Is your special someone celebrating their birthday this month? You may want to show them just how much you care about them with radiant ruby jewelry! Worn by royalty throughout history and known to represent fiery love and passion, wisdom and success, here is all you need to know about this eye-catching July birthstone, believed to bestow good fortune on its lucky owner!
A fiery affair
The gorgeous ruby is renowned for its vibrant red color, and comes in a multitude of red hues, from sweet pinkish-red to a fierier orangey-red. But here is an interesting fact: it’s the rubies that boast a hint of purple are usually the most expensive and desirable, known as ‘pigeon blood ruby’, boasting a deep red hue with a slight purple tint. Rubies get their color from a trace amount of chromium, and the more chromium that’s present, the more fiery and red one can expect the ruby to be!
Seriously symbolic
Mesmerizingly beautiful, the radiant ruby has been in the limelight for centuries. A gemstone which certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, it’s hardly surprising that the vibrant stunner – which comes from the Latin ‘ruber’ which means ‘red’ – has long been associated with status, power and wealth. It was even once believed that rubies helped in the accumulation of wealth. But more than just power, rubies have long symbolized personal protection and health when worn as a talisman, believed by ancient civilizations to hold the power of life. It was even believed that they could remedy bleeding and inflammation.
Back to basics
Rubies are very precious for good reason; it takes really unique circumstances beneath the earth’s surface for them to be created. Made from the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide), they are formed under the earth’s crust by extreme heat and pressure. Rubies today are primarily mined in Myanmar, and mining tools dating back to the stone and bronze age have been found in the area. The precious gemstone is also mined in various other Asian countries – notably Thailand and Cambodia – as well as in Africa and South America. Now sold around the world, the timeless beauties are just as desirable today as they were centuries ago!
The ideal romantic gift, check out this ruby and diamond necklace and stunning ruby stud earrings.