What do Job and King Solomon teach about wisdom in relation to rubies? How precious and valuable is a virtuous wife? How are rubies linked to God's punishment of ancient Israel? What powers and abilities were attributed to this gemstone?
Description of Gem
Rubies are considered one of the "big four" gemstones. The others in this set are diamonds, sapphires and emeralds.
Ruby is a precious gemstone best known for its deep red color. It is a variety of the mineral corundum (crystalline aluminum oxide) with its color primarily caused by trace amounts of chromium. These trace amounts also cause the ruby's characteristic fluorescence which gives the stones an extra glow.
Sources
The modern major sources of rubies are Myanmar, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Thailand and Vietnam. Myanmar and Mozambique are considered the top sources.
How Hard Is it?
Rubies possess a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. They, along with sapphires, are the second hardest Biblical stones with diamonds being the hardest.
Biblical Occurrences
Interestingly, the King James Bible mentions the ruby only in the plural and never in the singular.
This precious gemstone is recorded 6 times in 6 verses. Four of these occurrences are in Proverbs while one each is found in Job and Lamentations.
Job, in his discourse concerning his trials, comments that wisdom was more valuable than precious metals or even rubies.
But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? . . . It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof . . .
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. (Job 28:12, 15, 18, KJV throughout).
Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, confirms what Job stated about the value of wisdom.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her . . .
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it . . .
There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. (Proverbs 3:13 - 15, 8:11, 20:15).
The value of a virtuous wife, according to Proverbs 31, is far more than this gemstone.
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. (Proverbs 31:10 - 11).
Jeremiah, in the Bible's book of Lamentations, writes about the destruction of Jerusalem and the penalties that came due to disobeying God.
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:
Their visage (now) is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. (Lamentations 4:7 - 8).
Facts and Folklore
The most valuable and desired shade of a ruby is a pure, vivid, medium-dark red often called "pigeon's blood."
Top-quality rubies can outprice comparable diamonds.
Rubies have been treasured for millennia. Ancient Sanskrit texts called them "ratnaraj," the king of gems.
Since the ruby and the sapphire are the same mineral, the color boundary between "dark pink sapphire" and "light ruby" is actually a matter of debate and convention among gemologists and labs.
Anciently, it was thought that rubies, like diamonds, were created by a bolt of lightning. A popular belief was that this gemstone actually generated light from within itself.
Rubies are traditionally associated with passion, courage, protection, and vitality.
It was believed, at one time, that the "mineral stone" could change flints into several gemstones including rubies.
"The mineral stone hath the power of transmuting any imperfect earthy matter into its utmost degree of perfection; that is, to convert the basest of metals into perfect gold and silver;
"flints into all manner of precious stones as rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds . . . " (On Superstitions Connected with the History and Practice of Medicine and Surgery, page 24).
Like all reddish gemstones that resembled the color of blood, rubies were thought to make the wearer invincible to wounds. It also was believed to have the power to make water boil.
A 13th century Cashmere physician recorded how a ruby was considered a remedy not only for flatulence but also for excess bile. A well-known elixir was also made from rubies (Curious Lore of Precious Stones, pages 33, 102, 162, 168, 386).