En naviguant sur ce site, vous acceptez l'utilisation des cookies. pour plus de détails

For a personalized customer service we are here for you by phone at +33 549 411 819 or by email at contact@bijouxbaume.com

My shopping bag

Home > Ruby

Ruby Jewelry : Discover its characteristics and our selection of ruby jewelry

Name and characteristics of the Ruby

The ruby has always been linked to its color. Its name "ruby" comes from the Latin "rubens" meaning red. The rarest color in the mineral world, the red ruby is therefore a most unusual gemstone.

It is the chromium oxide, present in the soil in minute quantities, that gives ruby its sought-after red color. Depending on the amount of iron it contains, the stone has a hue ranging from medium pink to the most prized deep red.

Ruby care

The ruby is a tough stone, ranked at 9 on the Mohs' hardness scale and is second only to the diamond.

To keep your ruby in perfect condition, it is important not to wear a ruby near a diamond or store it with other diamond jewelry that may scratch or chip the gem.

Periodically, you can clean your ruby to restore its brilliance. For this, a simple maintenance in warm soapy water is sufficient. Then you can polish the ruby with a soft cloth.

Impurities are often found in the interstices of ruby jewelry, chasing and underneath the settings, you can also use a soft bristle toothbrush to remove them.

A more in-depth maintenance is possible in jewelry by avoiding at all costs the cleaning with the ultra-sound tank which sensitizes stones and settings.

Stories and beliefs about the Ruby

In antique times, the ruby was linked to heart health and protected against blood diseases, it was even believed that this gem protected against lightning.

For a long time precious to kings, sultans, cardinals and maharajas who used it on many pieces of ruby jewelry, in particular ruby necklaces, it is today the ardent happiness of women. Symbol of passion, or divinatory stone that protects from threats, the ruby is a gem rarer than the diamond.

Ruby deposits throughout the world

Alluvial deposits provide rubies. The largest mines are found in Burma, Thailand (Siam), Ceylon, Tanzania and Madagascar.

In northern Burma, in Mogok, where production is most abundant, the rubies from this mine have a very particular hue and are generally called "pigeon's blood". Their quality classifies them as the most precious, only it is very rare to find large stones of beautiful purity.

Those found in Thailand are shades of brown. In Ceylon, ruby deposits are found in the Ratnapura region. The majority of rubies from this area range from light red to raspberry red. There are also lesser known ruby mines in Madagascar.

Famous Rubies

Some rubies are famous in the world. The largest ruby discovered, of great quality, came from Burmese mines, it was 400 carats before being divided into three.

In 2015, a ruby made the news! Sotheby's sold the most expensive ruby in history. This 25.59-carat "pigeon's blood" Burmese ruby, set in a Cartier ring, sold for 28.25 million Swiss francs, or more than a million per carat.

The ruby is truly the most coveted and expensive gem today. These prices continue to rise.

Choose your Ruby jewel

Today, you will find ruby jewelry of all kinds: antique ruby ring or contemporary ruby ring, ruby bracelet that sparkles with your movements, ruby brooch to brighten up the lapel of a jacket or ruby earrings.