Rubies' color ranges from orange-red to purple-red. The most valuable rubies are shiny pure red in color, tending bit towards dark red. The stone should be translucent allowing the light to go through it. Rubies are sometimes heat-treated to permanently improve their color and clarity. Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July.
It is rare to find a ruby that has not undergone treatments to enhance its color and fill cracks. It is accepted procedure in the jewelry industry to perform these treatments on rubies.
The following are terms for fake rubies: "Adelaide ruby," "Cape ruby," "Arizona ruby," "Colorado ruby," "American ruby," "Bales ruby," "Bohemian ruby," "Montana ruby," "Mont Blanc ruby," "Mountain ruby," "Brazilian ruby," "Siberian ruby".