Oh Summer is finally in full swing!
Patios are filled every evening that the weather is nice, children's laughter is heard down the city blocks, and the ruby red wine is poured and shared amongst friends.
It's July!
If you are lucky enough to have this as your birthday month then you are also lucky enough to have the beautiful ruby as your birthstone!
Top up your glass of ruby red wine and stay a minute to have a read about this precious stone.
Ruby Qualities
The ruby is a variety of the mineral corundum, coloured pinkish red to blood red. It's one of the most popular traditional gems and is very durable.
As mentioned in previous blogs, the ruby belongs to the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. Its name comes from the latin word ruber, meaning red.
The quality of a ruby is determined by the 4 C;s
Colour, cut, clarity and carat weight .
The brightest most valuable shade "blood red" or pigeon blood commands a large premium over other rubies.
All natural rubies have imperfections including colour impurities and rutile needles known as "silk" this is how they are distinguished from synthetics or substitutes.
A special feature of a ruby is they can sometimes show a 3 point or 6 point asterism or 'star' They are best visible with a single light source and move across the stone as the light moves or the stone is rotated. Rubies can also show colour changes, though rare, and chatoyancy "cats eye" effect
Where do we find these gemstones?!
Historically, rubies have been mined in Thailand, Pailin, Cambodia, india, Namibia, Japan, and Scotland. After WWII, ruby deposits were found in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, & Vietnam.
Republique of North Macedonia is the only country in Europe to have naturally occuring rubies. They have a unique raspberry colour.
The US have a few found in states like Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wyoming.
Let's talk Fame!
A few notable rubies are those like the Liberty Bell Ruby, The Sunrise Ruby, and the Jubilee Ruby.
The Liberty Bell Ruby is the largest mined ruby in the world weighing 4 lbs, eight in a half thousand carats and sculpted into a miniature form of the Liberty Bell. It has 50 diamonds set in and is valued at $2 million.
It was being held on behalf of a foundation by a jewelry store in Delaware when it was stolen in a heist in 2011. A $10,000 reward was offered. Not much hope remains at it's recovery.
The Sunrise Ruby is the most expensive coloured gemstone and most expensive gemstone other than a diamond. It sold in auction in 2015 for $30 million US to an anonymous buyer
Jubilee Ruby coming in at 15.99 carats set in gold and diamond mounting by Verdura. It sold for $14.2 million at Christies New York in 2014. That equates to $885,000 per carat! At the time of the sale, it was the most important ruby to be offered for sale in the US in over 25 years. Burmese rubies are valuable because of their extremely saturated colour and natural fluorescence. It makes the stone appear to glow from within.
Cheers to the ruby in all it's glory! Wear it proudly all you July babies!