“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
-Proverbs 31:10
Just like her: precious, desired, and valued. All for amazing reasons. Rubies are July’s birthstone because their vibrant, fiery, red color, traditionally symbolizes the heat of the summer sun. In our culture diamonds get most of the attention. But rubies (and sapphires) are the first choice of kings and other affluent individuals. Rubies are much rarer and more valuable than diamonds. They are frequently referred to as one of the most precious of stones created by God in biblical, historical, and spiritual contexts. Known as ratnaraj in Sanskrit, meaning “King of Gems”, it’s no surprise rubies are listed as the highest of value out of 12 stones in the Bible. Between the High Priest’s breastplate in Exodus to the foundations of the New Jerusalem in Revelations, rubies symbolize divine wisdom and value.
(Submitted by Danielle Williams)
In Christianity specifically, rubies symbolize the blood and divine sacrifice of Christ, representing purity and passionate love. Often mentioned in the Bible, rubies are used to contrast earthly wealth with spiritual and Godly traits.
“Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.”
-Jobs 28: 18
Rubies are also associated, not only with passion and wisdom, but also protection and success. Historically Christian leaders used rubies in rings and ecclesiastical jewelry to represent divine authority and moral strength. It wasn’t just Christianity that recognized rubies as such. Burma warriors embedded rubies into their armor because they believed these stones protected them from wounds and acted as talismans for strength and victory.
(Submitted by Danielle Williams)
Rubies are made of a mineral called corundum. Corundum is composed of aluminum, and oxygen comes in many different forms and degrees of clarity. Corundum is the second hardest natural mineral after diamonds. Intense heat and pressure are required to transform the original source materials into this hard mineral. Rubies are mainly located in southern Asia and Eastern Asia. The best rubies are found in marbles in mines in Myanmar, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal. Geologists have noticed that rubies and sapphire formations are closely related to major earth movements. They have identified three episodes when rubies were formed. First being noted around the time of the Flood.
(Submitted by Danielle Williams)
Rubies make up 30% of the total trade of colored gemstone production. Even though rubies are far less abundant. High quality unheated rubies are among the rarest and most expensive gemstones in the world. Rubies exceed more per carat weight of most other gemstones including diamonds. Flawless deep red rubies seldomly are larger than three carats. The world record for a ruby purchased in the United States was $3.63 million in 1988 for a 15.7 carat Burmese ruby. Today $3.63 million would be equivalent to $10,132,487. In comparison a flawless 62 carat diamond recently sold for $8 million dollars.
(Submitted by Danielle Williams)
In conclusion, rubies are precious, valuable, and incredibly desired. Representing God’s Wisdom, love, and protection. Also noting that a woman of noble character is more precious than rubies. Rubies have a deep meaningful history. If you are thinking of purchasing a piece of ruby jewelry for your wife on her July birthday or your 15th or 40th wedding anniversary, know you are showing her your deep passion, unwavering devotion, and eternal love for her. A diamond is forever but a ruby says “I love you forever”.
Any content, resident submissions, guest columns, advertisements, and advertorials are not necessarily endorsed by or represent the views of Best Version Media LLC (BVM) or any municipality, homeowners associations, businesses, or organizations that this publication serves. BVM is not responsible for the reliability, suitability, or timeliness of any content submitted, inclusive of materials generated or composed through artificial intelligence (AI). All content submitted is done so at the sole discretion of the submitting party.
