Thai Ruby

Ruby is steeped in lore and it is believed to bring the owners happiness and good luck. Thai rubies has been extensively used in the royal jewels of Thailand, and the colorful display is visible from the exhibition of Royal Thai decorations and other regalia at the Coin Pavilion of Bangkok’s famous Grand Palace. At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha seasonal costumes of the revered image are also adorned with rubies. Thailand is also the source of the famous Star of Chanthaboon, a 10.25 ct transparent slightly purplish red ruby.

Thailand is one of the most important sources of rubies in the world. Its value is based on several interesting factors. In fact rubies are tens to hundreds of millions of years old and it took millions of years to reach the surface for someone to find. The gem is hard enough to last for another one hundred million years. Rubies do last forever. Perhaps the kings and queens knew better.

The majority of Thai rubies tend to show red to purplish red color. Occasionally red to reddish orange colored rubies may also be encountered. Thai rubies with a lighter tone similar to Burmese rubies are also desirable. With regard to ruby the most important factor is color. After color, the important factors that influence value include clarity, cut and size. Flawless rubies are extremely rare. Most transparent rubies have some degree of inclusions, which may be a valuable source of information in the identification process. Cut is another important factor affecting the overall life of the stone. A well cut ruby should display superb color, but most rubies are cut for weight due to the size and shape of the rough. Faceted rubies are sold per carat. One carat is equal to one fifth of a gram. Larger rubies with good color, transparency and clarity are difficult to find and costs more.

Today Thais have also become experts at understanding ruby chemistry and the process of heat treating gems. They heat treat nearly all rubies and sapphires to improve the gems clarity and color.

Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Moh’s scale of hardness scale and is tough. As the birth stone for July, ruby has been perceived as the most valued colored gemstone for tens of thousands of years. The Bible says that wisdom is more precious than rubies. In Sanskrit, ruby is called “Ratnaraj” or “king of precious stones”. Good quality rubies are more valuable and rare than the top quality colorless diamonds.