Ruby Romance

Ruby is the birthstone for July and very much a symbol for love and romance making it a perfect choice for Valentines Day. Although we specialize in emeralds we do not deny the beauty of all the magnificent creations on this earth.

King of Stones

From as far back as 600 AD in Hindu culture to the first century AD, where the Roman scholar Pliny included rubies in his book Natural History, noting hardness and density, ruby has been considered as one of the most significant gems in creation, mentioned at least four times in the Bible. The Latin word ruber, meaning red, is where ruby gets its name from and in Sanskrit it’s known as “ratnaraj”, meaning “king of stones”.  Treasured for associating attributes such as health, wisdom, beauty, romance and success in love, as well as for holding the power of life in some early cultures due to the redness equated with human blood, they have captivated humans and influenced cultures and dynasties over the ages.

As with all gems in creation, the extreme process of mainly time, heat and pressure (plus some other conditions) that occurs in nature to produce these magnificent and mesmerizing gems reflects the many attributes of diversity found in the world of creation. Their level of perfection is seen as the highest attainable in the mineral kingdom, separating them from ordinary rocks and stones. Spiritually they connect and represent many qualities and forms in human culture, for example in ancient Hindu culture it was believed that those who offered fine rubies to the god Krishna were granted rebirth as emperors. In the Baha’i Holy Writings “mineral gems” are equated with the latent potentiality of “virtuous gems” that are inherently contained within, and can be mined from, the human condition, which can in turn allow mankind to benefit therefrom. Education is considered as one of the most important tools to “mine” these “virtuous gems”. Similar to the process of growth in the natural world which develops under challenging and extreme conditions, so too can man produce incredible gems of virtue under the conditions of trial and tribulation.

Ruby Sources

Rubies come from many sources with the most valuable from Asia, particularly Mogok and Mong Hsu in Burma (now known as Myanmar) and other localities such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and the now depleted territory of Thailand which has become a “center of the ruby trade”, utilizing the skill and experience of the Thai dealers.  Africa, however, particularly Madagascar and Mozambique, is now being seen as the most significant source of fine ruby production and comes in a close 2^nd to Burma for their stunning red color and quality. 

Untreated Rubies

Although gem enhancements have been performed for many centuries, most gems nowadays undergo varying forms of treatment to enhance their appearance. This is acceptable as long as industry approved treatments are used and disclosed to consumers. In the case of ruby, heat and lead glass filling are two of the most common methods and are used to improve color and clarity. Like all rare gems, those that have no form of treatment can command top prices and ruby is no exception. As is with fine emeralds and sapphires, fine quality ruby is often bought and held by dealers and collectors as investment material, preferring them to cash. In the last few years record prices have been seen at auctions for these beautiful red gems especially for untreated larger stones over one carat. 

In our sixty year history in the rare gem business, we have always enjoyed offering other gem rarities to our clients who know and trust us for our quality, value and ethical sourcing for many of the gems available on the market. Although our favorite colors may be green and pink ;), we celebrate the diversity of color found in creation and are happy to source and create beautiful cherished designs for our clients with these beautiful colored gems. 

Finished Ruby Creations Currently Available In-Stock or on Backorder:

Do you have any further questions regarding rubies? Contact Us.