Roaring Rubies

While diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, rubies are known as the ‘king of precious stones’. 

Rubies are a variety of corundum and belong to the same family as sapphires. In its purest form, corundum is colourless and trace elements of chromium are responsible for giving the stone its vibrant red colour. For millennia, ruby has been held in high regard and is the gemstone which can command the highest price per carat. Recently, a new record was broken for the most expensive ruby in the world. The Estrela de Fura weighs 55.22 carats and sold for $34.8 million. This means that the stone commanded a whopping $530,206 per carat. 

Ruby is regarded as one of the most historically significant gemstones and regarded as the most precious of the twelve stones created by God. Mentioned multiple times in the Bible, the value of a ruby was often used in comparison for understanding the greatness of other items. It is also explained that a woman’s virtue and wisdom are said to have far greater value than rubies.  

Historically, rubies were buried underneath the foundations of buildings to ward off evil spirits and to secure a good fortune to the structure, a practice that continued well into the 19^th century. Also used as talismans, Burmese warriors wore rubies with the belief that they would make them invincible in battle. 

The desire for ruby is still as intense as the vibrancy of the stone itself and featured in the Autumn Elegance auction are ruby rings, earrings, pendants and more. Perhaps the most fitting item in the auction, lot 427a ruby and diamond cross pendant.

McTear’s sells more jewellery than any other traditional auction house in the dedicated jewellery auctions that take place twice monthly, run concurrently live online on a platform that attracts six million visitors annually from over 120 countries worldwide. For a complimentary, no-obligation valuation, contact a specialist on 0141 810 2880 or amy@mctears.co.uk.