Color: Red
Birthstone: July
Mineral Family: Corundum
Hardness Level: 9.0 on the Mohs Scale

The Ruby, considered the "king of the gemstones", has for thousands of years been viewed as the most valuable of gemstones. An extremely rare precious gemstone, it has all the main characteristics that a gemstone should have: beautiful, rich color, outstanding hardness properties second only to the diamond, and shining brilliance. It is also one of the rarer of gemstones, akin to the sapphire.

The ruby is derived from the red variety of the mineral corundum, one of the hardest minerals on earth. The sapphire finds it origin in the same mineral, being the blue variety of the mineral in corundum. Although pure corundum is colorless, small traces of other natural elements such as chrome, titanium, iron, and vanadium are what bring color to corundum, from which we derive our precious ruby gemstones. The elements that make the ruby what it is, in particular, consist of aluminum oxide and chrome as well as very minute traces of several other elements, depending on which deposit the ruby was from.

The most common and obvious symbol of the red ruby is that of passion, love, and romance. However, two other elements are often associated with the ruby: fire and blood, symbolizing warmth and life for humankind.

In Indian culture, from where rubies originally originated, the ruby is not only a symbol of love, but a symbol of immortality. Some cultures also associated the vibrancy of the red colored ruby as a blessing to the wearer of health, wealth, wisdom and success in love. Rubies have also been associated with charity, divine power, and royalty.

View our Ruby Rings Collection