ruby Burma Ruby for Earrings Burmese Ruby Gemstones Fine Burma Ruby Jewelry Gem

Mythology

The myths, legends, beliefs, superstitions, traditions and symbolism associated with burma ruby and sapphire have been numerous...

Legend has it that the first person to wear Sapphire was Prometheus, the rival of Zeus, who took the gemstone from Cacaus, where he also stole fire from heaven for man.

Known as the "Gem of Heaven", the ancient Persians believed Sapphires were a chip from the pedestal that supported the earth, and that its reflections gave the sky its colors.

Tradition holds that Moses was given the Ten Commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it the most sacred gemstone. Because blue sapphires represent divine favor, they were the gemstone of choice for kings and high priests. The British Crown Jewels are full of large blue sapphires, the symbol of pure and wise rulers.

The guardians of innocence, Sapphires symbolize truth, sincerity and faithfulness, and are thought to bring peace, joy and wisdom to their owners. In ancient times it was believed that when the wearer of a Sapphire faced challenging obstacles, the gem's power enabled them to find the correct solution.

In India it was believed that a Sapphire immersed in water formed an elixir that could cure the bite of scorpions and snakes. Alternatively, if it were worn as a talisman pendant, it would protect the wearer against evil spirits.

The following legend is Burmese in origin and highlights Sapphires‘ connection with faithfulness: “Eons ago Tsun-Kyan-Kse, a golden haired goddess with Sapphire blue eyes, presided lovingly over the temple of Lao-Tsun. Everyday, the temple‘s chief monk Mun-Ha, meditated before the golden goddess accompanied by his devoted companion, a green-eyed cat named Sinh. One day the temple was besieged by a group of terrible outlaws. When they threw Mun-Ha to the floor, Sinh leapt fiercely at the bandits, jumping up on his master‘s chest to protect him. The wrong doers fled screaming in fear, never to return and in gratitude for his courage, the golden goddess awarded Sinh with her Sapphire blue eyes. To this day, Sinh‘s ancestors guard over the temple.” The temple still stands and is populated by Siamese cat‘s with striking blue eyes (typically this breed has green eyes).

For hundreds of years Blue Sapphires were the popular choice for engagement and wedding rings.

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