Birthstone of the month – Ruby

We are celebrating ruby jewellery all of this month at CaratLane. In many ways, rubies are what first come to mind upon hearing the word “gem“. Along with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, rubies are one of the four truly precious gemstones. The oldest and best sources of rubies are mines from Myanmar (former Burma) and Thailand, while they are now mined in several countries around the world, including the USA. Rubies have enjoyed respect in south- and south-east Asia since earliest known history. In India, for example, rubies were referred to as Ratnaraja, or king of gems, and considered a gem that symbolizes courage, health and passion. There is consensus that the word Corundum, another name for ruby, originates from the Sanskrit word “Kuruvinda”.

As a red gemstone, the ruby has a natural advantage, because of the deep fascination that the colour red holds for humans. In jewellery, rubies are nice by themselves, or pair wonderfully with diamonds, or with pearls. In a ruby-diamond combination, lead with colour, while diamonds add fiery brilliance to the piece. With pearls, there is an interesting contrast of both colour and luminescence. The translucent, warm glow of rubies is softened by the mellow, milky appearance of pearls, making it a sweet blend in jewellery.

In terms of wearability, the colour of rubies make them excellent to wear on the skin. Wear them as pendants on short chains, so the stone sits at the hollow of the throat, or as diamond rings or earrings. Rubies help add warmth and colour to your complexion, and especially ruby earrings ensure that visual attention centers around your face. As with the three other cardinal gemstones, no serious jewellery collection is complete without a suite of ruby jewellery. Make sure you have a ruby set that you can dress up or down, with yellow of white gold accessories to suit the occasion and time of day. Rubies are the birthstone of July, so if you are looking for a birthday gift this month, voila your solution. And July-borns, we wish you a very happy birthday!