Drawer menu
There's a reason rubies have been prized for thousands of years. This deep red gem — July's birthstone — has adorned kings, guarded warriors, and symbolized love and courage across nearly every culture that's ever laid eyes on one. Here's a look at what makes ruby so special, plus a few facts that might surprise you.
Ruby is a variety of the mineral corundum, the same family as sapphire. What turns it that unmistakable red is trace amounts of chromium trapped inside the crystal structure. More chromium generally means a more vivid red — and the most coveted color, often called "pigeon's blood," is a rich, slightly purplish-red found in the finest stones.
Even the name has ancient roots. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the word ruby comes from the Latin ruber, meaning "red," and early cultures were so captivated by the color that they believed the glowing stone held an inextinguishable flame inside it.
Ruby's history runs deeper than most gems. GIA notes that rubies are mentioned four times in the Bible, tied to beauty and wisdom, and that in ancient Sanskrit the stone was called ratnaraj — "king of precious stones." Ancient Hindu tradition held that offering a fine ruby to the god Krishna would guarantee rebirth as an emperor, and some believers even sorted rubies into castes, with the finest stones thought to grant their owners perfect safety.
For centuries, warriors in Burma (modern-day Myanmar) believed rubies made them invincible in battle. But according to GIA, simply wearing the gem wasn't considered enough — some warriors went as far as inserting rubies under their skin, believing the stone had to become part of the body to work its power.
By the first century AD, the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder was writing about ruby's hardness and density in his Natural History — an early nod to a property that still makes the gem so desirable today.
On the Mohs hardness scale, ruby scores a 9 out of 10 — second only to diamond. That toughness is part of why rubies have survived in royal collections and archaeological digs for thousands of years, and why they hold up so beautifully in rings and other jewelry worn every day.
Ruby's appeal never faded as it moved into the Western world. Per GIA, ruby became one of the most sought-after gems among European royalty and the upper classes during the medieval period, when it was believed to guarantee health, wealth, wisdom, and success in love. That romantic association has stuck — ruby remains a classic symbol of passion and devotion, and it's still one of the most requested gems for engagement rings and anniversary jewelry today.
Real rubies have made history in more recent times too. The Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat Burmese stone, sold at auction in 2015 for over $30 million — the highest price ever paid for a ruby, working out to more than $1 million per carat. The Liberty Bell Ruby, carved into the shape of the Liberty Bell from an enormous 8,500-carat rough stone, was the largest cut ruby in the world before it was stolen in a 2011 jewelry heist and has never been recovered.
For centuries, the Mogok Valley in Myanmar was considered the world's premier source of top-quality rubies, with a mining history GIA traces back to at least 600 AD. Today, exceptional stones also come from Mozambique, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Large, high-clarity rubies are rarer than diamonds of the same size, which is part of why fine rubies can command extraordinary prices per carat.
Beyond marking July birthdays, ruby is the traditional gift for 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries — a fitting symbol, given its long association with love, passion, and lasting devotion.
Thanks to that impressive hardness, rubies are a wonderfully practical everyday gem. A little care still goes a long way: clean your ruby jewelry with warm water, mild soap, and a soft brush, and steam or ultrasonic cleaning is generally safe for untreated or heat-treated stones. If you're ever unsure about a specific piece, bring it in and we're happy to take a look.
Whether you're celebrating a July birthday, marking an anniversary, or simply drawn to one of the most storied gems in history, we'd love to help you find a ruby piece that's meant for you.
Stop by and let's talk about what makes this gem so special.
