July babies are doubly lucky, not only do they have the luxury of a summer birthday, but they can also count ruby as their birthstone. The red gemstone is in the highest class of precious gemstones and in recent years exceptional examples of ruby have seen a surge in popularity and value.

Rubies are red. - This may seem obvious but it is the gemstones only defining characteristic. Rubies are the red variety of the mineral corundum a mineral found all over the world. Any other variety of corundum is known as a Sapphire, this is why you get Sapphires in all colours but only rubies are red.

In many location Rubies and Sapphires are found alongside each other.

How hard are rubies?

Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, making it second only to diamond on the scale. This means that both Rubies and Sapphires are suitable to be worn in jewellery as they can withstand the wear tear that comes with frequent use.

Some of the most famous jewels in history are rubies and they can be found in many famous jewellery and gemstone collections.

Where do Rubies come from?

Myanmar, formally known as Burma, is probably the most famous location for high-quality rubies. For many years much of the worlds ruby supply came from the Mogok Valley in central Myanmar.

Today, the area still produces rubies though the overall standard of the stones found are not as high.

Sadly, in 2020 Rubies from Myanmar should not be considered as an ethical gemstone. Many of the gemstone mines in the country are run by the government who heavily restrict access to the mining areas. This means it is impossible to assess the working conditions for miners in the area, which have been know to be poor.

Also, The Myanmarian government have been heavily criticised by the International government for their brutal treatment of ethnic minorities in their country as well as poor human rights standards overall. There is a very high chance that proceeds from the mining and sale of Rubies from Myanmar is helping to fund this oppression.

Recent ruby discoveries

One of the most important Ruby finds in recent years was in Tanzania near the small village of Winza. Winza rubies have an exceptionally deep red colour and fire, they are very sought after by jewellery houses and collectors today.

Ethically sourced rubies

Tanzania is leading the way as a source of ethically mined rubies with female led projects in the Tanga region of the country setting an example for responsible, small scale gemstone mining. Moyo gemstones, represented in the UK by Nineteen48, is an ethical gemstone collaboration born in Tanzania, with femaline miners in the Umba Valley.

Learn more about the miners involved in the MOYO gemstone project here,