Ruby

Chrysoberyl

There are certain stones and other minerals which, owing to their possession of numerous microscopically fine cavities, of a globular or tubular shape, have the appearance of “rays” or “stars,” and these are called “asteriated.”

Several of such stones have been discussed already in the last chapter, and in addition to these star-like rays, [...]

Sapphire

The Sapphire is not so easy to imitate, as its hardness exceeds that of the ruby, and imitations containing its known constituents, or of glass, are invariably softer than the natural stone.

As before remarked, almost any form of corundum other than red is, broadly, called sapphire, but giving them their strictly correct designations, [...]

In the dichroscope the ruby shows two images, one square of a violet red, the second square being a truer and a paler red. It may be subjected to strong heat, when it changes its colour to a sooty or dirty slate, this varying with the locality in which the stone is found, and the [...]

Corundum

This mineral is a species of crystal, or crystalline alumina -an almost pure anhydrous alumina, Al2O3 -in many varieties, both of shape and colour.

The chief stone is the ruby, considered, when large, to be of even more importance and value than the diamond. There are many other red stones in this group; sapphires, [...]

Pink gemstones

Hardness. Specific Gravity.

Beryl 7-3/4 2.709-2.810 Diamond 10 3.502-3.564 Ruby 9 4.073-4.080 Spinel 8 3.614-3.654 Topaz (“burnt” or “pinked”), 8 3.500-3.520 Tourmaline 7-1/4 3.024

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