The Fiery Ruby: Birthstone of July

It took a mere 7 minutes for the most spectacular Ruby in the known world to sell...

...when it was put up for auction on the 12th of May 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland at the Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction. Named for a poem by Rumi, the Sunrise Ruby is a 25.59 carat Burmese ruby which sold for a record-breaking $30.42 million to an anonymous buyer. But what happened to the ruby after the auction? Whoever knows isn’t telling—making the Sunrise Ruby among the most mysterious and expensive gemstones in the world. Utterly enamored of these ravishing red gems, we would have purchased the Sunrise Ruby, too, if we had $30.42 million to spare, but there’s no way we would have kept its gorgeous goodness to ourselves. As the gemstone of passionate love and timeless affection, every ruby’s beauty is meant to be shared. 

Poetically known as the king of jewels and scientifically known as the red variety of the mineral corundum, the ruby is among the most valuable gemstone known to humankind. The enchanting delight brought to the world by these sensational gems precedes known history. Stone Age and Bronze Age tools discovered in the Mogok ruby mines of Myanmar (formerly Burma) indicate that rubies were being mined in prehistoric times, though the restrictions on foreign archeological researchers entering the country mean little is known about how rubies were specifically utilized during those early civilizations. Recorded history, though, shows ample evidence that rubies have long been a gemstone of fascination and inquiry. Pliny the Elder described their incredible density in his Natural History and surmised they are gemstones with genders, while Marco Polo rhapsodized about the magnificence of the rubies he had seen on his journeys along the Silk Road according to The Travels of Marco Polo. 

In more modern times, Queen Elizabeth II was gifted a necklace of Burmese rubies by the people of Burma as a wedding present in the belief that rubies protect against illness and evil, and stunning rubies of immense value like the Carmen Lúcia Ruby can be viewed at museums throughout the world including the National Museum of Natural History in the United States.

Beliefs that rubies bear a multitude of metaphysical properties which provide protection, power, peace, and happiness to the wearer can be found throughout cultures and countries. Ancient Burmese warriors wore them embedded into their skin as a safeguard during battle, and rubies were laid within the foundations of ancient Chinese buildings to ensure the prosperity of those within. Centuries later, Ivan the Terrible credited rubies with the power to heal the heart and brain while improving the memory. Known as a gemstone of the sun, the internal fire of a ruby inflames the senses and imagination while also granting wisdom to the wearer. Rubies are said to inspire anyone who wears them with the confidence to undertake any journey and empower those of all genders to access the divine feminine within them.