Evening star., 1901-11-09
RUBIES,
Relative Value of and Beauty of the
Varieties known to Lapidaries.

From the Scotsman.
In trade three classes of rubies are dis
tinguished-rubies of the orient, rubies Of
Siam and spinei rubies. The different va
rieties called balass rubies, Brazil rubies,
rose rubies. rubace rubies, rock rubies, ST.
berian rubies. etc, cannot be compared at
all with the preceding. of which they have
neither the composition nor the constitu-
tion. Apart from the balass ruby, which,
from scientific viewpoint, does not differ
from the spinel ruby, all the others are
properly speaking, only colored quartz or
feIdspar. The ruby of the orient is the
first of all colored stones in beauty, as in
price. Its marvellous hue is that of the
human blood as it jets from an open ar
tery. that IF the red ray of the solar spec
trum az it's maximum intensity.
The ruby is one of the most exquisite
products of nature, but 1t is becoming more
and more rare to find 1t perfect. 1t even
causes astonishment to find an oriental
ruby as large in size as the topazes and
SapphireS of the same countries. If 1t
reaches a certain size 1t is almost always
filled with defects Rubies of all sizes are
put to use. The smallest, down to twenty
or thirty to the carat, are employed spe-
cially for delicate jewels, for numbers, fig
ures. etc. Many of the smallest cabo-
chOns- When ruby exceeds the weight of
carat 1t commands high price. A ruby
may fetch ten or twenty times the price of
a diamond of the same weight If it is real
ly of a superior quality.
1t NAV be interesting to give the figures
at which rubieS were valued fifty years
ago. They were much lower than today.
A perfect ruby of one carat was priced at
240 francs: of two caratS, 960 francs; three
carats. 5000 francs; five carats, Ia. 400
francs. and six carats, 2i,000 francs. In
general the cutting as brilliant IS alone
suitable for a fine ruby. The ruby Is very
hard. almost as hard as the sapphire. 1t
was but little used for engraving in an
cient times. doubtless because Of the diff
Guilty OF finding those Offering a sufficient
surface. a reason more plausible than the
explanation that the wax ahered to seals
made with this substance. The carbuncle
to which the ancients attributed fantastic
properties, was no other than the ruby. 1t
served. as Is said. to give light to certain
large serpents or dragons whose sight had
been enfeebled by age; they bore them con-
stantly between their teeth and laid them
down only for eating and drinking. 1t is
even claimed that the carbuncle emitted
light in darkness. and that the thickest
clothing could not stop its rays.
Without all the exaggeration of such le-
gends II was believed for long time that
rubies contained luminous rays. The truth
Is that they have double refraction and
send out the red rays with unequaied bril-
liancy. TraVerSed in a vacuum by an cleo
trio current they are Illuminated with a
red fire of extreme intensity. The greatest
heat does not change their form or their
color. The most beautiful rubies come
from Ceylon, India and China. The mines
of Pegu are nearly exhausted, or but little
worked today. The regions where they are
situated are dangerous of approach; be-
sides. in the states of the grand mogul the
expectation of rubies is forbidden until they
have been exhibited to the sovereign, who
retains the most beautiful. The large rubies
or the orient. being excessively rare, are so
much the more celebrated. The largest
Known In Europe is said to be one that the
Russian caravans brought from China with
in ohot fNr l,ntr
peltrfes. and which forms today one of the
rarest ornaments of the imperial court of
Russia.
1t is seen by the inventory of 1871 that
France possessed eighty-one oriental ru-
b.es. of diverse forms and qualities One of
them remained for a long time in a rough
state. in consequence of two or three
points which could not be removed without
sensibly diminishing the value of the stone;
but a diamond artist was able to put these
defects to use and transformed the rough
stone to a dragon with outstretched wings.
This is the most beautiful oriental ruby
known