Gemstone and Jewelry Terminology

Color Terms

• Pigeon’s Blood Ruby – The most prized ruby color, characterized by a deep red hue with a slight bluish undertone, often found in Burmese rubies.
• Saturation – The intensity of a ruby’s color, with more vivid hues being more valuable.
• Hue – The dominant color of the ruby, typically ranging from pinkish-red to deep crimson.
• Tone – Refers to how light or dark a ruby appears, ranging from light to very dark.

Clarity and Inclusions

• Silk Inclusions – Fine rutile needles commonly found in rubies that can create a velvety or soft glow effect.
• Eye-Clean – A ruby with no visible inclusions when viewed with the naked eye.
• Asterism – A rare phenomenon where a star-shaped pattern appears due to needle-like inclusions, forming a Star Ruby.

Cut and Shape

• Faceted Ruby – A ruby cut with multiple flat surfaces to enhance brilliance.
• Cabochon Cut – A smooth, polished, domed ruby cut, often used for star rubies to highlight their asterism.
• Cushion Cut – A popular, slightly rounded square or rectangular shape that enhances color and depth.

Enhancements and Treatments

• Heat Treatment – The most common enhancement used to improve a ruby’s color and clarity.
• Lead-Glass Filling – A treatment that fills fractures in lower-quality rubies to enhance transparency.
• Unheated Ruby – A natural ruby with no heat treatment, highly prized for its rarity.

Settings and Styles

• Halo Setting – A design where a ruby is surrounded by smaller diamonds or gemstones to enhance its brilliance.
• Prong Setting – A setting where small metal prongs secure the ruby, allowing maximum light to enter the stone.
• Bezel Setting – A metal rim encircles the ruby, offering durability and a sleek, modern look.
• Cluster Setting – A jewelry design where multiple smaller rubies are arranged together for a bold appearance.

Types of Ruby Jewelry

• Ruby Tennis Bracelet – A bracelet featuring a continuous row of rubies, often accented with diamonds.
• Ruby Eternity Band – A ring featuring rubies set all around, symbolizing eternal love.
• Ruby Cocktail Ring – A bold statement ring with a large ruby, often surrounded by accent stones.