The Meaning Of Ruby
Rubies and Sapphires are both forms of the mineral corundum. The deep red color of a good quality Ruby is heartwarming and uplifting to look upon. You can feel the vigor of the energies of this remarkable stone as soon as you touch it or have it near you.
Ruby should be treated with care by over-sensitive or delicate people as its energies can sometimes be over-stimulating and overwhelming. However, if you feel a little sluggish or depleted, Ruby will give you a much-needed boost of vital energy.
Ruby encourages a passion for life, but positively and beneficially, so you do not end up “overdoing” things. It also helps you to set realistic goals and improves motivation.
Ruby is stimulating for the Heart chakra and also for the Base or Root chakra. It encourages you to “follow your bliss.” It also protects the energies and health of your Heart chakra if you find that your Heart energy is being attacked or sucked dry by needy or malicious individuals.
From China to Egypt to Greece and India, virtually every ancient culture developed lore around ruby stones. In both Ancient Greece and India, rubies were said to boil water when they were thrown into it and melt wax when they touched it.
This indicates the association of rubies with both fire and heat (obviously, heat causes both of those things to happen naturally) and with purity. Remember, you need to boil water to purify it! This has led to rubies being associated with moral purity throughout history.
In China, because red is the color of good luck, rubies were said to stimulate innate life force, and they were worn to draw other people to the wearer. They were said to captivate others with the charisma and natural energy of the stone.
The Properties Of Ruby
Physical Properties
- Chemical Classification: Oxide
- Color: A gem corundum with a dominant red color is a Ruby. Any other color of corundum is a Sapphire.
- Luster: Adamantine to vitreous
- Mohs Hardness: 9
- Chemical Composition: Al2O3
- Crystal System: Hexagonal
Metaphysical Properties
Ruby promotes clear visualization and positive dreams. It stimulates the pineal gland, which is responsible for triggering melatonin production during the hours of darkness.
It is a stone of abundance and aids in the retention of finances and passion within relationships.
Ruby promotes dynamic and effective leadership. It is also good for bringing anything negative into the open where it can be dealt with productively.
Ruby is an excellent stone to have to hand if you are in the midst of controversy or conflict, as it will make you strong and protect you from harmful emotions or thought forms that may undermine your position.
Ruby is a protective stone in many respects, psychologically, emotionally, and mentally and has a reputation for keeping travelers safe.
Ruby is emotionally dynamic and charges up passion and enthusiasm. It is also a sociable stone that attracts sexual activity. It helps to overcome exhaustion, apathy and lethargy but also calms hyperactivity.
Rubies are one of the most precious stones in the entire world.
They are among the most highly valued stones in modern society, alongside diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.
An interesting fact, however, is that ruby stones only became defined by their chemical makeup in the last couple of centuries.
Before that, “Ruby” referred to any red stone and was used interchangeably with the word “Garnet” to describe these stones.
Therefore, describing the history of ruby stones is not as easy as it would seem to be considering their popularity.
Most rubies in modern circulation have been in circulation for centuries, being taken from one piece of jewelry to another.
Varieties Of Ruby
Ruby and Sapphire are varieties of the mineral corundum. The only difference between them is their color.
Using Ruby
The Benefits Of Using Ruby
First, let’s talk about the color. In many societies, including ours, red is one of the most important colors of the rainbow. It is the color of blood, which means that it is associated with life force and death.
Chinese culture considers it the luckiest color, and in the west, it’s the color of love and passion.
It should come as no surprise, then, that a stone notable for its bright red color is extremely highly prized all across the globe.
Rubies can protect against boredom, inactivity, lethargy, and exhaustion.
If you frequently have trouble dragging yourself about your daily business, then Ruby can be the stone to lift you out of the doldrums and send you springing into action!
Ruby crystals have an energizing quality, and you’ll find just by holding this precious stone that it makes you feel inspired and ready to take on the world. It’s worth noting that this bravery is not confrontational. So, for example, you won’t begin feeling as though you have to charge through life, demolishing anyone who stands in your way!
Nonetheless, though, sensitive souls who are handling Rubies for the first time or who are just close to a particularly potent piece for the first time often report feeling as though they are bursting with energy.
Rubies have an intense inner power that can give you the strength to take risks and try new things.
However, despite their fiery exterior, Rubies are also deeply sensitive and creative stones that can help you develop your inner self and spirituality.
Rubies will protect your feelings from injury and give you the strength to get back up after you’ve been hurt. Its energies soothe the Heart and emotions and bring a sense of hope and optimism, even during the darkest of times.
How Best To Use Ruby
I’m sure I won’t surprise you when I say that if you have Rubies, you should wear them! Firstly, considering that they’re expensive stones, I’m sure you’ll want to show them off.
Secondly, wearing a ruby on your person will ensure that its power comes with you when you go about your life, making sure that you don’t leave it at home when you most need it.
Having these Ruby properties as an undercurrent of your day-to-day life is incredibly empowering. By wearing your Rubies, you can help to welcome this energy with you wherever you go.
Ruby jewelry is often loud and proud, but more subtle pieces are also available if you’re not after making a statement.
And of course, if you prefer to be confident yet discreet or are worried that your precious stones might attract the wrong kind of attention if you flash them about, you can conceal your Ruby in your purse or pocket to keep its energies close, but its radiance out of sight.
Ruby can improve your relationships with others. If you are interested in using your Ruby in this way, wear it over the Heart chakra (the center of the breastbone), such as on a long pendant or a brooch.
If your Base chakra, and your connection to the world, is where you would like to focus the Ruby’s energy, then you can try wearing a ruby on your belt buckle.
You can also keep a Ruby necklace tucked into your back pocket or even try a Ruby naval piercing.
Wearing Rubies as earrings or facial piercings is the best way to stimulate feelings of self-worth and confidence in yourself.
There’s something special about seeing that little flash of red out of the corner of your eye – and it’s also about as close as you can get to actually putting rubies in your brain!
Wearing them this way will make you feel much more confident. Ruby earrings have occasionally been reported to develop intuition about other people’s honesty. Some people report feeling warmth or hearing a soft buzzing in their ears when they lie to them while they have ruby earrings.
Finally, you can also place Rubies around your house to bring this energy into your environment. This may be the right thing to do if several members of your household want to harness Ruby’s energy, but you only want to buy one stone!
In Ancient China, Rubies were buried under important buildings to protect them, and you can do the same thing by placing a Ruby in the basement or ground floor of your home.
The Powers Of Ruby
Emotional Healing Powers
Rubies will vastly improve your confidence, your sense of self-worth, and in turn, your ability to act in ways that might feel strange, dangerous, or out of the ordinary.
When you combine them with Mother of Pearl, these stones will help you when you feel lost, apathetic, and disconnected from yourself.
Especially if you are a Cancer, and if you are any sort of person who is generally more thoughtful and reflective rather than aggressive, people may be prone to underestimate you.
Rubies will make that a dangerous thing to do! With these stones, you can have the strength to prove wrong anyone who tries to tell you that you’re not good enough in any sort of way.
Anyone who is sensitive, or an Empath, will tell you that there are often issues in feeling that others completely override one’s autonomy. It could be bossy people, bullies, or just very intensive people who make it difficult for your voice to be heard.
Either way, Rubies can help the more soft-spoken among us stand our ground more and not be pushed around or undermined by destructive criticism and negativity.
Ruby is good for countering feelings of martyrdom or victimhood. It brings the strength required for you to choose to live differently and to let go of anguish, despair, anger, suffering, bitterness, or blame.
Ruby also sustains and protects those who are sensitive or who have low opinions of themselves. It is helpful for anyone who is carrying excess weight to ground themselves to the physical world. It helps to ground you through your Base chakra so that you do not feel the need for excess physical weight and promotes a more loving and forgiving attitude to your body.
Physical Healing Powers
In terms of physical healing, Ruby is perfect for any conditions of the blood or circulatory system. It detoxifies the blood and stimulates the lymphatic system. It also stimulates the adrenals, kidneys, reproductive organs, and spleen.
As a blood-stone, Ruby supports and protects the myocardium, the ventricles, and the heart’s coronaries and warms the circulatory system if it is sluggish or slow.
Ruby is beneficial for menstrual disorders and discomfort and calms the symptoms of Menopause.
Ruby can also be used to treat sexual dysfunction, impotence, and infertility. It is helpful during pregnancy and is believed to promote the optimum formation of children in the embryonic state.
Ruby And Wealth
Rubies are a powerful stone associated with good luck and good fortune.
While they will undoubtedly amp up your willingness to take risks, and, although you might be worried that you’ll turn reckless, they’ll clear the way for you to blaze your trail safely.
With the help of Ruby stones, some of the dangers that you might have been concerned about will fade away entirely, and some will diminish massively once you dare to look them head-on. When you apply this to increasing your financial wealth, you will find that the risks pay off and that your confidence in your abilities leads to even further successes with money and finance.
Ruby For Love And Relationships
Red is the color of passion in Western cultures, and Rubies are a popular choice for engagement rings and wedding gifts. Rubies are also associated with romance and sensitivity. It has to be said that the relatively high prices you may pay for Rubies in comparison with other crystals and gemstones also adds an element of exclusivity to the gift of a Ruby to a loved one.
Metaphysically, Ruby brings energy and enthusiasm to love partnerships. It can enhance feelings of sexual attraction and pleasure and helps lovers to form deep emotional bonds.
Wearing a Ruby is said to attract a potential new partner to you, but as with all crystals, unless you set this as your intention, you will probably not have to fight off an excess of “dates”!
Rubies can also help to rebuild trust. If you have issues with trusting others due to having been betrayed or abused in the past, call upon Ruby’s healing vibrations to help you regain your sense of self-worth and help you see that it is safe to trust another person with your feelings and love.
Chakras And Ruby
Ruby is aligned with the Base and Heart chakras and can be used to heal, activate and stimulate these energy centers to bring them into balance.
When the Base chakra is out of balance or blocked, we can feel insecure, fearful, and anxious about our material survival. This can manifest as money worries or feeling unsure about our partners, our jobs, or even our own place in the world.
On the other hand, if the Base chakra is over-stimulated, you may find yourself becoming greedy or possessive, focused on your material wealth and possessions, and controlling in your relationships.
Use Ruby at the Base chakra in a chakra layout when you want to re-establish a firm connection with the Earth. It will help you to ground your fears into the Earth and let them go. It will also show you that you are, in fact, safe and secure, that you are worthy of good things in your life, and that you do not have to try too hard.
Use Ruby to perform a chakra cleanse, especially if your feel the energy at your Base is over-stimulated. The beneficial vibrations of Ruby will clear out negative energies and bring this chakra back into alignment with your emotions, your wisdom, and your Higher-self.
If you wish to open and activate your Heart chakra, use Ruby to help you with this. You can wear a ruby pendant close to your Heart to keep your vibration high once you have cleared the Heart chakra of any blockages or negativity.
The Best Crystals To Combine And Use With Ruby
Chakra Crystal Combinations
Use Ruby in conjunction with Black Obsidian for a powerful grounding effect for the Base chakra. Ruby also works well with other red-colored stones, such as Red Jasper, to nurture your feelings about safety and security. Ruby is a bold stone that will help to rid you of your fears, and Jasper nurtures, comforts, and protects, reassuring you that the risks you may need to take will pay off.
When working on the Heart chakra with Ruby, it is best combined with green-colored stones. Green Aventurine or Emerald complement the energies of Ruby in healing the Heart chakra of any past trauma or grief. Moss Agate and Ruby make an excellent combination if you want to deepen your loving connections with Nature, animals, and your immediate environment.
Other Crystal Combinations
Rubies are most effectively combined with stones that promote empathy and good relationships with others.
The one occasional disadvantage of Ruby is that sometimes, in helping you focus your energy towards your goals, you may find that you lose a little bit of sensitivity to others, and it may be worth pairing it with a highly sensitive and empathetic stone, such as Opal or Rose Quartz.
After all, Ruby’s power is very intensive, and they are so good at awakening your passion and zeal for life that this can cause a slight imbalance in your more sensitive side.
Some of us need the opportunity to be more selfish than selfless sometimes, of course. Rubies definitely have their place here, and they help to encourage self-love and self-celebration.
You may also enjoy pairing your Ruby with stones that represent the four seasons.
Rubies represent summer, of course, and you might choose (for example) Chrysoprase for spring, Shungite for winter, and Orange Topaz for fall. A set of seasonal stones can introduce balance and serenity about starting new things and new parts of your life.
Since Ruby is a fairly emotionally-driven stone, you may also be interested in pairing it with stones that have highly intellectual powers, such as Prehnite and Amethyst.
This will encourage a balance between your emotional and intellectual minds and make sure that they work in tandem instead of letting one consistently overrule the other. This can be a dangerous trap that almost everyone falls into at some point in their lives.
You can also pair Rubies with Shungite to have a powerful protective amulet. Shungite’s strong ability to dispel negative energy will be enhanced by the fiery power of Rubies.
This combination is probably one of the strongest in the world for avoiding danger, as you will find that nothing can touch you, and even the most severe dangers seem quickly dealt with.
Cleansing And Charging Ruby
As most Rubies are part of a piece of gemstone jewelry, it is essential to follow any advice the experts may give you regarding cleaning the piece.
It is never good to use harsh or abrasive cleaning materials on crystals or jewelry, but some stones will take more knocks than others.
Rubies are relatively robust, and you can clean surface dirt and debris from them using lukewarm running water, a soft brush, and even some mild liquid soap if necessary.
To charge your Ruby and to clear it of negative energies it may have absorbed, place it in sunlight for a few hours. If you have a piece of Amethyst or Clear Quartz place it near to, or touching, these crystals, and they will rid it of unwanted vibrations.
To charge your Ruby stone with an intention, hold it in your hand and call to mind a picture of the outcome you want to achieve. Take your time and fill in as many details as you can visualize but avoid adding images of how you think it may be achieved. That is left up to the Universe to sort out for you. The clearer your picture of your desired outcome, the easier it will be for the Universe to deliver it to you.
Ruby As A Birthstone
Depending on which sources you consult, you will find that Ruby is the official birthstone of either Cancer (June 21 to July 22) or Capricorn (Dec 22 to Jan 19).
People born under the sign of Cancer often suffer from excessive modesty and self-doubt. Ruby is ideal for bringing in energies of confidence and action, teaching Cancerians that they are worthy and valuable people.
Capricorn people tend to be serious, strong-willed, and determined. Ruby is a good choice for a birthstone gift for Capricorn as it will warm a frosty temperament and bring in some much-needed light-heartedness.
Ruby In Legends And History
It is hard to say where the first Ruby stones were found. Rubies are mentioned in the Bible and were central to trade during the Medieval period.
Their cultural significance is great, even if all the stones referred to as “Rubies” may not have had the chemical makeup that we would use to describe a Ruby today.
Rubies have been mined in Burma, all over China, in India, and in Thailand – in all of these spaces, they took on specific cultural significance. They are also found in Colombia, Australia, Madagascar, and even Scotland.
Most Rubies in modern circulation have been in circulation for centuries, being taken from one piece of jewelry to another.
If you own a Ruby, it has probably had a wide variety of influences on its power far beyond where it came from.
Ruby has been considered to be a Stone of Kings in many cultures across many centuries. The symbolism around this stone has a lot to do with power and wealth, protecting the wealth the owner of a Ruby already has and helping them to accumulate more.
Ruby’s associations with blood have also given it potent symbolic significance in many cultures, particularly amongst warriors and soldiers. The ancient Burmese believed it bestowed invulnerability on soldiers going into battle, but the stone needed to be inserted into the flesh to gain this benefit. If the warrior did this, he would be safe from wounds from spears, daggers, and swords.
The inner glow of Ruby has led some traditions to maintain that it contains an inner fire. Some strange folkloric claims have arisen from this visual effect, such as the belief that a Ruby placed in water will bring it to the boil, or a Ruby wrapped in a cloth to attempt to hide it will shine forth with its own light, alerting people to its presence. No doubt the latter claim has been encouraged by those seeking to keep their gems safe from thieves!
How To Tell If A Ruby Is Real
If you’re not a gemstone expert and have recently bought a beautiful piece of Ruby, you may be having some concerns whether what you bought is a real or fake Ruby.
It’s normal to feel a little worried because Ruby is quite an expensive stone to have. For most people, it can cost an arm and a leg!
It’s important that you do your research and investigate as needed before you make the decision to part with your cash and buy that gorgeous Ruby.
The first thing that you need to do is to check the color of the Ruby. A Ruby should be of a deep red color.
If you find your Ruby’s color to be dull or light that it almost looks like pink or light red in color, then you most likely bought a fake Ruby.
But even if your Ruby has a very deep red color, it can still be a fake. It can be a Garnet and not a Ruby.
You also should check the cut of the Ruby. It should be crisp and smooth and have symmetrical facets from all the sides.
A fake Ruby has dull facets that are very easy to spot, and fake Rubies are usually perfectly squared or rounded.
When you check the Ruby closely, there should not be any gas streaks or bubbles.
However, it’s very rare for authentic Rubies to be without flaws or inclusions. Small inclusions in a Ruby are perfectly acceptable.
If your Ruby is too clean and too perfect without even a single inclusion, it’s an indication that it’s a fake.
Don’t fall for fancy names like ‘Pure Ruby Gemstone’ or ‘Culture Ruby Gemstone’. These could be fake Rubies trying to be passed off as genuine Rubies.
You can compare your Ruby to a piece of glass. If it’s hard to distinguish your Ruby and the glass, then it’s a fake Ruby.
You can also perform a simple scratch test. Rub your Ruby against tiles or a stone made of hard material.
If your Ruby sustains scratches, then it’s a fake Ruby.
Ruby is made of hard material and comes second to the diamond on the hardness scale. It will be impossible to make a simple scratch on a genuine Ruby.
Another easy way for you to check if your Ruby is real is to place it in a really dark room. Real Rubies should glow like the sun.
Another method is by placing your Ruby in light hot milk. If the milk’s color appears red, or if you can see red rays coming from the stone, it means that the Ruby is real.
In case you’re not satisfied with these simple ways to check whether your Ruby is real or not, you can always seek the advice of a gemologist.
A gemologist will examine your Ruby’s authenticity by performing specific tests like synthetic inclusions, light absorption, or x-rays.
Always buy your Ruby from reputable stores that will sell them at competitive prices. If a piece of Ruby’s price sounds too good to be true, then you are most likely looking at a fake one!
Final Thoughts On The Power Of Ruby
I generally promote the use of crystals and gemstones with a long history of usefulness over those that have only recently entered the field of crystology.
While it is true that recently discovered stones can be extremely powerful, working with them is often not for the faint of heart, as their properties are not always well-established.
Even ones that are generally remarkably beneficial can hold a few surprises in store, and if you have no idea of what to expect, you might find this unnerving.
For this reason, Rubies are some of the stones that I highly recommend to people who want to “play it safer” with their gemstone choices. Rubies have been in the public consciousness for their metaphysical properties for virtually as long as crystology has been around.
Over that time, many works have been written about them that explore all the facets of their energy in far more detail than I could ever go into here!
That said, Ruby’s healing properties are often too intense and glorious to ever be ignored! The rich red of these precious stones helps to bring about positive change that is powered by passion.
Broken hearts and feelings of hopelessness are remedied with incredible energy from Ruby stones. Any time that you feel weak or oppressed, this precious gem will help you to rise again.
In areas of life such as wealth and fortune, too, Rubies are a symbol of abundance and richness. They help you to draw in confident backers for any of your latest money-making projects.
I heartily encourage you to conduct some more research, and if you feel that Rubies are the right stone for you, you can have confidence that they will not throw any surprises your way!
Diana Houston
Diana Houston is a respected crystal expert and the author of 'A Beginner's Guide to Healing Crystals: Getting Started With Crystal Healing – A Complete Guide.' Her passion for crystals and their healing properties made her a leading authority on the subject.
Diana's expertise and passion for crystals have inspired countless readers and practitioners, and her book has received rave reviews on Amazon. With her clear and insightful guidance, Diana is a trusted guide for anyone seeking to unlock the transformative power of crystals.
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