01Colour
LightModerateIntenseVividExceptional
Ruby runs from pinkish red to deep crimson; the finest is a pure, saturated red with a hint of blue — “pigeon’s blood”. The stronger the red in daylight, the rarer the stone.
Ruby W Pearl Bracelet
Ruby W Pearl Bracelet
Only one available
Request 360° lightbox shots360° lightbox shotsStone details ↓Certified by our gemologists·Hand-finished in Arusha
The Stone
Understanding ruby
Ruby is red corundum — the rarest of the great coloured gems, and one that East Africa now supplies from Mozambique and from Tanzania’s Winza deposit. Our gemologists grade every ruby on colour, clarity, cut and carat. Here is how to read them, and where this piece sits.
02Clarity
IFInternally flawlessSISmall inclusionMIMedium inclusion
Our gemologists grade clarity in three steps: Internally Flawless — nothing to find even under 10× magnification; Small inclusion — a trace only a loupe reveals; Medium inclusion — a natural feature you may find with the naked eye, in a stone chosen for its colour. Ruby is rarely flawless; a clean stone of fine colour is exceptional.
03Cut
Ovals and cushions keep colour and weight; because fine ruby rough is small and precious, cutters favour weight retention over perfect symmetry.
04Carat
Fine ruby above one carat is genuinely rare and the price per carat rises sharply with every carat; colour comes first, then clarity, then size.
Details of the stone
- Origin
- Mozambique, Myanmar, TanzaniaWinza, in central Tanzania, is known for vivid unheated ruby.
- Known since
- Antiquity“Ratnaraj” — king of gems — in Sanskrit.
- Species
- CorundumAluminium oxide coloured by chromium.
- Hardness
- 9 MohsSecond only to diamond — ideal for rings.
- Birthstone
- JulyThe birthstone of July.
- Treatment
- Often heatedUnheated stones command a premium; always disclosed.
- Certification
- CertifiedEvery stone graded and certified by our gemologists.
- Care
- Warm soapy waterSafe in an ultrasonic cleaner unless fracture-filled.
