Ruby

Ruby: The beautiful red ruby valued since the first one was unearthed. When you look at a ruby under a high powered microscope you can

see why it gives off such a glitter with the way that the crystals are aligned and the first laser invented was designed using the refractive properties of the ruby.

Some rubies give a display of a three or six-rayed star when looked at under a single light source.

This optical phenomenon is called an asterism and is similar to the lines of light that you see when you look at a tiger-eye stone.

Ruby is commonly heated prior to cutting and is mentioned in trade records from China dating back 200 BC. Rubies were laid under the foundations of buildings to bring good

fortune. The properties of the ruby are still under investigation and experimentation to this day.