Let’s welcome the month of July and its birthstone, the ruby—the King of Gemstones!
A good ruby is the most valuable of the four precious stones (a group which also includes diamonds, sapphires and emeralds) and, after diamonds, it is the hardest. Historically, the best rubies have come from Burma, though they have also been mined in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan and a few U.S. states (Montana, Wyoming and the Carolinas). They come from the family Corundum and when they are blue they are called sapphires. The ruby’s name derives from the Latin word ruber, which means “red,” and gets its color from the chromium found within it. Rubies are said to promote wisdom, wealth and success in love.
The cufflinks above, sadly, are not true rubies; they are glass or resin and come from the 1950’s and 1960’s. They are part of our large selection of vintage cufflinks and range in price from $75 to $95. Please come into the shop to see them.
LEO Design will be open daily throughout the holiday weekend — Noon ’til 6:00 Friday through Sunday.