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WINTER | 2014
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reportedly sold to the Sultan of Brunei as an
engagement ring for one of his wives.
Weighing 138.7 carats, the
Rosser Reeves Ruby
is one of the world's largest and finest star rubies.
Advertising mogul Rosser Reeves, carried it around
as a lucky stone, referring to it as his ‘baby’.
lthough the
Timur Ruby
is actually
a spinel it has a wonderful history.
Weighing slightly less than the
398.72-carat spinel in the Imperial Russian
Crown, it was seized by Nadir Shah of Persia
in 1739 when he invaded India. The East India
Company took possession of the gem (and the
Koh-in-oor diamond) in 1849 and sent it to
England. The stone remained in obscurity for 60
years before it was recognized from the Persian
inscription it bears: "This (is) the ruby from the
twenty-five thousand genuine jewels of the King of
Kings the Sultan Sahib Qiran which is in the year
1153 (1740 AD) from (the collection of) jewels of
Hindustan reached this place (Isfahan)."
The long inscription tells us that this spinel is the
famous stone that fell into the hands of the tartar
conqueror Timur, known to European history as
Tamerlane. He built the famous Peacock Throne
in Delhi and embellished it with a number of
gems, including the Timur Ruby and when Nadir
Shah invaded India and captured Delhi, he took
the Timur Ruby back with him to Persia.
The Timur Ruby is set in a necklace and is now
of part of the Crown Jewels of England (after the
British annexed Punjab in 1849).
It never fails to amaze how a stone, a random
coming together of atoms, gets imbued with
such mystery and allure. Whether it’s white,
yellow, blue, green or red, cultures all over
the world choose these glittering beauties as
a physical way to show their power, royalty,
religion, love and wealth and the stories they
weave throughout history are just as dazzling.
•
The word Ruby is derived from the Latin
word "ruber" which means "red.
•
Rubies are extremely hard – 9.0 on the
Mohs scale of mineral hardness, with only
moissanite and diamonds being harder.
•
Ruby is the birthstone of July, of the zodiac
sign, Cancer, and is also associated with the
sun.
•
Their colour varies from light pink to the
richest carmine. Until modern times the
Spinel was included with the true ruby, but
they are quite different in their composition,
spinels being softer and not as brilliant,
though more varied in colour.
•
All natural rubies have imperfections in
them, including colour impurities and
inclusions of rutile needles known as ‘silk’,
which gemologists use to distinguish them
from synthetics, simulants, or substitutes.
•
Almost all rubies today are treated in some
form, with heat treatment being the most
common practice as this improves the
colour and can remove tiny internal flaws.
•
The Republic of Macedonia is the only
country in mainland Europe to have
naturally occurring rubies, which have a
unique raspberry colour.
•
Ruby rings should be worn on the left
hand to receive the stone’s life force and
protection.
•
Today, rubies have numerous applications:
as styluses in turntables, as tiny bearings in
expensive wristwatches, and in rod form,
they form a crucial component at the
laser's core.
DID YOU KNOW?
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