Thursday, October 30, 2008

Star Rubies.

Of course I have heard of rubies –– blood red or pink, but I had never heard of a star ruby.
That was until I found an unusual stone in the shop, sort of deep purple with crazy internal rays that seemed to follow you around.



I asked Dino about this strange little piece and he told me it was a star ruby. Needless to say, it has now made it on my top 10 list of stones.


Turns out, star rubies are a rare form of the rubies we all know and love. These gems contain a sharp six-rayed star which glides across the stone as it is moved –– due to light refracting off the needle-like rutile inclusions within the stone.

Star rubies were worn on the armour of knights who believed doing so would protect them from their enemy on the battlefield.

Famous rubies include this little lady on the right, the Delong Star Ruby, that weighs 100.32ct, and resides at New York's Natural History Museum. This giant gem was the object of a famous heist, by Jack Murphy and two other accomplices.

Not only did Jack and his friends make off with the Delong Star Ruby, but they also managed to steal the most famous Star Sapphire as well, the Star of India.

This Star Sapphire, believed to be the largest sapphire of its kind to have ever been found. The gem was recovered a few weeks after the burglary in a locker at a Miami Bus Terminal.

Who wouldn't love a gem the size of a golf ball?

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