Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-12-24
ABOUT RUBIES.
Some Famous Gems That Are
Identified With Historical Per.
sonages-Superstitions Re.
garding the Stone.

From time immonoriai precious stones
have exercised mysterious fascination
over the human mind. In eastern lands
they have been worahlpcd with divine
honora. The turing light within them
has been deemed the outward sign OF
the indwclling Of q divinity. All over
the world men have fought and died
Tor them. women have associated their
beauty with the hollcat pledges. love
and romance have ever surrounded
them. and their presence has boon held
10 confer every species Of good fortune.
Therefore II Is that their hl,tory and
folklore must ever be tganSccndcntly
attractive.
Foremost among gems stands tho
ruby. A. strictly popular favoritc
the diamond ~ usually given prccod-
cncc. but experts agree that perfect
ruby ~ at once rarcf and far moro val.
liable than a fiawiess diamond. Tho
basis OF this stone. as OF the aapphro
and amethyst. IL alumina. the mineral
earth In Ito natural state. called also
eorundum uruiy a PROBATE ORIGIN Tor 20
much beauty and one which might fur
nlsh the text Tor n homilyl. Tho word
ruby IL derived ffom the low Latin
rubinus. or robinua which aurgcaia
also the ctymoiory % the name Rob
in." since Il means simply rcd. Tile
French German md Italian ycrsiona-
fubiH. rubin. rubino-cnrry out the
same Idea. but thu Grcckr moro poetic
ally called the gem anthrax" signify
Inc live coal or IRE In alluaion 10 tho
turing ilght which flames In the very
heart OF a tine ruby and causes the
Hindoo 90 revere IL MS the abode u a
soul imprisoned Tor a time ere being
admitted 10 the paradise ~ Buddhn.
Rublcr have been found In siam, In
Coylon. In Brazil and even In Australia
hut the host come from the famous
mines IN Burma. which until tho con-
quest NJ the king were closed TO western
enterprise. The burmese have the cu-
rloua belief that ruhiea are originally
white. but that they become rcd an they
/ flpcn In the ground. In the days when
/ the products Of IN mines belonged cN-
I oluaivcly to his burmese majesty OF un-
[ pleasing memory Il was the custom for
I bags ~ coarse ruby dust the refuse
/ from the workings. 20 be placed under
| the foundations Of all public buildings.
/ In order 20 propitlntc tho gods nnd In
sure good fortune. The king kept all
! the finest stones that were found. and II
l. still believed that hiA chief treasures
are buried In Mandnlay.
Besides the oriental or pigeon blood
ruby. the most valuable Of all, there nre
several other kinds. Including the balaa.
or rose red. the splnel and the carbunclc.
The splncl ruby has ycllow>ight In
the center ana can thus be easily dis
/ tlngulshed. People speak sometimes OF
"star ruhics." but these do not belong TO
the same family. They are natcrlas. or
star stones not true gems, although
/ both pretty ANA curious. owing 10 the
Internal construction they reflect nix
rnyed star. The blue and green varic-
ties are spoken OF enormously us star
Fapphirca ana star emoraldR. u IN re-
corded that Helen Of Troy wore one Of
these stones In ring and attributed all
/ her conquents TO It's magic powers.
There are, OF course. false rubles on
the market 20 cntrap unwary purchaH-
crs Such limitations are made with