Evening star., 1909-07-18
Ruby is Birthstone
for Month of July

-HE ruby. one of the most princeIy
of gems. and which nsures the
forgettulness or cure of evils aris-
ing from friendship or love, is the birth
stone for July.
Rubies vary in hue from rose to pigeon
blood. the latter being most highly
priced. and the finest are called orientals
The really fine specimen of the oriental
ruby Is more rarely found than the dia-
mond and bears a higher value from the
fact Of there being fashionable demand
greater than for any other gem. A fine
stone should be of a deep carmine red.
and full of reflection. Like the sapphire,
the ruby can sometimes be improved by
heat when it turns, green, but returns to
Its own color on cooling. 1t is of course
subject to flaws, the same as other gems,
but they are more easily detectible.
every flaw showing black speck
The fact that the flaws exist in the
bies found in the Cowee valley of North
Carolina render them not valuable as
those In Ceylon, Siam and other ruby
producing countries The North Carolina
rubies have the true pigeon-bIood tint and
a number of the stones when cut have
yielded gems of three or four caratS.
North Carolina was the first state in this
country in which the ruby was found
The largest authenticated ruby is among
the Russian crown jewels, set as center
in the Greek cross that adorns the front
OF the crown. 1t was first purchased in
China for 10000 rubles (abou- $10O,OOOl,
and it is believed to be the identical jewel
of which Travernier tells the story of how
the most skillful judges of precious
stones In the eastern world were required
to determine its genuineness when an old
JeWeler had been fined and discharged by
the emperor for pronouncing it a bogus
gem. The jewelers. decision was said to
be correct and the merchant was forced
TO refund the purchase price.
\ ruby which belonged to the King of
Persia measured two inches in length
and an inch and one-half in diameter 1t
was bored through SO that ii might be
worn on necklace. The King OF Visa
pour owned one in the form of a half
globe which weighed LIE carats Other IA
nous rubies are the Banarous of Tavern
ier. which is pear shaped. and weighs
about the same as the Nisapour-
At Dresden, in the cabinet called
the green vault, is SAID TO De
a pair of earrings, containing eight
stones, which are valued at about S4o,ooo
The English crown contains many hne
rubies. the largest of which is heart
shaped and almost three-quarters OF an
inch in diameter The largest and most
valued ruby known to be in the lnlteu
States is owned in New York, and the
second finest by a resident of Washing
ton.
In the Yogo Gulch deposits few years
ago was IOUnQ d copper Sotoicu oos'
which was offered for $50 to anybody who
might want to buy it. Its actual value
proved to be $1,000 and it is believed to
be the only one of its kind In the Worio.
It's color is that of FURNISHED copper.
RECONSTRUCTED rubies" are made OF III
tie chips which come from the Eough ruby
in the cutting of the latter. olnited to-
gether with glass and put into a Kiln;
They are subjected to such degree OF
heat that they are assembled and COM
fa her
'doublets," and are SO nearly perfect as
to require experts to detect them from the
genuine. The process of manufacture OF
artificial rubies has been known for more
than quarter of a century to sciehtlslS
in Europe. and for many years was pre-
served as a secret by the French Academy
Of Sciences. Within recent years, now
ever, defections on the part of the work
men necessarily intrusted with the secret
of manufacture have impaired TINS m
formation to others. and the process or
manufacture has become known and the
subject of scientific treatises and pubilca-