Ruby
Known as the king of gemstones, ruby is prized for its vivid red colour and its symbolic ties to power, prosperity and love.
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Ruby Guide • July Birthstone
The July’s Regal Birthstone
Few gemstones possess a history as rich as the ruby. Coveted for over two millennia, July’s birthstone is woven into royal history — from coronation regalia to heirloom collections. Symbolising passion and energy, it remains one of the most rare and prized coloured gemstones in the world.
What is a Ruby?
Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum — the same mineral family as sapphire. This July birthstone takes its name from the Latin word ‘ruber’, meaning red. Prized as the ‘King of coloured gems’, ruby owes its rarity to the trace element chromium, which also gives it that unmistakable deep red glow.
What is the birthstone for July?
Ruby is the official birthstone for July. Its fiery hue is said to reflect confidence, courage and vitality — traits often linked to those born in the month.
Why do rubies make for a precious gemstone?
Ruby is one of the four recognised precious gemstones, alongside diamond, sapphire and emerald. Favoured by royalty for centuries, a fine ruby ranks among the most valuable coloured gemstones per carat.
July Birthstone Meaning: What does ruby symbolise?
Rubies are often associated with:
Love & Passion
Their deep red hue is often linked to love and is seen as a sign of commitment. In the 1800s, French jewelers often referred to ruby as the ‘dearly loved stone’. It is believed to be a representation of love and inspire faithfulness and devotion. Thus, it makes for a perfect gift for Valentine’s day and anniversary.
Vigour & Vitality
Ruby hue is very close to the colour of blood, which is believed to carry oxygen to all the parts of the body. Thus, it is believed that rubies have the ability to lend energy to the body and improve overall wellbeing./p>
Strength & Courage
Ruby’s fiery red hue is associated with blood, life force, strength, and bravery. It is believed to preserve life and ward off danger.
What is the history of rubies in the world?
The July birthstone holds significant historical and cultural importance across various cultures.
Biblical Origin
Ruby stone is mentioned in the bible, highlighting its ancient significance.
Associated With Royalty
Worn by royals and nobles for centuries, the ruby gemstone signifies wealth and power.
Amulet Of War
In Ancient Burmese and Chinese cultures warriors wore rubies while going to the battlefield believing ruby crystal will deliver protection, strength, and victory to the wearer.
A Healing Stone
In medieval Europe, rubies were thought to bring wealth, wisdom, and success in love to the wearer. In other cultures, it was believed to protect misfortune by darkening or changing in colour. Red rubies were also thought to help with inflammatory illness and calm anger.
Anniversary Gem
Ruby is considered as the gemstone of 15th and 40th anniversary as it symbolises love, commitment, protection, energy, and vitality. Its red rich colour can signify deep affection, which has grown stronger over decades of marriage. While, its exceptional durability can be linked to the strength and resilience of a lasting relationship. Thus, the 40th wedding anniversary is also known as the ruby anniversary.
Where do rubies come from?
Rubies are mainly found in marbles (metamorphic lime deposits) and basaltic rocks (volcanic rocks formed after rapid cooling of lava on the Earth’s surface. However, rubies origin does not determine its value. The real value of ruby depends on its colour and carat weight.
Rubies are found in varied regions across the world like Mozambique, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, The Himalayas, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, etc. However, not all rubies are the same, their origin can affect their colour.
Burmese Rubies
Myanmar (formerly Burma) is one amongst the two main providers of ruby in the world. These marble-hosted rubies found here are revered for their pigeon blood red hue. Burmese rubies are scarce and command high-value owing to their rarity and unparalleled beauty.
Mozambique Rubies
The Mozambique rubies are basalt-hosted rubies and come with high iron content. They have a deep red colour and are usually a shade or two darker than the marble-hosted rubies.
Thai Rubies
These rubies glow with intense red hue owing to fluorescence. They exhibit a high level of transparency and clarity and come with brownish undertones. It is also known as Siamese rubies and originates from Thailand.
What determines rubies value?
The very characteristics of rubies help determine its value: colour, cut, clarity, and carat weight.
Ruby Colour
Ruby’s red colour comes from chromium and other trace elements found in its crystal structure. The July birthstone’ colour can range from medium dark red to slightly purplish-red to orangish-red or even pinkish-red.
The colour of ruby is the most important factor for its quality. Ruby’s colour is defined by its hue, saturation, and tone.
Hue - Hue refers to the colour we see when we view a ruby.
Saturation - Saturation refers to the vibrancy of ruby gemstone or its richness.
Tone - Tone refers to the lightness and darkness within the ruby gemstone or how it interacts with light.
Ruby Cut
Rubies are mostly cut into cushion and oval shapes. These cuts help to bring out the deep red hue of the gem, minimize inclusions, and help enhance colour, clarity, and light reflection.
Ruby Clarity
The July birthstone clarity refers to how translucent and clean ruby appears to the naked eye under x10 magnification. Most rubies feature inclusions, which are often seen as a natural consequence of their crystal growth. The rubies with fewer inclusions are considered rarer, making them more valuable and desirable.
Ruby Carat Weight
The carat weight of the ruby refers to the weight of the ruby. Larger rubies are considered rare and thus are more expensive than smaller rubies of the same quality.
Durability Rating
Ruby Hardness
9
Mohs Scale of Hardness
Yes, ruby ranks 9 on Mohs scale of hardness, which is second only to diamonds (10) making it incredibly durable for everyday wear. Ruby is one of the hardest gemstones in the world and highly resistant to breaking and scratching. This is because the July birthstone has a lack of cleavage, which means it does not split easily because it has no natural weak planes. This makes it an excellent choice for all types of jewellery like rings, earrings, bracelets, and pendants. It particularly is well-suited for engagement rings as it can easily withstand daily wear and tear.
How to identify if a ruby is real?
Scratch Test
Real rubies are hard and they do not chip or break easily Rubies are second only to diamond in hardness which means a glass or a cheap imitation of ruby can scratch easily, chip or feel lighter.
Look For Natural Inclusions
Real rubies show tiny silky inclusions under magnification. If it’s completely flawless and inexpensive it can be a fake ruby. When buying ruby pay close attention to the colour. Most rubies have a rich, deep red hue and appear fluorescent under UV lightning.
*Note: Rubies can be lab-created too. These lab-created rubies have the same physical, chemical properties and hardness as of the natural ruby gemstone. So, when buying a ruby jewellery always ask for a certification of authenticity which will clearly list ruby’s origin, quality grade, or if any enhancement is done.
Get It Checked By A Professional
The simplest way to find out if ruby earrings, ruby bracelet, or a piece of ruby necklace that you own is real or not is to get it checked by a jewellery professional.
A professional jeweler is specially trained to understand the differences between a real ruby gemstone or an imitation one. They can not just easily spot if a gemstone is real or not but can also tell you about how much they are actually worth.
How to clean and take care of ruby?
Rubies are extremely durable and thus can be easily cleaned using varied methods. You can clean ruby jewellery by keeping them in ultrasonic machines and steam cleansers, using a specialized jewellery cleaning solution, or wipe it using a damp cloth. You can also use warm soapy water and a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean the ruby jewellery. Rinse off the soap studs and wipe off with a dry, soft cloth. Avoid submerging the ruby ring or ruby earrings into water as it can loosen the glue and the stone.
Store rubies separate to prevent them getting them scratched
Though ruby ranks 9 on Mohs scale and is extremely durable, still it can be scratched by other gemstones with same level of hardness like sapphire or even harder gemstones like diamonds. Store in a soft cloth pouch or other fabric-lined plush jewellery boxes.
Keep rubies away sunlight and heat
Never leave ruby jewellery in the car, around radiators, or strong artificial light. Rubies are highly sensitive to direct sunlight and heat sources, so always store them in a cool and dry place.
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When shopping online for ruby jewellery, always look for an independent laboratory certification from Gemological Institute of America (GIA), American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), or International Gemological Institute (IGI). They make for one of the most popular and respected gemstone grading institutes in the world that clearly states details about a gemstone whether it’s natural or lab-created, shape, cut, measurement, treatments undergone, etc.
Yes, rubies are rarer than diamonds. Unlike diamonds, which are more commonly available in the jewellery market, rubies are exceedingly rare. Thus, large and high-quality rubies are often considered rarer than diamonds. This means even price-wise, fine and large size rubies can exceed the per-carat price of the diamond.
Yes, most of the rubies are heat treated to improve their colour and clarity.
It is one of the most prized ruby that displays a vivid red hue with subtle blue undertone. Primarily found in Mozambique, Madagascar, and Myanmar (often called the Valley of rubies), they make for finest, rarest rubies, making up less than 1% of all the rubies found.
Rubies can cost anywhere from £200-£20,00 and more in the UK, depending upon size and quality.