Pyrope

Pyrope is a representative of the Garnet group. It means 'fiery' in Greek and was a fashion stone of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Its deposits can be found in Burma, Madagascar, China, Tanzania, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United States.

Pyrope : three-faceted stone


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Rhodonite

Rhodonite, which means 'Rose' in Greek, has a vitreous luster and is red in color. It is used for wall tiles, necklaces and ornamental objects.
It can be found in Tanzania, Madagascar, Japan, Russia, Mexico, South Africa and United States.

Rhodonite : High cabochon

Rock Crystal

Crystal in Greek means 'ice' and it's called so because it was the belief that Rock crystal was everlastingly frozen. Rock Crystals are mostly used for costume Jewellery and to imitate diamonds. It is also sometimes confused with glass.

Its deposits are mostly found in Brazil, United States and Madagascar.

Rose Quartz

The stone is called Rose Quartz because it's pink in color. Its coloring agents are titanium and manganese and its color can fade.

Its deposits are found in India, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Madagascar and Brazil.
                                                    
   
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Ruby

Ruby belongs to the corundum group, which is a crystalline form of alluminium oxide. Ruby is one of the earliest gemstones discovered by man. It's name in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit means 'The King of precious stones' or 'The Leader of precious stones'. Rubies today are even more valuable than the top quality colorless diamonds. In-fact, the hunt for a good quality ruby is a never-ending task, which is a full time profession for many gemologists. The most preferred colour of ruby is red.

A pure spectral red without any overtones of brown and/or blue, in fact it is said that a good specimen of ruby looks like a glowing piece of coal. All colors of corundum except red are known as sapphires. It is at times difficult to tell where ruby ends and sapphire begins, particularly in pink shades of corundum. After color, the other most important factors are clarity, cut, and size.

Rubies that are perfectly transparent, with no tiny flaws, are more valuable than those with inclusions visible to the eye. A well-cut stone should reflect back light evenly across the surface. Rubies and other gemstones are sold per carat. Larger rubies, because they are more rare, will cost more. Ruby sometimes displays a three-ray, six-point star. The star is best visible when illuminated with a single light sources. The star moves across the stone as the light moves. This effect, called "asterism" is caused by light reflected by "rutile" needles.

The value of star rubies is based on the intensity and attractiveness of the body color and sharpness of the star. The richest deposits of rubies is in Burma, now called Myanmar. The rubies from these mines are vivid in colour and have strong fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Rubies from Kenya and Tanzania were discovered in the sixties. These rubies have excellent colour, but due to inclusions are not transparent enough to be rated the best. Same is the case with rubies from African mines. Sometimes, top-quality rubies are seen from Afganistan, Pakistan, or the Pamir Mountains of the Commonwealth of Independent States.