The Weather is Hot and so is the Ruby Birthstone!

Those fortunate to be born during one of the hottest months of the year, have the honor of wearing one of the most sizzling birthstones around. Rubies range in shading from fire red to a scarlet so deep and rich it’s almost violet and look fabulous surrounded by white or yellow gold, sterling silver or platinum. Rubies are also one of those stones that sparkle by themselves or are just as stunning mounted singularly.

Lore has it wearing rubies brings good health, increased wealth and success in love and relationships. Also people who wear the July birthstone are thought have integrity, courage and are full of confidence, vitality and both physical and emotional strength. Rubies are considered a positive stone; one that increases positive thought patterns and lessens the severity of infection and certain blood disorders. In fact, during medieval times rubies were ground to a fine powder and ingested to treat digestive disorders and stop internal bleeding.

Second only to diamonds in hardness, rubies belong to the corundum or aluminum oxide family and are primarily mined in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma and India. Rubies are so plentiful in Thailand and Burma that both of these countries consider the ruby their national stone. Here in the United States rubies are rarely found but some of the finest one’s on record have been discovered in both North Carolina and Montana.

True rubies are very expensive and because of that, many of the stones available today are lab-grown. These synthetic stones are also used as tiny bearings in self winding wristwatches, turntable styluses and in the scientific community as an important component to the ruby laser used in military rangefinding.

"Tulip Ring" with lab-grown ruby by Danielle Miller Jewelry

Whether real or synthetic, if you were born during the heat of the summer, why not consider a piece of jewelry that packs the same amount of fire and passion?