Scarlet fever: ruby jewellery

The hues of precious red stones all exert a power, as we discover in this exploration of rubies

Style 19 Dec 2017

Wings Reflection Autumn pendant in 18ct yellow gold set with white diamonds and deep red enamel, £3,500, GARRARD
Ruby and diamond 9.8ct ring, POA, HARRY WINSTON
Clockwise from left 18ct yellow gold and ruby necklace, £4,500, PIPPA SMALL; Serpenti Viper ring in 18ct rose gold with red carnelian and pavé diamonds, £3,660, BULGARI; Classic Holiday Embrace bangle, £POA, NIRAV MODI; M’ama non M’ama bracelet in rose gold and garnet, £1,240, POMELLATO; London Puzzle earrings in 18ct gold vermeil and rhodolite, £1,075, TESSA PACKARD
Rare ruby and diamond earrings, £25,200, WILLIAM & SON
18ct rose gold and red garnet shard cuff, £7,500, ANNOUSHKA
Clockwise from left 18ct white gold ‘Chinha, The Eagle Ring’ set with rubelite, rubies, diamonds and black lacquer, POA, BOUCHERON; 18ct white gold earrings set with diamonds and rubies, £31,360, AMRAPALI; Two flower ring with rubelite and white diamonds set in 18ct rose gold, £24,000, DAVID MORRIS; Joaillerie Rose Dior Pré Catelan ring in yellow gold, diamonds and red coral, £13,300, DIOR

There is no coloured gemstone that fuels passion more than a ruby. Diamonds have been revered for centuries among royalty, traders and merchants, but so have many coloured gemstones. The last 70 years have seen the clever and persuasive marketing of diamonds, which then overtook coloured gemstones in popularity. Yet rubies are far rarer than white diamonds, a fact that is being recognised in the record-breaking prices they set at auction.

The beauty of all coloured gemstones lies in their hue. How we react to a certain colour will depend on how it makes us feel. Red is a powerful chroma, seen in burning fires and in the blood that runs through the veins of every mammal on earth. There are many gradients of red that awaken passion and desire in the human soul, so who is to say that one tint is more potent than another?

It is no surprise, then, that the rarest red gemstone found in riverbeds or deep within the earth’s crust – from the world’s great ruby mines in Burma, Mozambique, Thailand, Tanzania and even Greenland – has always captured our imagination. We forget, though, that jewellers and specialists have only been able to differentiate between minerals since the late 18th century, when the correct understanding of chemical composition became possible and the science of mineralogy was born. Nevertheless, minerals displaying transparency and the varied hues of red were revered long before then. Traders would hunt far and wide to lay their hands on these elusive red gems that were believed to give protection against death and evil while increasing the owner’s wealth and status. These stones found by traders and explorers in centuries past intoxicated the senses, stirring deep emotions in those who came into contact with them, from undying love, passion, beauty, temptation and desire to power, anger, jealousy and heartfelt pain.

Rubies of gem quality in their natural state are not formed in large crystals, but their vibrancy compensates for their relatively modest size when compared with other gemstones. I have been amazed at the impact a ruby or rubies can have on a design, and it becomes clear why the ruby has been labelled the King of Gems. Maybe it is subconscious, but there seems to be a common belief that rubies are not for the faint-hearted. Women with attitude and strength, who ooze passion and are wildly independent, have chosen to wear rubies. This stone and its colour seem to have perfectly complemented their larger-than-life personalities.

A trader once said to me of all gemstones: ‘You do not choose the stone, the stone chooses you’ and I think this is particularly true of rubies. It is certain that they will continue to be desired, collected and worn by many generations to come.

Ruby, The King Of Gems by jewellery specialist Joanna Hardy (£75, Violette Editions) was commissioned by global gemstone supplier Gemfields, and explores the stone’s creation, history, talismanic properties, and use in jewellery design.