Earstuds – 3 MM – Ruby

Ruby is the red or reddish pink variety of the mineral Corundum, of which Sapphire is also a part. It is one of the hardest minerals to exist on earth; a close second on the Moh’s scale to Diamonds. The name stems from the Latin word ruber which means ‘red’. The colour of the stone is caused by traces of Chromium. Only the Corundum varieties that both contain Chromium and are on the red colour spectrum may be called Ruby. All other varieties that don’t meet the criteria are called Sapphires. Ruby is often confused with its less rare look-a-like Spinel, which has a lot in common with Ruby. Thankfully, an expert can often quickly differentiate between the two. Ruby is very popular as a gemstone, but the nicely formed crystals are collected as well. The stone is very rare, especially in its clear and faceable form. That’s why the crystals that are collected are often a lot less valuable than the material that is used for gemstones in jewellery.