Rubies: Famous Examples From the Past to Present

Rubies may be the most beautiful gemstone on earth. Long adored first and foremost among precious jewels, the ruby enjoyed the top position long before the diamond earned its premiere rank. As a result, many kings, queens, emperors and other royalty scooped up these charming stones and added them to rings, necklaces, tiaras and crowns to show their wealth and status. Today, many of these jeweled pieces are on display, famous for their history. Here are a few of the most popular rubies in history, from past to present.

The Timur Ruby

Ruby 3-Stone Ring 

Perhaps the most famous ruby, it’s not actually a ruby at all but a spinel, a similarly hued gem that is often mistaken for a ruby. The Timur Ruby is set into necklace with two other large spinel gems that are left in their natural state, without facets. Weighing 352.50 carats, the gem is the second largest of its kind in the world, next to the spinel in the Imperial Russian Crown. Sultan Sahib Qiran owned the jewel in 1153, as well as several other emperors who held it in in their possessions before it turned up with the Royal Jewels in England.

The Midnight Star Ruby

Ruby and Diamond Bangle

Featuring a beautiful star pattern on its center, the cabochon-shaped ruby, which weighs 116.75 carats, was once the subject of a theft in 1964 by Jack “Murph the Surf” Murphy, a onetime surfing champion. Along with the Star of India, the DeLong Star Ruby and the Eagle Diamond, Murphy and his accomplices snuck into the American Museum of Natural History in New York and nicked the gems. Aside from the forever-lost Eagle Diamond, all gems including the Midnight Star Ruby were recovered.

The Hixon Ruby Crystal

Ruby Pendant With Diamonds

Never cut or placed in a setting, the roughly hewn Hixon Ruby Crystal is considered the most-perfect large ruby crystal in existence, weighing in at 196.10 carats. It’s housed in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, where Frederick C. Hixon originally donated it in 1978.

The Carmen Lucia Ruby

Mined in the 1930s in Burma, where most rubies hail, the Carmen Lucia Ruby is a flawless 23.1-carat stone set in a platinum ring with accent diamonds. The gem belonged to Carmen Lucia, the wife of businessman and philanthropist Peter Buck, who kindly donated the ring to honor his wife when she passed. Besides having one of the greatest love stories ever told, this ring has all the characteristics that people today adore about rubies: the striking brilliance, the deep red tones and exceptional transparency.

Ruby Drop Earrings

                                                     

Whether found in Burma, Thailand or Montana, rubies capture buyers’ hearts and minds with their royal color and entrancing fire. High quality rubies continue to outpace diamonds in price, and their rarity in nature ensures their value for centuries to come. Though these gems are not likely in anyone’s budget, you can find quality and affordable ruby rings, ruby necklaces and ruby earrings at Ziva Jewels.