Ruby, a stone that stimulates vital energy, the impetus of the heart and the “fire” of passion.
Ruby is a variety of corundum, a family it shares with sapphire. The term “ruby” is reserved for red corundum when its quality, in terms of both color and transparency, allows it to be classified as a “gemstone”. When the stone is brown or grayish in color, it is simply referred to as corundum. The term ruby comes from the Latin rubeus = red. Although it refers in principle to stones with the quality of “gem,” it is customary to use it also for red corundums, even opaque ones.
