The birthstone of July: Ruby

August 13, 2018

This month’s birthstone ruby, is often associated with contentment, love, passion, and integrity. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word Ruby comes from ruber, which is Latin for red. The quality of the ruby is determined by its color, cut and clarity, which along with carat weight, affect its value. Rubies are also evaluated on the basis of their geographic origin.

The color is the most important factor when it comes to gemstones. Ruby is defined to be red. All the other hues of the gem species corundum are called sapphire. Rubies may exhibit a range of the colors: orange, purple, violet and pink. The finest ruby is described as being a vivid medium-dark toned red. The brightest and most valuable shade of red called the “blood-red” or “pigeon blood”, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. After color follows clarity; similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like rutile inclusions may indicate that the stone has been treated.

The Sunrise Ruby is the world’s most expensive ruby, most expensive coloured gemstone, and most expensive gemstone other than a diamond. Originally mined in Myanmar and named after a poem written by 13th-century the Sufi poet Rumi. It is a 25.59 carat Burmese “pigeon blood” ruby.

If you are looking for something special in rubies, please don’t hesitate to contact us.