RUBY. 



lapidaries class several stones, of very 

 different chemical composition, &c., which 

 they distinguish chiefly by their colours. 

 Thus, Avhen of a full carmine-red, it is 

 known by the name of Spinel Ruby; when 

 the tinge verges upon rather pale rose-red, 

 it is called Balais or Balas Ruby ; when 

 the red has a decided shade of orange, it 

 usually goes by the name of Vermeil or 

 Venneille ; when of a yellowish-red, it is 

 called Ruhicelle. The Ruby is considered 

 by jewellers to approach perfection the 

 more closely it resembles the colour of 

 pigeon's blood. The name Ruby should, 

 however, be restricted to the oriental Ruby, 

 or the red varieties of Sapphire. When 

 perfect, both in colour and transparency. 

 Rubies are much less common than good 

 Diamonds, and are more valuable when of 

 3 or 4 carats. A perfect Ruby of 1 carat is 

 worth 10 guineas, of 2 carats £i2, of 3 

 carats 130 guineas, and of 6 carats above 

 £1000. The Ruby very seldom exceeds 

 8 or 10 carats, but Tavernier mentions one 

 of 50 carats, and Gustavus III., king of 

 Sweden, had one the size of a small hen's 

 Qgg, and of the finest water, which he gave 

 to the Emperor of Russia when he visited 

 St. Petersburgh. 



The Ruby is generally set in rings and 

 brooches, surrounded with brilliants. It is 

 stated in Prinsep's " Oriental Accounts of 

 *he Precious Minerals,"* that "not to be 

 deceived in rubies is a work of difficult^^ 

 because there are spurious ones of polished 

 crystal, which much resemble the true 

 gem ; these are called dyn-ul-rajdn ; but a 

 skilful lapidary will easily recognise them. 

 When placed in the fire, a true ruby be- 

 comes invisible, but when immersed in 

 water it appears to glow with heat : it also 

 shines like a coal in the dark." 



The Ruby is imitated by Spinel, from 

 which it is easily distinguished by superior 

 hardness. The finest stones are found in 

 the sand of rivers in Ceylon, in the sand of 

 certain streams, and in the Capelan moun- 

 tains near Syrian, the capital of Pegu, and 

 in Ava. 



The Ruby mines of the latter country are 

 guarded most jealously from Europeans. 

 Professor Oldham, who visited Ava in 1855 

 with the embassy from this country, could 

 not hear of any well-authenticated instance 

 of their ever haA'ing been visited by a 

 British subject, except by one person who, 

 having deserted into the King of Burmah's 

 dominions, was sent by the king to super- 



Journal of Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. i. p. 363. 



RUBY. 325 



intend the intercepting of some drains and 

 other appliances for regulating the supply 

 of the mines. 



In the Journal of the Asiatic Society of 

 Bengal, vol. ii. p. 75, it is stated that the 

 ruby mines of Burmah have long been known, 

 and they are said to be situated about 60 

 to 70 miles from the capital, in a north- 

 easterly direction. "The mode of seeking 

 for them is described as consisting simply 

 in sinking pits until the gem-bed or ruby- 

 earth is met with. The gem -bed is met 

 with at very various depths, sometimes 

 not more than two or three feet from the 

 surface, at other times more than forty feet, 

 and occasionally not at all. When the layer 

 of earthy sand containing the rubies is met 

 with, lateral openings are driven in on it, and 

 the bed followed up until it either becomes 

 necessary to sink another pit on it, or it 

 becomes exhausted. It varies in thickness 

 from a few inches to two or three feet. 

 ' The rubies are for the most part small, 

 not averaging more than a quarter of a 

 rutt}', and when large, are generally full of 

 flaws. Well marked crystals occasionally 

 occur, but the vast majoi-ity of the stones 

 are well rounded and ground down. It is a 

 very rare case to find a large Ruby without 

 flaws; and Mr. Spears states that he has 

 never seen a perfect Ruby weighing more 

 than i rupee. 



The Sapphires are found in the same 

 earth with the Rubies, but are much more 

 rare, and generally of a larger size. " Stones 

 of 10 to 15 rutties without a flaw are com- 

 mon, Avhereas a perfect Ruby of that si 'e is 

 hardly ever seen. The largest perfect Sap- 

 phire I ever saw weighed 1 tikal. It was 

 polished, but I have seen a rough one 

 weighing 25 tikals." " For every 500 

 rubies, I do not think they get one sapphire. 

 You see very few small sapphires in the 

 market, while small rubies are abundant 

 and cheap." The value of Gems, Rubies, 

 a!id Sapphires obtained in a vear, mav be 

 from li to 1^ lac, from £12,500, to £15,000. 

 They are considered solely the property of 

 the king, and strictly monopolized; but 

 notwithstanding the care that is taken, con- 

 siderable quantities are smuggled. 



There are about twenty lapidaries or po- 

 lishers of these stones in Amarapoora. They 

 are not allowed to carry on their trade at the 

 mines. In polishing, " small rubies and 

 worthless pebbles brought from the mines, 

 pounded fine, and mixed up with an adhesive- 

 substance, and then made into cakes, some 

 10 inches long by 4 inches broad, are used 

 to rub down the gem on ; after it has been 

 y3 



