Rubies are one of the most valuable gemstones in our planet. Together with sapphire they are part of the corundum mineral family. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and for the 40th wedding anniversary.
The physical properties of rubies are the same as those of all corundums, whether natural or synthetic: Mohs hardness of 9, refractive index of 1.76-1.77, and specific gravity of 3.97-4.05 g/cm³.
SIAMITE® ruby reflections are significantly inferior to corundum in all three parameters, with values of 7.5, 1.62-1.63, and 3.0-3.3, respectively. However, other ruby imitations, such as optical or crystal glasses, cubic zirconium, and others, also differ greatly from corundum in terms of physical properties.
Therefore, the most important criteria when choosing the best imitation remain the color or range of colors, their uniformity, and the stability of reproduction. In terms of these parameters, as well as resistance to thermal shocks when casting with stones set in wax, SIAMITE® has no competitors.
The glass-ceramic production technology used by Formica allows for the creation of an unlimited range of colors, from violet-red to orange-red. We classify only the purple-red and red varieties as rubies. All orangish-red and orange-red SIAMITE® are included in the groups of red tourmalines, spinels, and garnets and will be described in future publications.
SIMAITE® ruby reflections consists of four groups of colors:
- 5100-5109 purplish red – from extremally dark to very light.
- 5110-5119 slightly purplish red - from extremally dark to very light.
- 5120-5120 vivid red - from extremally dark to very light.
- 5130-5139 dark ruby: a) 5130-5132 extremally dark vibrant red;b) 5133-5135 from extremally dark to very dark slightly purplish red; c) 5136-5139 from extremally dark to very dark purplish red.The finest ruby color is a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red with vivid color saturation. "Pigeon blood" red is the most desirable color of ruby - it symbolizes passion, devotion, romance, and love. Orange and overly purple varieties are less in demand.
In the photos below, you can see that color depends on the stone's size, shape, and cut. At the same time, the entire group 5120-5129, as well as the extremely dark 5130, 5131, and 5132, correspond to the most expensive colors of natural ruby.
SIAMITE® ruby reflections are undoubtedly one of our bestsellers. Four color groups, each containing 10 varieties of tone and color saturation (40 varieties in total), cover almost the entire spectrum of natural rubies. Additionally, SIAMITE® by Formica is available not only in standard size and shape stones, but also in the form of 2D and 3D figures, which can be produced according to customer drawings. This allows jewelry designers to work with unique-shaped stones and all kinds of shades of red when creating their jewelry and fashion accessories.