Spiritual meaning of Ruby

Understanding the energetic properties of ruby.

Name: Ruby
Color(s): Red
Mineral Information: Aluminum oxide, Corundum group
Chemical Make-up: Al2O3
Hardness: 9
Where they are found: Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan, Australia, Namibia, Colombia, Japan, Scotland, Brazil and Pakistan

About Stone: A fiery red gemstone that comes from the corundum mineral (sapphires come from the same mineral). Corundum is considered one of the hardest minerals on earth and the ruby is prized for its hardness, durability, luster, and rarity. Deemed one of the most valuable gemstones on earth, large, transparent rubies are even more valuable than diamonds.
The queen of gems, deep red ruby is the rarest and most valuable of gemstones. Rubies have been so loved by royalty, they have always included them in their insignias and famous jewelry, but rubies actually have humble beginnings. Most deposits are still worked in the primitive way they’ve been worked for centuries. They are panned from rivers and picked out by hand from the other minerals around them. Their beauty is only skin deep. In their natural rough form, they are dull greasy-looking stones. But cut and polished, their high luster is dazzling (comparable to diamonds), and their rich red color is pleochroic. (Pleochroic is color that varies when you view it from different directions.)
Zodiac Association: Leo, Scorpio, Cancer, Sagittarius
Metaphysical Properties: Increases vitality and chi, the life-force energy, throughout the physical body and into the spirit. It promotes a clear mind, increased concentration and motivation, and brings a sense of power to the wearer, a self confidence and determination that overcomes timidity and propels one toward prosperity and achievement.