balas

American  

[bal-uhs, bey-luhs] / ˈbæl əs, ˈbeɪ ləs /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. a rose-red variety of spinel.

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balas British  

/ ˈbæləs, ˈbeɪ- /

noun

1. Also called: balas ruby.  a red variety of spinel, used as a gemstone

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Etymology

Origin of balas

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin balasius, variant of balascius < Arabic balakhsh, back formation from Persian Badakhshān, district near Samarkand, where gem is found

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

balas

The white were pearls; the clear and transparent, diamonds; the deep red, rubies; the paler, balas rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; the purple, amethysts; and the yellow, topazes.

From The Junior Classics — Volume 5 by William Patten

The white were pearls; the clear and transparent, diamonds; the deep red, rubies; the paler, balas rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; the purple, amethysts; and the yellow, sapphires.

From Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mabie

The "rubies" of the poet's time were frequently ruby spinels, or the so-called "balas rubies" from Badakshan, in Afghan Turkestan.

From Shakespeare and Precious Stones Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from by George Frederick Kunz

This latter carved a portrait of Ludovico il Moro on a red balas ruby, in intaglio.

From Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Julia de Wolf Gibbs Addison

About his neck was a baldric of balas rubies, and over his robe he wore the collar of the Order of the Garter.

From Windsor Castle by William Harrison Ainsworth