Top 10 Famous Legendary Rubies & Ruby Necklaces

A RUBY is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium.

Some gemstones that are popularly or historically called rubies, such as the Black Prince's Ruby in the British Imperial State Crown, are actually spinels. These were once known as "Balas rubies".

The quality of a ruby is determined by its color, cut, and clarity, which, along with carat weight, affect its value. The brightest and most valuable shade of red called blood-red or pigeon blood, commands a large premium over other rubies of similar quality. After color follows clarity: similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like rutile inclusions may indicate that the stone has been treated. Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July and is usually pinker than garnet, although some rhodolite garnets have a similar pinkish hue to most rubies. The world's most valuable ruby is the Sunrise Ruby.

Ruby News, Reviews & Resources

• A brief history of blockbuster Burmese rubies - "Rubies command higher prices per carat than any other gemstone apart from coloured diamonds - and over the years ‘pigeon blood’ stones from Burma have sparked serious excitement in Christie’s international salerooms."
• Marlene Dietrich’s Legendary Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby & Diamond Bracelet Heading to Auction - "Worn by the actress to the Academy Awards and in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Stage Fright,' Dietrich's Jarretiere bracelet is part of the upcoming Christie's sale, 'The Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower.'"
• RUBY - Wikipedia.
• Scientists discover trace of ancient life in a 2.5 billion-year-old ruby - "The ruby sample from Greenland, where the oldest known deposits of rubies are found, contained graphite - a mineral made of pure carbon. Chemical signatures in the carbon suggested it was a residue of early life."
• Sotheby’s To Sell $30 Million Ruby, $35 Million Diamond At Magnificent Jewels Auction In New York - "Sotheby's is offering a 10.57-carat flawless pink diamond at its Magnificent Jewels auction in New York June 8, expected to sell for more than $35-million. The sale also includes a 55.22-carat Mozambique ruby, estimated to sell for $30-million. Also on the block are selections from the collections of Constance Prosser Mellon and Constance 'Connie' Barber Mellon, the mother and daughter duo who were members of one of America's most prominent philanthropic families."
• WORLD FAMOUS RUBIES - JewelInfo4U.
• World’s Largest Ruby To Appear At Auction Could Fetch $30 Million - "The world’s largest ruby to appear at auction will be offered at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on June 8. Named the Estrela de FURA, it weighs 55.22 carats. Sotheby’s has placed an estimate of more than $30 million that, if achieved, would likely be the most valuable ruby ever sold at auction. Sotheby’s auctioneer, Uni Kim, announced the sale of the Estrela de FURA on Wednesday moments after completing The Exceptional Luxury Evening Auction in Hong Kong."

Top 10 Famous Legendary Rubies & Ruby Necklaces

• A MAGNIFICENT RUBY AND DIAMOND NECKLACE, BY ETCETERA - "Designed as an articulated brilliant-cut diamond lattice-work band, centering on a line of graduated pear-shaped diamonds, thirteen pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 5.14 to 1.00 carats, framed by two rows of oval and cushion-shaped rubies weighing approximately 7.02 to 1.10 carats, to the brilliant-cut diamond link backchain accented with a pear-shaped diamond, mounted in 18k white gold, 43.9 cm long."
• Black Prince's Ruby - large, irregular cabochon red spinel weighing 170 carats (34 g) set in the cross pattée above the Cullinan II diamond at the front of the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom. The spinel is one of the oldest parts of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, with a history dating back to the middle of the 14th century. It has been in the possession of England's rulers since it was given in 1367 to its namesake, Edward of Woodstock (the "Black Prince").
• DeLong Star Ruby - 100.32-carat (20.064 g) oval cabochon star ruby, was discovered in Burma in the 1930s.
• Fabulous Contemporary Ruby Jewelry - "Many people reserve ruby jewelry for special occasions, thinking the stone is too special to wear every day. But there are beautiful contemporary designs out there, making rubies perfect to wear with everything from a cocktail dress and jeans and a t-shirt. In honor of July’s birthstone, we round up the best contemporary ruby jewelry from unique designers."
• Liberty Bell Ruby - sculpture crafted from the world's largest mined ruby, discovered in east Africa in the 1950s. It weighs four pounds, is eight and a half thousand carats, and is sculpted into a miniature form of the Liberty Bell. It has fifty diamonds set in it and is valued at two million dollars.
• MAGNIFICENT STAR RUBY & DIAMOND NECKLACE, ETCETERA - "Burmese star ruby and diamond necklace, centered with a 19.53-carat oval cabochon star ruby pendant. Accompanying the center stone are oval cabochon rubies, oval and cushion-shaped rubies, 13 marquise-cut diamonds, two pear-shaped diamonds (1-carat each), and circular-cut diamonds. The necklace was created by Hong Kong jewelry designer, Edmond Chin of Etcetera." Sold for $2.6 million on July 9, 2020.
• Neelanjali Ruby - at 1,370 carats (274 g), is the world's largest double-star ruby.
• Rosser Reeves Ruby - weighing 138.7 carats (27.74 g), is one of the world's largest and finest star rubies.
• Sunrise RUBY - world's most expensive ruby, most expensive coloured gemstone, and most expensive gemstone other than a diamond. Originally mined in Myanmar, its current name is derived from a poem of the same name, written by the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi. The Sunrise Ruby was part of the annual Magnificent and Noble Jewels sale by Sotheby's Geneva, May 12, 20215 with sales at a total of US$160.9 million.
• THE CRIMSON FLAME 15.04 carats RUBY - sells for HK$ 142 million / US$ 18 million at Christie’s Hong Kong on December 1, 2015 setting a new world record price per carat for a ruby of US$1.2 million.
• Timur ruby - unfaceted, 361-carat (72 g) polished red spinel set in a necklace. It is named after the ruler Timur, founder of the Timurid Empire and purportedly one of its former owners. It was believed to be a ruby until 1851.