Knowledge Centre > Gemmology > Gemstones > Ruby

The Legend of Rubies

Information on Rubies


Edwardian Burmese ruby diamond earrings berganza hatton garden
Edwardian Burmese ruby and diamond drop earrings, circa 1910.
Ref: 24401

Rubies are one of the most precious gemstones in existence, commanding the greatest price per carat of any other gem. Today, very fine rubies are fetching extraordinarily high prices and continue to ascend due to their increasing rarity and of course, desirability to own such a magnificent piece of nature. For rubies, it is their intensity of colour, rather than their clarity, which makes them so valuable, and this is greatly determined by where a ruby is found.

The most important mines for rubies are undoubtedly the Burmese mines from the Mogok region in Upper Burma (Myanmar). These mines have been worked for centuries and produce the finest, gem quality stones of a very distinctive red with specific inclusions. It is from here that the highly revered 'Pigeon's blood' hue can be found; this term describes an extremely rare and distinctive hue of bluish-red rubies. While Mogok is the historic source of the world’s finest rubies, good stones are rare even from this fabled area.

Natural and unenhanced rubies are extremely rare in today’s market. Less than 10% of all gem quality rubies are unheated, making them rare and impressive. Today, creating a desirable hue within a ruby can be made by heating and certain treatments, which is quite common in modern jewellery as demand for these hues surpasses supply. At Berganza we ensure all of our rubies are natural and unenhanced.

With the exception of the diamond, corundum is the hardest of the gemstones on the Mohs scale scoring a 9 out of 10 and therefore ruby makes for a very wearable piece of everyday jewellery. Today rubies can be used to celebrate both the birth of someone in July and 40 years of marriage. We are proud to have a vast range of fine rubies in our collection including ones from the old Burma mines, including those classified as being ‘pigeon-blood’. A natural and unenhanced ruby set piece of jewellery should be treasured as it is one of the most prized gemstones of all. Our showroom is now open and all jewellery can be collected or posted out to you, please note our annual summer closure is from August 9th to September 1st 2020.

Burmese ruby diamond necklace tiara hatton garden
Pigeon's blood Burmese ruby and diamond necklace/tiara, circa 1915.
Ref: 24196
front view Pigeon blood Burmese ruby and diamond engagement ring, circa 1935. berganza hatton garden
Pigeon Blood Burmese ruby and diamond ring, circa 1935.
Ref: 20243
Antique marquise ruby and diamond ring berganza hatton garden
Victorian marquise ruby and diamond ring, circa 1900.
Ref: 25551
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Updated 18/03/2024 at 4:17PM

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