America’s birthday is here, so it’s time to celebrate. Everyone loves the yearly fireworks, barbecues, block parties and trips to the beach that make July so much fun. But for some of our readers, there’s another birthday that makes July extra special – their own!
If you’re a regular reader of the Birkat Elyon blog then you know where this is going. Yes, it’s time once again to talk about this month’s birthstone. If you’re a July baby, then your gemstone is the beautiful ruby, a precious stone that shines with a red as brilliant as any seen in the sky on Independence Day. There’s only one birthstone for July, but maybe that’s because it’s an extra special one. So here’s to you and to rubies, which are also sometimes known as “the king of gems.”
One of the most highly sought after gems in the entire world, the ruby is said to represent love, wisdom and health. It may surprise you to learn this, but the largest rubies are even less common than large diamonds, emeralds or sapphires. That means that they have a value that increases exponentially with size more so than any other gemstone. So if you’re a July baby with expensive tastes, don’t worry. It’s not your fault – you were born into it!
The background of this gem’s name may surprise you for something that is so extravagantly valuable. Ruby’s name comes from a Latin word that sounds like an extremely inexpensive item: “ruber.” It actually means “red,” though, and not the bouncy stuff with two b’s in its name.
Interestingly, the word was used as a catch-all for red stones many years ago. Spinels, garnets, tourmalines and more were referred to as rubies if they were of the red variety. This has created a bit of a problem in modern times, as quite a few “rubies” turned out to be something else entirely. Take, for example, the famous Timur ruby that was gifted to Queen Victoria in 1851. Turns out it wasn’t a ruby at all. It was a red spinel. Whoops!
Actual rubies come in a variety of red hues ranging from a sort of bluish/purplish-red to a bright orange-red. The “Burmese Ruby” is considered to be the most valuable variation. These rubies are an incredibly rich red with just a slight hint of blue to them. Also referred to at times as “pigeon blood” red, these stones are mined exclusively in the Mogok Valley mines of Myanmar. The name is a bit of a misnomer, though, as the color is that of white pigeons’ eyes, not their blood.
Located in Upper Myanmar, the Mogok Valley may be the world’s top source of rubies, but it’s far from the only one. Thailand is another major supplier and is known as a home of dark, brownish-red rubies. The gem is the national stone of both nations.
Parts of Asia once thought that the stones contained a sort of spark of life or “a deep drop of the heart’s blood of Mother Earth,” as ancient legends from the East state. It was also often referred to as the “glowing stone” or the “lamp stone.” Why? Because legend spoke of a Chinese Emperor who relied on a particularly large ruby to light up his chambers, and it’s said that the ruby made them appear as if showered in daylight – a feat that would take quite an impressive ruby, indeed.
The Chinese were not the only ancient people to tell fantastical tales of rubies’ brightness. Ancient Hindu, Ceylonese and Burmese peoples thought sapphires to be unripe rubies, even going so far as to bury sapphires in the sand in hopes that they would develop into rubies. High-ranking Hindu priests held a belief that their gods’ homes were also lit up by enormous rubies. And the Greeks would later tell the tale of a female stork that brought forth a brilliant ruby as a form of thanks for kindness paid to it by the city of Heraclea. So incredibly bright was this gem, that it was said to have illuminated the entire city.
By the time the Middle Ages rolled around the stones were believed to do all sorts of impressive things: protect against wicked thoughts, passionate desires and disputes and even grant good health to their owners. Oh, and they also thought rubies could cure bleeding…and that they could warn the owner of future misfortunes, illnesses and even death by changing colors. Some even said that King Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, foresaw her downfall when she observed a ruby growing darker in color.
The ruby was seen as a stone of many talents, it would seem, which likely meant that many “rubies” that weren’t rubies at all were prized for such mystical abilities in those days.
Russian Formula Cubic Zirconia
Though red jewels that are not rubies are no longer referred to as such, many still highly prize jewelry that has that same beautiful ruby red color. Birkat Elyon’s Russian Formula cubic zirconia comes in several different colors, including red. What’s more, our cubic zirconia is a lot more affordable than an actual ruby. Shop our fine collection of hand-crafted and polished cz today.