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density and value (see SPINEL). When the word ruby is used without any qualifying prefix, it is always the true or so-called criental stone that is meant in See also:

MODERN

modern nomenclature. See also:

Ancient writers, relying chiefly on See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, classed together under a See also:

COMMON

common name several brilliant red stones, such t.s the ruby, spinel and See also:

garnet: thus the avOpaE of See also:

THEOPHRASTUS

Theophrastus and the Carbunculus of See also:

Pliny were names which seem to have been applied to several distinct minerals. Although the word ruby is used in the See also:

ENGLISH

English See also:

TRANSLATION

translation of the Old Testament it is improbable that the true ruby was known to the ancient See also:

HEBREWS, EPISTLE TO THE

Hebrews. The ruby crystallizes in the hexagonal See also:

SYSTEM

system (see CORUNDUM). The crystals have no true cleavage, but tend to break along certain gliding planes. The colour of ruby varies from deep See also:

COCHINEAL

cochineal to See also:

PALE (through Fr. pal, from Lat. palms, a stake, for paglus, from the stem pag- of pangere, to fix; " pole " is from the same original source)

pale See also:

rose-red, in some cases with a tinge of See also:

PURPLE

purple, the most valued tint being that called by experts See also:

PIGEON

pigeon's-See also:

BLOOD

blood colour. On exposure to a high temperature, the ruby becomes See also:

green, but regains its See also:

ORIGINAL

original colour on cooling. The red colour of ruby may be due to See also:

CHROMIUM (symbol Cr. atomic weight 52.1)

chromium. When a ruby of the most esteemed tint is examined with the dichroscope, one See also:

IMAGE (Lat. imago, perhaps from the same root as imitari, copy, imitate)

image is generally seen to be See also:

CARMINE

carmine and the other .See also:

aurora-red, the red colour inclining to See also:

orange. This test serves to distinguish the true ruby from spinel and from garnet, since these minerals, being cubic, are not dichroic.

Another means of distinction is afforded by the specific gravity of ruby (about 4), which is higher than that of spinel and garnet, whilst the See also:

SUPERIOR

superior hardness of the ruby (about g) furnishes yet another test. The high refractivity of ruby is also characteristic, the mean See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary See also:

INDEX

index being 1.77 and the extraordinary 1.76. When cut and polished the ruby is therefore a brilliant stone, but having weak dispersive See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power it lacks See also:

FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire. Subjected to radiant See also:

DISCHARGE (adapted from the O. Fr. discharge, modern decharge, from a med. Lat. discargare, to unload, dis- and earn care, to load, cf. " charge ")

discharge in a See also:

CROOKES, SIR WILLIAM (1832– )

Crookes See also:

TUBE (Lat. tuba)

tube, the ruby, like other forms of corundum, phosphoresces with a vivid red glow. The oriental ruby is a See also:

MINERAL

mineral of very limited See also:

DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution. Its most famous localities are in Upper See also:

BURMA

Burma, but until the See also:

BRITISH

British See also:

ANNEXATION (Lat. ad, to, and nexus, joining)

annexation of the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country in 1886 the mines were so jealously guarded that little was known as to the conditions under which the mineral occurred. Soon after the annexation, the ruby districts were officially visited, and reported on, by Mr C. See also:

Barrington See also:

Brown, and specimens from the mines were exhaustively studied by See also:

PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor J. W. See also:

JUDD, SYLVESTER (1813–1853)

Judd. The See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

DISTRICT

district is situated in the neighbourhood of Mogok, 90 M. N.N.E. of See also:

MANDALAY

Mandalay.

The ruby occurs in bands of a crystalline See also:

LIMESTONE

limestone, associated with granitic and gneissose rocks, some of which are highly basic; and it is from the See also:

ANORTHITE

anorthite, or See also:

lime-See also:

FELSPAR, or FELDSPAR

felspar, and the associated minerals in the pyroxenegneisses, that the corundum, spinel and See also:

CALCITE

calcite, may, according to Judd, have been derived. Probably the felspar is first altered to See also:

SCAPOLITE (Gr. O'Kairos, rod, )tLOoc, stone)

scapolite, and this on decomposition would yield See also:

CALCIUM [symbol Ca, atomic weight 40.0 (o= x6)]

calcium carbonate and hydrous See also:

ALUMINIUM (symbol Al; atomic weight 27.0)

aluminium silicates, from which the anhydrous alumina might ultimately be separated. The limestone contains (in addition to the ruby) spinel, garnet, See also:

GRAPHITE

graphite, See also:

WOLLASTONITE

wollastonite, scapolite, felspar, See also:

MICA

mica, See also:

PYRRHOTITE

pyrrhotite and other minerals. The ruby, like other kinds of corundum, suffers alteration under certain conditions, and passes by hydration into gibbsite and See also:

DIASPORE

diaspore, which by further alteration and See also:

union with See also:

SILICA

silica, &c., may yield margarite, vermiculite, See also:

CHLORITE

chlorite and other hydrous silicates. The Burmese rubies are not generally worked in the lime-stone See also:

MATRIX

matrix, but are mostly found loose in detrital See also:

MATTER

matter, which is clayey and sandy in See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character and yellowish-brownin colour, and is known locally as " byon." Some of the deposits occur in limestone caverns, where they may, like See also:

cave-See also:

earth, represent the insoluble See also:

RESIDUE (through the French, from the Lat. residuum, a remainder, from residere, to remain)

residue of the limestone. Workings in the cave-deposits are called " loodwins" (crooked mines). In the See also:

ALLUVIUM

alluvium of the valleys, the ruby-pits are known as " twinlones " (See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round pits), whilst workings in the ruby-earth on the hillsides are termed " hmyaudwins " (See also:

WATER

water mines). The byon contains, with the ruby, other coloured corundums and spinels. Burmese rubies are found also in crystalline limestone in the hills near Sagyin, about 20 M. N. of Mandalay, and it is of mineralogical See also:

INTEREST

interest to See also:

note that the limestone here contains chondrodite. Rubies are found in See also:

SIAM (known to its inhabitants as Muang Thai)

Siam, at several localities in the provinces of See also:

CHANTABUN, or CITANTABURI

Chantabun and Krat; and Professor H. See also:

Louis has described their occurrence at Moung Klung in this region.

The rubies are found with sapphires and spinels, in gravels, resting in some cases on basic igneous rocks. The Siam rubies are generally of dark colour, often inclining to a deep reddish brown. Rubies occur, with sapphires and other minerals, in the gem-gravels of See also:

CEYLON

Ceylon, but are not usually of such See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good colour as the Burmese stones. A cloudy variety, which, when cut with a See also:

CONVEX

convex See also:

SURFACE

surface, exhibits a luminous See also:

STAR

star, is known as star-ruby (see ASTERIAS). In See also:

PENINSULAR

peninsular See also:

India rubies are rarely found, though they have been reported from the corundum deposits of See also:

MADRAS

Madras and See also:

MYSORE

Mysore. The ruby is known, however, to occur in a micaceous limestone at Jagdalak, near See also:

KABUL

Kabul in See also:

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan. Rubies, generally of pale colour, are found with the sapphires of See also:

MONTANA

Montana, especially at Yogo Gulch near See also:

UTICA

Utica. In the corundum deposits of N. Carolina ruby is occasionally met with, especially at Cowee See also:

Creek, See also:

Macon See also:

COUNTY (through Norm. Fr. comae, cf. O. Fr. cunte, conk', Mod. Fr. comae, from Lat. comitatus, cf. Ital. comitato, Prov. comtat; see COUNT)

county, where it occurs in crystals of See also:

TABULAR

tabular, See also:

RHOMBOHEDRAL

rhombohedral and prismatic See also:

HABIT (through the French from Lat. habitus, from habere, to have, hold, or, in a reflective sense, to be in a certain condition; in many of the English senses the French use habitude, not habit)

habit. These crystals, sometimes of See also:

FINE

fine colour, are found in gravels resting on a soft See also:

rock called saprolite, which results from the weathering of certain basic igneous rocks; and it is notable that the ruby crystals are associated with the variety of garnet termed rhodolite, as described by Professor Judd and W. E. Hidden.

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