Rocks & Co. Birthstone Special July – African Ruby Travel Guide

 

 Magic Ruby Stories

It has been said that the owner of a Ruby will be blessed with a  life of peace and plenty. The vivid red gemstone has been long associated with passion and thought by some to be a ‘ love stone’ with an aphrodisiac effect. Ruby has long been attributed to the ability to protect its wearer from injury and to cure blood disorders. It is also said to provide its wearer with energy, emotional strength, positive attitude, heightened awareness and focus. In traditional Hindu belief systems, ruby is associated with Muladhara a.k.a the root chakra. This chakra is concerned with Kundalini; spiritual energy, safety, groundedness, the power of pure desire, divine consciousness, the opening of the mind and natural energy of the Self. In feng shui, ruby is believed to bring yang fire energy.

Mozambique

Mozambique Ruby

The July birthstone is being touted as more rare and valuable than the diamond by the gemstone world. Rubies are treasures so stunning one could almost overlook the beautiful yet complicated countries where they come from.  The African region which includes Tanzania & Mozambique boasts some of the most exquisite coastlines and nature reserves in the world and is an important source for the world’s Rubies.  It’s hard for me not to think of this beautiful continent when thinking of the gems that come from it. I personally would love to visit this part of the world very soon.  For now, we can dream, can’t we? Mozambique and its people have been through 500 years of colonialization  (Portuguese is still the first language), years of drought, flooding, and civil war. After all of this, the country seems to be much closer to stabilising economically from farming, agriculture, mining and most recently oil, but it is complicated.  The majority of its citizens live in poverty and there is an ongoing tension between the government and its corporate interests, versus investment in its citizens and environment. This the Worldwide issue. In addition to incredible natural resources, the region is rich in folk art, cultural traditions and artisans. While the public is largely unaware of Mozambique as a source for rubies, the deposit near Montepuez is considered by the trade to be the largest ruby supplier in the world, supplying 40% of the rubies on the market.

 

Tanzania

Tanzania – beach-Wikipedia

 Tanzania is an East African country known for its vast wilderness areas, including the plains of Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. Offshore lie the tropical islands of Zanzibar, with Arabic influences, and Mafia, with a marine park home to the whale shark. It is also the source of some of our most beautiful Rubies.

Tanzanian Ruby

If Stones Could Talk

This Tanzanian Ruby from Rocks & Co., gives you colour unlike any other Ruby found in the gemstone world, it brings you breathtaking crisp golden reds. Due to the pleochroism in corundum (in Ruby’s case, diochroism), even the finest quality ruby will still be 80% red with secondary splashes of a secondary colour whether it’s pink, purple, violet or orange; there is no ‘best’ example of a Ruby colour, it is all personal preference. Whatever colour mixture you end up purchasing the true beauty is dependent on the Clarity, Saturation and lustre

Zanzibar is the archipelago’s focal point, and with good reason. It’s old Stone Town is one of Africa‘s most evocative locations, with a mesmerising mix of influences from the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, the African mainland and Europe.

An easy drive away is Zanzibar’s beaches, which are among the finest stretches of sand to be found anywhere. To the south-east, pods of dolphins frolic offshore, while to the west, shoals of luminous fish graze over Chumbe Island’s pristine coral gardens. Along the east coast, rural villages dot the coastline, from community-minded Jambiani through the surf-and-party hub of Paje to traditional Matemwe, with its seaweed harvesting, and its snorkelling around lovely Mnemba Atoll.

At Zanzibar‘s northern tip, tourist activity centres on Nungwi and Kendwa, with their beaches, bars and dance-till-dawn full-moon parties. Choose your spot carefully here, as increasing development threatens the area’s ineluctable magic and fragile community resources.I

Malawi

Lake Malawi

 

Malawi

is a landlocked country in the same southeastern region of Africa. It  is defined by its topography of highlands split by the Great Rift Valley and enormous Lake Malawi. The lake’s southern end falls within Lake Malawi National Park – sheltering diverse wildlife from colourful fish to baboons – and its clear waters are popular for diving and boating. Peninsular Cape Maclear is known for its beach resorts.  Malawi is a small country centrally located between the mineral-rich fields and mountains of Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia in Eastern Africa. Each of the surrounding countries is already famous for bringing us some of the finest quality gemstones we have to offer, Tanzanite, Emeralds, Tourmalines and stunning Corundums! Malawi Rubies were only introduced to the marketplace in 2004 but due to the country’s internal complications, it was incredibly difficult for the miners to produce material continually and sufficiently enough for it to make any impact with buyers. Fast forward to 2012 and now this location is growing a reputation for producing some of the cleanest Ruby material ever in the world.

 

*Ruby shop over at Rocks&Co for a full selection

 

article sources:

https://www.gia.edu/ruby

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/tanzania

http://www.thetanzaniaspecialists.net/what-to-do/tanzania-beaches

https://nomadtours.co.za/discover/highlights/lake-malawi/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi