Every month of the year has a designated birthstone, so, what is the birthstone for July?
Its Ruby, a beautiful, tough, precious red gemstone found in locations in South Asia, Africa, Central Asia Europe.
Rubys are probably one of the best-known gemstones and are synonymous with the colour red. Think MAC’s iconic Ruby Woo lipstick. They have been used in jewellery for centuries and appear in the art and folklore of many cultures.
In the modern-day Rubies are still a staple of the gemstone world and in recent years the popularity of Rubies amongst jewellery aficionados and collectors has seen prices surge. Rubies from specific locations, such as Winza in Tanzania attract particular attention at auctions and sales.
What is a ruby?
Rubies are the name given to the red variety of the mineral corundum. Corundum comes in many colours as well as being colourless, but it is only red coloured examples we call rubies. We call all other colours, including colourless corundum, Sapphires. This means that although they are the same mineral only rubies are red but Saphhires can be many colours
What gives rubies their red colour?
Traces of the element Chromium that exist with the atomic structure of the crystal make them red. A Corundum crystal with no impurities will be clear and we call these colourless sapphires. Learn more about Sapphires and what causes their colours.
Legends and folklore of Ruby
Rubies feature in the folklore and legends of many cultures
Ethically sourced Ruby
Tanzania is a source of many gemstones, including Ruby, and the nation is leading the way in the ethical mining and distribution of the rubies found there.
Moyo gemstones, represented in the UK by Nineteen48, is a female collective of Ruby miners in the Tanga region of Tanzania.
Where do Rubies comes from?
As well as Tanzania, Rubies are found in other African nations such as Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar though the most famous sources of Ruby gemstones are in Asia. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma is the most well known of these. The Mogok Valley is home many ruby mines and some of the finest examples of the stone come from this region.
Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, The US, Afghanistan & Greenland are also sources of Rubies
