The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-03-20
RAREST OF GEMS.
1T is THE ORIENTAL, OR PIG
EON'S BLOOD RUBY.
How Rubies Are Found in Bur
ma and Othe. Parts Of
Asia--King Theebau's
Jars OF Gems.
T THE true or oriental ruby is
the &c, of gems. and ex-

G even the diamond, SAYS the
Popular Science News But to give it
this great value its color must be of
that peculiar shade of red called
pigeons blood" which is a pure,
deep, rich red, without tinge of
blue or yellow. And when of this
deep, rich red the ruby is a magnifi-
cent and respondent gem, which the
anclents gave heaven-born origin by
myth representing that it drops in
blood-red crystals from the clouds
amid the flashes of lightning.
In the language of gems the ruby is
the emblem of elegance and beauty.
By the ancients it was also considered
to possess the power to correct evil,
resulting from mistaken friendship,
and to reveal poison; and in tia
middle ages it was regarded as an
amulet, protecting against the plague,
sadness, evil thoughts, wicked spirits
i'll health, danger and death.
The oriental ruby. the oriental
sapphire, the oriental amethyst, the
oriental emerald and the oriental
aquamarine are all corundum or pure
alumina, having the same form OF
crystalliZation, like composition, and
the same hardness. They are all,
therefore, the same mineral, and diff
ference in color is the only reason for
changing its name, in calling the blue
ruby sapphire, the green ruby an
emerald, and the purple ruby all
amethyst.
Rubies are usually found in as
ISOLATION with sapphires, topazes,
zircons, rutile, magnetic iron and
gold. The crystals of the gem are
sometimes found perfect, tapering at
each end. but more often abraded or
rounded; while frequently various
colors in bands extend across the
prism of the crystal, as when both
ends of the crystal are white and the
center red, or the reverse, or when
any one of the colors is replaced by
yellow or even black. These gems ara
usually obtained from layers OF earth
or river beds and streams, near crys-
taliine rocks, such rs gneiss, mica,
slate and granite. Rubies are found
in Farther India, in the kingdom of
Ava, in Siam, and in the Capelau
Mountains, in Pegu. They also occur
in Ceylon, at Hohenstein, on the Elbe.
in the Rhine and Danube, in Australia,
and in the rivers Auvergne and Iser,
in Bohemia.
The ruby mines of Burma, from
whence for ages the finest rubies have
been obtained, are situated about
seventy miles from Msndalay, and ex-
tend over an area of hundred square
miles. For centuries this district has
been regarded by the natives with a
reverence almost approaching venera-
ton, and no stranger has ever been
permitted to approach the mines
where the precious stones are OBJ
tanned. All that is known of them is
that they are worked by sinking pits
in the earth until the ruby-bearing
stratum is reached, which varies in
depth from two to twenty feet These
mines produce annually vast quanti-
ties of rubies and sapphires, besides
oriental amethysts and topazes, to-
gether with chrysoberyls and spinal
rubies. For centuries these mines
were regarded as the special appanaga
of the crown, and one of the highest
priced titles of the King of Burma was
s.Lord of the Rubies. Though the
Government did not work these mines,
but leased them at monthly rental,
yet it reserved for the royal treasury
all stones that were worth more than
fifty dollars, thereby giving the King
almost monopoly of the ruby fields,
for it is only very small rubies that
are worth less than this sum.
Though the superintendent closely
watched The miners, many large stones
were carried away by stealth, and
again, when a ruby or a sapphire worth
more than $50 was discovered, the
finder, in order to be able to retain
the gem, broke it in twain, and thus
many fine stones we're ruined. When
an unusually large and fine ruby was
found, procession of grandees with
.oldiers and elephants was sent to
bring it to tine royal treasury. When
the late King Theebau wished to i'm
press a visit with his immense
wealth, he conducted him into his
treasury and permitted him to thrust
his arm into the great jars of rubies
and sapphires which stood in rows
around the apartment. In this collec-
ton, the rarest and finest in the
world, were many gems of almost
priceless value. When Theebau abdi-
Gated the throne he took with him
many rare and beautiful gems, but
most of the jars of rubies and sapphires
were looted during the interregnum
that followed the sovereign's depar-
ture. The rubies from Ceylon, though
not found in as large quantities as
those IN Burma, are very fine, and are
discovered In river beds and large
streams.
The oriental or true ruby is often
COMPOUNDED with the spinel ruby,
which is an inferior and entirely diff
ferent gem, containing about twenty
eight per cent. of magnesis. These
stones are often sold through error, or
with the intention to defraud, but the
difference may be easily detected by
the inferior hardness and lower spe-
cifc gravity of the spinel ruby. This
is particularly the case with Ceylon
spinels This is an old error, for in
ancient times all red stones were called
carbuncles and rubies, and even at the
present time this name is applied in
discrimately to various red gems,
which is very deceptive to the novice,
who imasines tue ruby to mean only
the red corundum. Even the Two
large stones exhibited by Queen Vic
toria as ruhies at the London Exhi-
bition OF 1852 were found on an exam
nation OF their specific gravity and
hardness TO be spineis. New York