July Birthstone - Ruby
Ruby is July’s birthstone, and the one stone that needs no explaining. Red, and unapologetic about it.
It has been worn for courage and vitality for about as long as people have worn stones at all.
Set in sterling silver, Silvaria or 18K gold bonded over sterling, depending on the piece. Nickel free, and no two stones alike.
FAQs
Ruby. It's also the traditional gift for a fifteenth and fortieth wedding anniversary.
They're the same mineral. Both are corundum — if it's red, it's a ruby; if it's any other colour, it's a sapphire. The red comes from chromium, the blue from iron and titanium, and beyond the colour there's no difference in hardness, structure or durability.
Passion and protection. Ruby has been the stone of courage across almost every culture that had access to it — warriors carried it into battle, and it's been associated with vitality and the heart for as long as gemstones have been recorded.
Chromium. Pure corundum is colourless; traces of chromium turn it red, and the more chromium, the deeper the red. It's also what makes the finest rubies glow slightly under sunlight, because chromium fluoresces.
It's the most durable coloured stone there is. Ruby sits at 9 on the Mohs scale, beaten only by diamond, and it has no cleavage planes to split along. If you want a gemstone you genuinely never have to think about, this is it.
The finest ones are the most expensive coloured gemstones in the world — above diamond per carat at auction. Price drops steeply with colour and clarity below that, which is what makes a natural ruby possible in everyday jewelry at all.