Welcome, July, and your birthstone, the Ruby!
Rubies are one of the four "cardinal" gemstones, alongside diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. In fact, rubies and sapphires are the same stone: Corundum. Chromium impurities within the mineral turn the corundum red; iron and titanium impurities turn the corundum blue. Otherwise, they are the same base gemstone. The name "Ruby" is derived from the Latin word "Ruber," meaning "red."
The finest specimens, Pigeon's Blood Rubies, are mined in Burma. But rubies also have been found in Thailand, India, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Australia, Africa and South America. In the United States, rubies have been found in Wyoming and the Carolinas. Rubies are found in a pink variety, however, by law, such stones must be sold as Pink Sapphires (within the U.S.).
All natural rubies have imperfections called "rutile needles" which give the appearance of threads or silk fibers within the stone. Such imperfections can be reduced through heating—though a naturally-clean, untreated ruby is much more valuable. In the gem trade, rubies may be graded without magnification; if it looks clear to the naked eye, it is called "eye clear."
New Age practitioners believe that rubies confer wisdom, wealth, and success in love.
The cabinet vase, shown here, is not a ruby—though the glaze is ruby red. A black craquelle effect permeates the surface. The piece was made in Bavaria, West Germany, in the Sixties by Ernst Löesche. It might be a happy ruby substitute for your favorite July-born gift recipient. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome, ruby-red ceramic pitcher.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.