Summer Heat: 10 Spicy Facts about July’s Birthstones, Ruby and Carnelian!
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Welcome to Rock Talk with Angel!
July Babies, it’s all about you! It’s summer in the northern hemisphere, and the heat is no joke. The daily temperatures? Nope, I mean the heat from your scarlet birthstones of July: romantic Ruby, and sensual Carnelian!
Depending on who you ask, one birthstone may be considered to be a more classic choice than the others. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with your spicy, yet very different, “bad bi*** duo” of July birthstones. Read on to learn 5 facts about each of these unique gems!
Ruby Facts
1. Ruby is the red variety of corundum, one of the hardest and most durable gems on the planet. All other colors of corundum are, drumroll please…sapphires!
2. Ruby gets its red shade from either chromium or vanadium, depending on locality—these are the same elements that lend Emerald its green shade. It’s all about the chemistry of the host mineral! These inclusions also make rubies fluorescent—it’s one of its signature visual properties.
3. Ruby may be mistaken for its close visual match red spinel—in fact, some of the most famous rubies in history have actually been spinels. The best known examples are the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Timur Ruby, both part of the Crown Jewels and both actually spinel.
4. While many folks think of ruby as a deep red shade, it’s more commonly seen as shades of pink to magenta to a lighter red. Natural ruby of a scarlet red color is very rare, and often stones used ornamentally with this shade are lab created.
5. In the healing community, ruby is associated with passion, power, fidelity, and love. These properties were just as desirable in ancient times as in modern times. In Ancient Rome, rubies were believed to help cure blood poisons, protect the wearer, gain wealth for the wearer, and ensure finding love.
Carnelian Facts
1. Carnelian is the red-orange agate variety, and is found around the world. It may show visible banding (fortification) or resemble a chalcedony, with no banding present.
2. Carnelian was once known as “sard”, and makes up the red zones in the antique gem “sardonyx” (August babies, take note: that’s one of your birthstones, to be discussed next month.)
3. Carnelian was worn by ancient warriors into battle; it was thought to grant the wearer invincibility. Carnelian was a favorite stone for protective talismans (talismans are carved or shaped objects as opposed to natural and unshaped objects, which we call amulets. Carnelian was used for both in antiquity.)
4. In the healing community, carnelian is associated with vitality, creativity, and sexuality. It is associated with masculine (yang) energy, and the fire element.
5. Carnelian may be natural or heat enhanced; it has become more common recently to see heat treated carnelian than natural on the market. The brightness and brassy orange shade of heated carnelian is generally the giveaway.
Meet me back here next month for a fascinating look at the gems of August!
What was the most surprising fact you learned about the spicy duo of July? Which of the three gems is your favorite? Comment below!
Follow Rock Talk with Angel for more interesting tidbits on the history and modern lore of the gems we love! Shop online with Phenomenal Gems for your own little piece of the mineral world, and keep an eye out for special events, promotions, and in-person booths to meet us in person. Rock on, my friends!