Semi Precious Stone Beads » Red Stones Beads

Red Stones Beads

Red Stone Beads are made up of different type of red stones. The major five categories of red stones are:

• Various type of garnets.
• Spinels.
• Zircon.
• Ruby.
• Tourmaline.

Ruby Stone beads are again of different types. These may be either dark red beads (Siam type), blood red beads (Burma type), Pale red beads (Ceylon). Red stone beads made up of Ruby stones are the most pleasant beads of the red bead species. When the red beads of this species are seen by transmitting light, these still look very pleasant. Sometimes, the red color may appear as purple but seldom, it is found in orange red. These beads has a certain life and exhibit less varieties.

Beads made out of Garnet red stones have a dark red hue. This red hue is darker than any red hue of this kind of other red beads. The unique property of these beads is that when they are seen against the light, the red color appears as orange red or brownish red. Another type of red granite beads, which are also known as almandine granite beads having red purplish red tint, that can not be compared with true red color of ruby. The granite stone beads also have limited color variety.

Beads made out of red Zircon stones are rare due to their scarce availability. The color variation of these beads also deprives us from getting a lot of variation like ruby beads. The red hue of these beads is very sober and this is also inclined towards brownish cast. They have inexorable luster while the ruby beads have mild and glassy luster. In these beads, the color variety is not too good.

Spinels red beads are inclined towards yellowish red color. As these beads consist single refraction, do not exhibit color angle variation. Compared to ruby beads, this variety of beads is not completely of red color. Tourmaline red stone beads exhibit lowest color variation and their red color intensity is also poor. Rather than red, these are more inclined towards pink.

Red Stones
Red Stones can be classified into several groups and sub-groups. All these have their different identical properties. These are the five major type of red stones which have been given below:


RUBY
Chemical Structure: Al2O3::Cr
Mineral Name: Corundum (Aluminum Oxide with Chromium)
Hardness: 9.0
Refractive Index: ~1.762-1.770
Specific Gravity: 4.0

Ruby is the most important red stone in the Red Stone family. These gemstones have red color which have different hues that varies from light pink to blood red. They have ultraviolet fluorescence effect due to which under long waves these appear red in color. What ever the color they have are due to the presence of Chromium. The prime sources from where these gemstones are found are Australia, Sri Lanka, Greenland, in some African countries, North & South Carolina, Myanmar and Madagascar. In Myanmar, Ruby gemstones have a trade name "Mogok". Among all natural stones, Ruby is the second hardest stones just after Diamond. In natural form, these stones contain several impurities including color imperfections.

GARNET
Chemical Structure: X3Y2(SiO4)3
Harness: 6.0 to 7.5
Specific Gravity: 3.1 to 4.3
Refractive System: 1.72 - 1.94
Optical Properties: Single refractive, often anomalous double refractive.
Color: virtually all colors
Luster: glassy to pitchy
Crystal System: Isometric
Cleavage: None

These Garnet gemstones are found in different colors including yellow, red, orange, purple, blue, pink, black and even these may be colorless, but the most prominent color of these stones is red. The rarest color is blue. Countries where these stones are found are Turkey, U.S.A, Madagascar and Russia. The color of these stones change according to the changing light, for instance the bluish green color of these stones changes into purple color in incandescent light.


ZIRCON
Chemical Structure: ZrSiO4
Mineral Name: Zirconium Silicate.
Refractive Index: 1.967 - 2.015
Specific Gravity: 4.6 to 4.7
Hardness: 7.5
Color: brown, red, yellow, green, black, and colorless.
Crystal System: Tetragonal.
Cleavage: Indistinct, two directional.
Luster: Relentless.

Zircon gemstones are fluorescent in nature. These stones are incurred in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Large crystals of these gemstones are not often found abundantly. They are found in different colors including yellow, brown, black, red, green and even colorless. In those Zircon stones which are below the gems quality, on heating them their color can be changed. Depending upon the requirements, the color can be altered by applying heat treatment. Noted occurrences of these gemstones are in the Ural mountain (Europe), U.S.A, India, Italy, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, South Africa, Canada and Madagascar.


SPINAL

Chemical Structure: MgAl2O4
Color: Varies from red to blue to mauve, dark green, brown, black etc
Refractive index: 1.712-1.762
Hardness: 8.0
Specific gravity: 3.54-3.63
Crystal System: Isometric
Cleavage: Indistinct.

White perpendicular streaks run across the gemstones. Noted occurrences of these gemstones are in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand. The red transparent spinals are very much resembling to rubies and therefore, these are referred as "Spinal Rubies". Rubicella is another kind of spinal gemstone.


TOURMALINE
Chemical Structure: (Ca,K,Na,[])(Al,Fe,Li,Mg,Mn)3(Al,Cr, Fe,V)6 (BO3)3(Si,Al,B)6O18(OH,F)4.
Hardness: 7.0 to 7.5
Dispersion: 0.017
Refractive Index: 1.635 to 1.675
Specific Gravity: 3.0 to 3.26
Density: 2.82 - 3.32
Color: Most common color is blackish red to light red, other colors are violet, brown, pink, green, in the dual colored green and pink.
Crystal system: Trigonal
Cleavage: Indefinite.
Fracture: Uneven, small conchoidal, brittle
Luster: Glassy, sometimes pitchy.