Ruby is July’s Birthstone. It is also associated with 40th wedding anniversaries. Rubies are evaluated on the 4 Cs, but also based on where they were mined, and their colour. Deep red, or ‘pigeon blood’ rubies are the most valuable. Rough rubies are most often found in museums; they are more typically cut for jewellery. They are occasionally polished into cabochons, particularly star rubies.
History of Rubies
Rubies were first discovered and mined in the Mogok Valley, in Burma. It produced some of the most famous examples of this gorgeous gem. But has lately been superseded by the Mong Hsu area. The majority of rubies are found in the Asiatic continents.
Rubies have always been associated with nobility. In China, the highest level mandarins would wear a ruby pin in their official Qing headwear to denote rank (lower ranking officials wore different gems, such as jade or lapis). In the 16th Century, the King of Burma decreed that all rubies above a certain size must be turned over to the Royal treasury.
The first synthetic rubies were made in 1837, and on a commercial scale in 1910. They are often used in lasers and other tech applications, as well as jewellery.
Famous Rubies
The Sunrise Ruby, named after a poem by Rumi, is the world’s most expensive ruby. It is also the most expensive coloured gemstone, and most expensive gemstone other than a diamond.
The value of rubies makes them at particular risk for theft.
The Liberty Bell Ruby is the largest mined ruby in the world. It weighs 4lb and was sculpted into a miniature Liberty Bell, set with fifty diamonds. It was stolen in 2011. The DeLong Star Ruby is a cabochon famously stolen by jewel thief Jack Roland Murphy and his gang. It has since been recovered, and resides at the Natural History Museum in New York City.
Queen Elizabeth has a ruby tiara, commissioned from Gerrard & Co, featuring gems gifted to her by the Burmese people on her wedding day.
Meaning of Rubies
Ancient Burmese soldiers believed wearing rubies would protect them in battle. They were even said to insert the gem into their flesh to ward off violence. One of the ceremonial offerings Hindus leave at various temples consists of gems and jewellery. Rubies are considered among the most precious of these offerings. In the Harita Smriti, it is written that ‘He who worships Krishna with Rubies will be reborn as a powerful emperor’. In the Bible, rubies are regularly associated with beauty and wisdom. The ruby was also said to be the most precious of the 12 stones created by God.
Today the ruby is a stone associated with love, passion and harmony, making it perfect for eternity rings.