Ruby – the King of the Gemstones

So I learnt some very interesting facts about rubies on Monday, and just couldn’t wait to share them with you!  It all started with this beautiful ruby and diamond cluster ring from the 1930s…

1930’s Ruby and Diamond cluster ring

Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum.  Now, Sapphire is also of the mineral corundum and covers all colours except red.  This essentially means that rubies are red sapphires, although this is not quite true because a ruby will never be identified as a red sapphire – it has been classified as an individual gemstone (1) but you can see how closely related they are, with exactly the same properties, apart from the colour.

Sapphires in a rainbow of colours!  All colours apart from red are classified as Sapphires when it comes to the mineral corundum.  The red variety is our beautiful Ruby.

This close relationship between Ruby and Sapphire is very interesting, and also explains why these two gemstones are both such popular choices in engagement rings; with a hardness of 9.0 (on the Mohs scale, which we will look at later) they are second only to Diamonds, that have a hardness of 10.0.  It means that they will be very durable and not scratch or break easily – which is obviously very important when you wear your ring all the time, every day.

Diamond and ruby ring at Richard Ogden

However, the close relationship between rubies and sapphires have only been known to us since the beginning of the 19th century.  Before that people mistook red garnets and spinels for rubies all the time all around the world – except in Burma, where spinels were recognised as separate gemstones in as early as 1587.  The rest of the world stayed oblivious to this fact for hundreds of years – happily decorating their crown jewels with spinels and garnets, thinking that they were beautiful red rubies!  The most famous spinel that was once thought to be a ruby, is the Black Prince’s ruby; a 170ct red spinel adorning the Imperial State Crown of England in the British Crown Jewels! (2)

Antique diamond and ruby ring

There has been a bit of debate in the jewellery world when it comes to distinguishing between rubies and pink sapphires.  In the US a minimum intensity of colour must be met for the gemstone to be called a ruby – anything that falls short of that will be classified as a pink sapphire.  This is a bit difficult to decide on though, so the International Colored Gemstone Association and other trade organisations have adopted a broader definition for rubies, which includes their lighter shades as well, including pink. (3)  You can see a very good example of a pinkish ruby in the top photo above.

Snake necklace in gold with ruby eyes, a sapphire and diamonds – on Portobello Market

Ruby obtains its red colour from the presence of the element chromium in the corundum mineral, and the most sought after colour in rubies is a deep red colour, sometimes referred to as “Pigeon’s Blood Ruby” and “Burmese Ruby”.  Mogok in Burma (now Myanmar) produces the most valuable naturally coloured rubies but there are heavy restrictions on exports from the country  because of their human rights violations, and countries like the UK ban any exports from them.  Thailand used to be a great source of rubies, but their mines were exhausted in the 1980s.  Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Mozambique are other important sources of rubies and other providers include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikstan, Australia, and the US (1).

Ruby and diamond butterfly brooch at Richard Ogden, Burlington Arcade

This was a very brief look into this stunning gemstone, and something tells me that we will be coming back for so much more!

Sources:

(1) Minerals.net

(2) Gemstone.org

(3) Wikipedia – Ruby

Your Secret Jewellery Collection – the Indian chapter part II

We are diving right back into a friend’s jewellery collection and today we are getting to lay eyes on some stunning rubies:

Indian Vintage Jewellery, Rubies, Diamonds and Silver

The earrings were a wedding gift from her aunt and are so beautifully adorned with rubies and diamonds.  They are modern pieces but they design goes very far back in time.  The style is north Indian, and men often wear this teardrop-shaped jewellery on their hats as an emblem.

Indian Vintage Jewellery, Rubies, Diamonds and Silver, Earring and Necklace with tassles

It is common for rich Indian families to sell off parts of their jewellery collections when their finances get a bit shaky and there are specific shops around that buy these pieces.  My friend bought the necklace above from one of these shops – which also sold lots of beautiful antiques – when she was visiting Jaipur.  Once you buy your jewellery they will polish it and bring it to you, so hers was delivered to her when she was at The Oberoi Rajvilas, in Rajastahn (oh do check out the link – you will want to visit India in a heartbeat !).  The story is just so romantic; she was wearing a sari and having a sophisticated martini with her husband, when the shopkeeper came up to her and brought out a box of rubies.  There were ten or so people in the bar and everyone went silent and stopped to stare.  Pretty sure she must have felt like an Indian princess!

Apparently these rubies are not as expensive as Burmese rubies, which is why you can buy such a vast amount of them.  Her darling husband has promised her one new string of rubies every time they visit India – awww!

The necklace has a very typical Indian adjustable string and consists of approximately 400 carats of rubies

You can find the rest of the Your Secret Jewellery Collection-posts here.