Discover Rubies
with R&G.
In the hierarchy of precious materials, the ruby sits at the very top – large natural rubies frequently cost more per carat than colourless diamonds.
Over 500 million year old., Mozambican rubies are particularly rare - far rarer than colourless diamonds.
Rubies and sapphires belong to the mineral family corundum, one of the hardest minerals on Earth.
Both share the same characteristics, crystal structure and chemical composition (aluminum oxide). They only differ in the trace element, chromium, from which they get their colour.
There is no industry-wide agreement on where to draw the line between rubies and pink sapphires. According to an old joke, it depends on whether you´re the buyer or the seller.
The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for "red". Therefore, it is no surprise that a ruby´s primary hue must be red - the more vivid, mor better..
Rubies vary in colour more than you might expect, from purpish-red to orangy-red, with the most desirable hue being a pure vibrant red. Those found in Mozambique cover all of the know colour ranges.
As with all gemstones, the colour should be evenly distributed throughout the gemstone.
Rubies naturally fluoresce under UV light, and feature pleochroism, which is the appearance of different colours when viewing the gemstone from different angles. Pleochroism in rubies typically appears as red to purplish-red and orangey-red in the other.
It is the role of the gemstone cutter to archive the most vivid red hue without losing too much weight from the rough gemstone.
The History and meaning
of rubies.
Once described as "the hearth of Mother Earth", rubies are associated with passion, prosperity and protection.
Early cultures believed they represented the blood that flowed trough their veins.
In India, the earliest accounts of rubies come in ancient Hindu texts, where the ruby was called RATNARAJ, or KING OF GEMSTONES in ancient Sanskrit.
Many believed that rubies held the power of life, and so they were often carried into battle for protection. Even today, rubies are occasionally laid beneath the foundations of a building to bring good fortune to the structures and those that live in them.
The most prized colours for rubies are the slightly bluish red body colour and the purer red fluorescent emission. This became known as "pigeon-blood", although the exact shade is far from standardised.
We believe colour is too subjetive and the term is not accurately applied enough to carry much meaning. Instead, buyers should look for an evenness of colour, and check the colour in daylight (out of direct sunlight) so there are no surprrises.
Chanthaburi in Thailand is the major cutting centre for rubies, where some of the most skilled cutters have theur atelier.
Rubies were mostly mined in Mynmar (they known as Burma) before the Mozambican deposit was discovered in Montepuez.
The US banned the importation of Burmese rubies from 2003-2016, aiding the growing popularity of rubies of alternative origin.
Today, the scarcity of top-quality rubies means that buyers tend to select gems based on their individual characteristics, as opposed to their place of origin.
Owing to this rarity, rubies outperform price per carat of all other gemstones at auction by some margin (excluding coloured diamonds).
Ruby is the birthstone fot July and rubies are also the gift designated for 40th wedding anniversaries. The "fire" viewed within a ruby is said ti symbolise the burning flame of passion in the hearts if a couple who have shared 40 years together.
