A birthstone is associated with each month of the year. Various myths and legends refer to the birthstones’ healing powers and therapeutic effects. However in modern times, it makes the selection of jewellery much simpler when personalising a gift.

For those born in July, they enjoy the king of precious gemstones, symbolic of love and passion – ruby.

Revered since ancient times for its intense colour and allure, prized by noblemen and warriors, they wore rubies on their armour, and even sewed them into their skin, believing the gemstone protected them from death.

Many cultures revere ruby as a symbol of love and positive energy, encouraging wisdom and wealth. No doubt this is why ruby has been designated as the traditional gift when celebrating 15 and 40 years of marriage.

When assessing a ruby, not only are the 4 C’s of cut, clarity, colour and carat weight taken into consideration; size and geographic location are important factors too.

The depth of its red colour is the most important feature of a ruby, with a higher value associated to more of a purplish red, while the value decreases when becoming more pink, orange or brown.

Both rubies and sapphires share the same chemical composition and mineral structure, which are in fact impurities of the mineral corundum. Very simply, these impurities can either be red (ruby) or blue (sapphire).

Most rubies available to consumers today have undergone heat treatment to improve their colour and clarity.

Second to diamonds, rubies are incredibly hard and durable. They are the ideal gemstone to set in rings, necklaces and earrings for everyday wear.

Sources: americangemsociety.org, geology.com,