Rubies

DUBAI, JULY 2024

Text attributed to: Elena Basaglia, Head of Partnerships & Product - Downstream, Gemfields 

Gemstones are like an open book: as minerals, they educate us about the Earth's story and its history of upheaval, having witnessed terrestrial activities at every stage of the planet's evolution; as talismans, they whisper tales of war, wealth and wisdom. Gems speak to us about the cultures that treasured them, the faraway lands visited by adventurers and even our ancestors, who had their own perception of these goods.

Gems also explain the interaction of light and matter since the formation of the Earth 4.6 billion years ago. I like to think Mother Nature adorned the skies with rainbows and the earth with gems to bring colour into our lives: one invites us to look up and dream, the other to dig deep and discover.

Rubies, one of nature’s rarities, have captivated humans since the dawn of civilisation (even if an ancient Indian legend says that God created rubies first, and men to possess them after). Their distinctive red colour, caused by the presence of chromium in their chemical makeup, has long been associated with intense emotions, evoking contrasting or complementary feelings of love and danger.

Rubies are closely related to sapphires, and share the family name ‘corundum’. A differentiating feature is colour: a ruby will only be red to a given intensity, or extent. When the red hue transitions close to pink, a seller and a buyer may disagree on the identity of that gem, as the value fluctuates with its colour variations.

A scientist will tell you that rubies are collision stones formed in the depths of mountains and created by continental tectonic plates riding over each other. Embedded in their host rock, they will rise to the surface as a result of erosion and other tectonic movements. Marble host rock is characteristic of Mogok mines, the historical source of rubies, hard to access and hidden away in the middle of upper Burma.

A ruby’s natural hardness means that gems swept away by prehistoric rivers can also be found in secondary deposits or concentrated in layers a few metres beneath the ground when the original host rock erodes. This is the case in Mozambique – the land of baobab, rubies and sunsets.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, as they say, and, therefore, the geographical origin of a gemstone shouldn’t influence opinions of its beauty or quality. The virtues of rubies are best evaluated mainly on their colour and proportions, two complementary features that bring out its pulsating heart.

A ruby will flirt with your eyes, changing hues depending on the angle at which it is viewed. It is a dichroic gemstone, so beneath its fiery red body colour, you can often observe a hint of orange or purple. Internally, most natural rubies carry a geodiversity of microscopic crystals, an aesthetic asset, and a miniature world known only to its bearer. Its cut and proportions will help you to appreciate the full extent of a gemstone’s character. Ruby cutting is the pursuit of perfection aimed at amplifying the dance of light within the gem. For the same reason, darker rubies, or those with too many inclusions, can be treated to improve what Mother Nature hasn’t had time to perfect.

Further down the supply chain, passionate collectors track the world record prices attained by rubies under the hammer of international auction houses, achieving values that shine in striking contrast to the monochrome flair of diamonds. Then, whether kept in secret safes for years, set to adorn a piece of art, or to shine on an engagement ring, rubies will hold their iconic status as the epitome of luxury. Their incomparable, yet discreet, journey makes them, to us, unique objects of pure emotion.

Left to right: Fabergé x Gemfields Ruby Fluted Ring with Ruby Shoulders; IVY New York x Gemfields Ruby and Diamond Ring; Sandy Leong x Gemfields Round Ruby and Diamond Signet Ring