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What is it and where is it formed? Rubies
are a kind of corundum, the second hardest kind of natural
mineral. Ruby is a
gemstone and the birthstone for the month of
July. Rubies are formed with
igneous rocks. |
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How and where is it mined? Rubies are
mined using
placer,
open pit, and
underground mining depending
on how deep into the Earth they are found. Rubies are mined in
Thailand, Kenya, India, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania, and in the U.S. |
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What is it used for? Rubies are used for
jewelry. |
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Some people believed that the ruby color
came from fire and having one would keep you from getting sick.
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Mineral Characteristic |
What the
mineralogists say |
Kid's Guide: What it REALLY
means! |
| Chemical Symbol |
Al2O3 |
It
has aluminum and oxygen in it. |
| Color |
Red
to pink |
It
can be any shade from pink to red. |
| Streak |
White |
If
you crush a ruby you will get a fine white dust. |
| Transparency |
Transparent to translucent |
Depending on the stone, you might be able to see clearly
through it or it might be a little blurry. |
| Luster |
Vitreous |
It
will look glassy if you shine a light on it. |
| Cleavage |
None |
When
you break it, it doesn’t split into a pattern that can
be repeated. |
| Fracture |
Uneven |
When
the stone is broken, it doesn’t break into pieces that
are alike. |
| Magnetism |
None |
It
will not attract, or be attracted to, a magnet. |
| Hardness |
9 |
It
is the next hardest mineral to a diamond. It is very
hard. |
| Specific gravity |
4 |
It
is a heavy mineral. |
| Crystal Shape |
Trigonal |
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Chromium makes
the ruby red.
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Links:
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Printer
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Citations:
Fuller, Sue. Rocks
& Minerals. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
Guisewite, Alan. "Peridot and Russian ruby."
E-mail to Club Web. 31 Jan 2006.
“Ruby.” Raintree Illustrated Science Encyclopedia. 1991 ed.
“Ruby.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.
"Ruby." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005.
Answers.com 18 Feb. 2006.
<http://www.answers.com/topic/ruby>.
"Ruby." The Gemstone Ruby. 21 Oct. 2005.
<http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/ruby/ruby.htm>
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