July Birthstones from Onyx to Ruby  

Hues of pink all the way to blood-red are possible variants of the Ruby gemstone. What is a Ruby? Rubies have an interesting history worth delving into.

Like pearls, alexandrite, and moonstones of June, rubies haven’t always been the definitive July birthstone. Prior to 1912 July’s stones were turquoise and onyx. Onyx can vary in many colors including sardonyx, a variant that primarily features bands of red rather than black. Sardonyx amulets carved with Mars, the god of war, used to be carried by ancient Romans heading into battle hoping to grant them courage.

Following 1912, when the birthstone shake up occurred in the US, ruby took the title. Rubies are special for a number of reasons. They rate a whopping 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, only beaten by moissanite and diamond.

As mentioned months ago when we did a brief rundown of all the gemstones, ruby is thought to be the ‘king of all gems’ by some.  Others hold that it represents passion, strength, and/or courage (not unlike Sardonyx in the ancient world.) In the Asian world rubies have always been prized, being used to decorate armor, scabbard, and harnesses or put beneath the foundations of new buildings to ensure good fortune.

The most expensive gemstone (other than a diamond), is the ruby. The Sunrise Ruby sold at auction for $30 million. This overtook the previous record holding ruby, the Graff ruby ring which sold for $8.6 million in 2014.

Whether ruby is your birthstone, or you just enjoy the thought of the vital, passionate, fiery red stone set in a band, studs or any other jewelry; Stewart Kuper Jewelers is the place to check out.