About RubyThe color of passionRubies were called the king of gems by ancient Indians. Early Europeans believed they guaranteed peace and happiness to whoever wore them, and today we associate them with romance, passion, and those magical slippers that Dorothy wore to get home. Ruby is also the birthstone for all lucky people born in July. Color and pedigreeRubies are red – the color of love and power. They can be medium to dark red, sometimes with a hint of orange, purple or pink. Myanmar produces most rubies, but they’re also mined in Southeast Asia, Madagascar and Kenya. Many beautiful rubies are lab-created, and have the same optical, physical and chemical properties of Mother Nature’s natural stones. Taking it homeYour ruby jewelry is best cleaned professionally by your jeweler. If at-home cleaning is necessary, use jewelry cleaner or lukewarm water. Protect your ruby from exposure to extreme heat and household products like bleach and ammonia. Visit the Learning Guide for more information on rubies. About GoldGold is more than just a pretty facePeople don’t just love gold because it sparkles; for centuries, it’s been cherished for being strong. Gold is also malleable enough to suit endless designs, so it’s an excellent foundation for all types of jewelry. And because it’s resistant to corrosion, tarnish and rust, your gold jewelry will look new for a long time. Gold is very malleable making it ideal for jewelry designs, but to give it the strength needed for it to withstand wear it must be alloyed with other metals such as copper, silver, zinc or nickel. The percentage of pure gold to alloys is expressed in karatage. 24k would represent pure gold. 14k represents 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy. In the United States fine jewelry is generally created using 18k, 14k or 10k gold. Yellow GoldThe shade of yellow gold can vary based on the alloy. As the amount of gold increases, so does the brightness of the yellow color. Visit the Learning Guide for more information on yellow gold. White GoldWhen yellow gold is mixed with nickel and zinc, it becomes white gold, which looks similar to platinum. White gold is often finished by plating it with rhodium, which will give it an even whiter, more brilliant appearance. Visit the Learning Guide for more information on white gold. | 
