Rubies are actually a type of rare mineral called corundum. Corundum is made up of densely packed aluminium and oxygen atoms, which are colourless on their own. However, when chromium ions replace some of the aluminium, bright red hues appear in the gemstone. Burmese warriors believed placing rubies?under their skin made them invincible in battle.?Although this was not the case, rubies are beaten only by diamond among the minerals, with a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale. How rubies are formed is still debated by scientists, but there are some leading theories. It is widely accepted that plate tectonics are involved, specifically where the continents of India and Asia collide to form the Himalayas. What has baled scientists is why rubies are present only erratically within this area’s marble.
Answers
Sunil Mehta
Rubies are actually a type of rare mineral called corundum. Corundum is made up of densely packed aluminium and oxygen atoms, which are colourless on their own. However, when chromium ions replace some of the aluminium, bright red hues appear in the gemstone. Burmese warriors believed placing rubies?under their skin made them invincible in battle.?Although this was not the case, rubies are beaten only by diamond among the minerals, with a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale. How rubies are formed is still debated by scientists, but there are some leading theories. It is widely accepted that plate tectonics are involved, specifically where the continents of India and Asia collide to form the Himalayas. What has baled scientists is why rubies are present only erratically within this area’s marble.