Jewel Love: StyleRocks Talks Birthstones (July & The Ruby)

Ruby jewellery

Happy Birthday to those born in July: Ruby, the ‘King of birthstones’ is yours!

So you may know ruby as being one of the four precious gemstones, alongside its sister gemstones of diamond, sapphire and emeralds. To remember these gemstones, it helps to visualise the Crown Jewels!

But did you know that larger sized rubies can fetch more than diamonds in the same size? Like diamonds, rubies are super strong in terms of their hardness and durability (ranking 9 on Mohs Scale); however this is unlike emeralds which are weak and prone to splitting. You can check out our post on Emeralds right here.

How can they be more expensive than diamonds you ask? Well, their lustre and hue is highly prized; there is definitely more variety in rubies when compared to a diamond. Also, it comes back to the ol’ story of supply and demand – there are fewer sources of rubies compared to diamonds, and that can only mean higher prices.

Ruby is another word for sapphire (kind of)

Ruby is actually a variety of a stone in the ‘corundum’ family. Also in the corundum family is the beautiful sapphire, which comes in many colours: blue, pink, yellow. The red in the ruby – from the Latin ‘ruber’ meaning red – comes from chromium, and its most valued colour is that of a deep red, tinged with a little bit of blue as we’ll see in the celebrity photos below.

A Ruby Symbolises….

Ruby is thought to bring its owner a life of bounty and protect them from harm. Also long associated with desire – it’s the same colour of a heart, a racing pulse – it’s also been thought to have an aphrodisiac effect. Related to this (or perhaps not?) is its ability to bring its wearer energy, a positive attitude, heightened awareness and focus.

Famous rubies in time

One of our StyleRocks jewellery icons – Elizabeth Taylor – was gifted a very large ruby ring, measuring 8.24 carats by her husband Richard Burton. Here we can see it, thanks to our friends at The Ruby King.

Elizabeth Taylor’s gorgeous (and super-large) ruby ring.

However, new records were set by the sale of the Hope Ruby in May 2012, for a whopping USD6.44 million dollars! You can find out more about that sale here.

Celebrities love Ruby jewellery

Naomi Watts rocked these Lorraine Schwartz ruby & diamond earrings at the Golden Globes 2013. The earrings tone perfectly with her lipstick and dress, don’t you think?

Image credit: myfacehunter.com

Lorraine Schwartz often works with those four precious gemstones referred to earlier. A jeweller to Hollywood royalty, she specialises in rubies as we see here on Emily Blunt.

Image via: TheFaceHunter

Another StyleRocks  – and Lorraine Schwartz favourite – is Sofia Vergara. Here she wears amazing drop earrings by the same jeweller, showcasing ruby, emerald AND sapphire. LOVE.

$7 million worth of jewels! (Via: therichest)

SO – which of these celebrities wore their rubies best? Are you a fan of the lovely ruby, or are you more of a diamonds girl? Tell us in the comments below (and earn Audrey Dollars for doing so!)

This story was written by Pascale Helyar-Moray, founder of StyleRocks.

Read about Pascale here – WOMEN IN FASHION: STYLEROCKS ENTREPRENEUR PASCALE HELYAR-MORAY