Ruby is one of the most coveted gem stones, its deep red color is mesmerizing and jewelry featuring this stone creates an elegant piece of art.

Both ruby and sapphire are a variety of the mineral “corundum”. Both stones are composed of aluminum oxide, and are the second hardest gemstone after diamond. All other gemstones fall below 9 on the Moh’s scale of hardness. To be called a ruby, the stone must have a dominant red hue, though it can have hints of pink, orange, or purple as a secondary color. Blue corundum is called sapphire. Fine examples of rubies will often command higher prices than many other rare and beautiful gemstones.

The red hue of ruby comes from the presence of chromium oxide. The more chromium, the redder the stone will be; and, the redder the stone, the higher the value. Finding a well- saturated, vivid red ruby is rare. The most desirable rubies were mined in a region of Burma (now Myanmar) called Mogok. Stones were found in that region as early as the Stone Age and the mine has since been depleted and it closed around the 1980s.

The finest red color has been referred to as ‘pigeon blood’ red. The Swiss gemologist, Edward Gubelin, was quoted as clarifying this description as “the hue of the first two drops of blood which appear in the nostrils of a freshly shot pigeon”. Rubies are also found and mined in other parts of Burma, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, Vietnam, Madagascar and East Africa.

Since ancient times the ruby has been associated with passion, the life force, health, fortitude. Warriors believed it could make them invincible in battle.

Jewelry featuring rubies look beautiful in both white and yellow gold and often are enhanced by smaller white accent diamonds. Art Deco pieces made out of platinum in fine geometric patterns with rubies and diamonds are exquisite as are more modern styles where rubies are set in heavy yellow gold.

Peridot presents a lively yellowish green color hue that is available in many sizes and price points. Some of the oldest peridot dates back 4.5 billion years. The stone has also been found in meteorites, in fact, peridot dust has been found on other planets. The color of these stones can range from slightly brownish green, to green to yellowish green. Most stones are eye clean, with few inclusions (internal blemishes) and can be cut in various shapes.  

Smaller sizes are plentiful and can be found at a good price points. But the larger stones are more rare and more expensive. Better quality peridot comes from Myanmar in the Mogok Stone Tract
(which also has lustrous spinels, the other August birthstone) and from the Himalayas in Pakistan. Peridot also is found in Arizona in the United States and in China.

The glistening, dancing color of peridot was often used in Art Nouveau jewelry as the color is playful and found in nature.

Red spinel has recently made a comeback as it so similar in color to ruby. In fact, historically it was used in magnificent jewelry because it was believed to be ruby. The “Black Prince” ruby in the Imperial Crown was found to be a spinel and not a ruby as it was believed to be for years.  The color of red spinel can be as vibrant as a ruby.

Technological instrument advancements show that spinel is singly refractive whereas ruby is doubly refractive. Their crystal composition differs as well - spinel’s crystal shape is octahedron, like diamond, so it looks like two inverted attached pyramids. Spinel has many attributes, one being its hardness, it’s durable and can be worn freely in jewelry.  It is available in purple, blue, vibrant red, orange, purple and pink. The colors are so pure there is a word used for them in Burma ‘NAT THWE’ meaning ‘polished by the spirits’. The colors are so brilliant that they have been used to enhance various chakras.

Sapphire, like ruby, is of the corundum family and is the hardest stone on the Moh’s scale, second only to diamond. Blue corundum, called sapphire, has been in demand for thousands of years. The variations of depth and saturation of the blue color is what makes sapphire so attractive. Sapphire also comes in yellow, orange, pink, purple, and black but designated by its color first; for example: yellow sapphire. Sapphire is generally less included than ruby, but the presence intersecting rutile needles in some stones, for example, result in the appearance of extraordinary stars in some cabochon sapphires. There are also color change sapphires which present blue in daylight and purple in incandescent light.

Sapphire is said to represent sincerity, truth, faithfulness, nobility and even an antidote to poison. The stone was used in the seventh century BC by Etruscans, and later re-discovered by Marco Polo who began to transport it via to Silk Road to Europe. Sapphires were quickly adopted by and incorporated into jewelry pieces for nobility across Europe. The most famous recent sapphire is the 12 carat stone surrounded by diamonds given to Princess Diana by (then) Prince Charles and then given to Kate Middleton by Prince William.

Sapphire has been predominantly found in Kashmir, Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka and to a lesser extent in Australia, Thailand, Cambodia and Montana in the United States. Madagacar is now producing sapphires that are reminiscent of the velvety blue color found in Kashmir.

In jewelry, sapphire pieces are considered classic, elegant, and beautiful. They can be set in all metals and can be enhanced by many different accent modes. They are found in both traditional and modern pieces.