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Ruby was a variety of corundum that was a popular and plentiful jewel and had many magical uses in addition to its appeal as a sparkling gemstone.[4][5]

Description

Rubies came in a variety of colors, from colorless through shades of red to deep crimson. The darker the shade and the fewer the inclusions and impurities, the more valuable was the gem.[4][5] A typical specimen had a base value of 5,000 gp.[1][2][3] About one in every hundred rubies was a star ruby.[5]

Powers

Superstitions around the Sea of Fallen Stars[4] held that rubies bestowed good luck on their owners,[5][6] but magical uses were much more reliable. Crushed to a powder and used in the enchantment, rubies greatly enhanced personal magic items that increased skill, ability, resistance, or luck.[5] Ruby powder was also used to create the magic ink[4] for scribing divine spells of the elemental and sun spheres, and arcane spells of the abjuration, alteration, or evocation schools.[5] The best time of day to use powdered ruby was "the time of the summer sunset."[5][note 1]

Facet cut and polished rubies were required in the crafting of a helm of brilliance[4] and were the gem of choice in decorating items that produced healing magic.[5] With the proper incantations, rubies could ward against natural and magical lightning and earthquakes. Extremely rarely, a ruby might contain a creature that could be released from the stone by delicately shattering it. Such creatures were usually unknown in Faerûn and grew rapidly upon release.[5]

Appendix

See Also

Notes

  1. According to Elminster, this was around 5 o'clock in the evening.

Gallery

References

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