Help with Ruby the mineral?

Question

I need help with info on the mineral ruby. I need to know these things:

1. What year was the first ruby dicovered?
2. By whom?
3. Where can you find the mineral today? (States and countries)
4. What is ruby used for?
5. Is there a substitue mineral that can be used if we run out of ruby? (Yes or no)
6. Can you find ruby in California?

Please help me out all that you can, I need to know these things tonight. Thank you all so much!

Well I need these to help me with a science project. I tried keywords, most of them don't work.

Answer 1

1. We have no idea when ruby was first discovered but it was back into ancient history.
2. Again there is no written record but it was probably farmers digging in areas where rubies are found in placer deposits.
3. The worlds main producers are:- Burma (now called Myanmar), Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, Australia (very low grade), East Africa and Madagascar.
4. Ruby is used for jewellery of course. It is also used in large amounts (man made) for lasers, the electronics and optical industries and as high precision bearings for watches and other instruments.
5. Synthetic ruby is very easy to produce in a laboratory, in fact it was the first gem stone to ever be made in a lab.
6. Ruby prospecting in California will not make you a fortune as none have ever been found so far.

Answer 2

try search key words, Thailand, Burma, Laos, precious stones, I don't think ruby is found in USA but maybe, the largest most valuable come from Burma (formerly Burma, now some other name, damn I forgot what), anyhow, what was your question? oh, used for jewelry and things like trading. Sure, there are plenty of fakes out there.

Answer 3

http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blruby.htm hope this helps


this might help more http://www.minerals.net/gemstone/gemstone/ruby/ruby.htm