Significance of Rubies

Thank to all of you for joining me again. I am always anxious to be on air to share my latest designs and converse with you.

I noticed how many of you fell in love with the created “ruby” ring and earrings. I too was very impressed when I first saw the created ruby stone, and how striking its color was. Most importantly, it resembled and reminded me of what the best ruby color felt like when I first saw one. At its best, Ruby radiates warmth and has a strong sense of vitality.

Red stands for Love and vivacity. Passion and Power. The ruby, also referred to as king of gemstones, embodies those principles.

It is essential when you are buying and selling colored gemstones to develop an acute photographic memory. A memory to remember what the best and worst stone color looked like. From there you can classified all the stones you observe in between those two points of reference. That memory is crucial when you select the stone that will be part of a design. The quality and “emotional” value of the gem color will define the impact and appeal of that design.

Rubies hold a very special place in jewelry and are considered one of the most valuable gemstones on earth. They are extremely rare, especially in their finest quality. Rubies have magnificent color, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance.

For a long time India was regarded as the ruby’s classical country of origin. The Sanskrit word for ruby is ‘Ratnaraj’, which means something like ‘king of gemstones’. Whenever a particularly beautiful ruby would be found, the Indian ruler would send dignitaries out to meet the precious gemstone and welcome it in appropriate style.

Interestingly, the ruby is part of the corundum stone family, which sapphires are also a part of. Only red corundum is allowed to be called ruby. All other colors are classified as sapphires. Up until the 19th century, red garnets and spinels were also thought to be rubies.

Rubies were created millions of years ago, deep inside the core of the earth. Chrome was the element that gave them their color. It was for that reason that the name ruby was derived from the Latin word ‘Rubens’, meaning ‘red’. The red of a ruby is incomparable. It is truly warm, fiery, and powerful.

The created ruby color I use for in collection at HSN is as close as I will ever get to imitating that breathtaking brilliant red tone found in the best ruby gems.

Jean