Ruby
A symbol of passion and power, ruby’s rich red adorned ancient crowns and has long been a favorite of consumers worldwide. Chatham lab grown rubies have a rich pigeon’s blood color and exceptional clarity worthy of this gem’s ancient name, ratnaraj, meaning “king of gems.”
Give Ruby as …
The July birthstone
The 15th and 40th anniversary gem
A symbol of passion and prestige
The zodiac gem for Capricorn
“She is a courageous and wise warrior!”
Chatham Lab Grown Ruby
Chatham grows ruby crystals over a six-month-long process we’ve refined over decades. It begins with an earth-mined seed of fine Burmese ruby. We carefully create the perfect growing environment, rich in the chromium that gives ruby crystals their vivid red color. The growing conditions must be exactly right. Once, we lost an entire year’s growth of ruby due to a 0.001% trace of another element in the platinum used to make our crucibles.
When all conditions are perfect, we grow brilliant red crystals with excellent clarity. After the crystals grow, we cut away 80% of the rough to produce essentially flawless faceted rubies highly saturated in color. The price difference between a Chatham lab grown ruby and an earth-mined ruby of the same size and quality can be as much as $100,000 per carat!
Better yet, we cut our rubies in a wide variety of shapes almost impossible to find in earth-mined rubies. We think the quality and beauty of Chatham lab grown rubies make them a better option than earth-mined rubies. But decide for yourself by visiting a Chatham retailer to compare the two side-by-side.
About Rubies
Worn by royalty and warriors, the vibrant red of ruby represents passion and power. Out of the highly prized corundum mineral group, which includes sapphire, ruby is the most valuable gem of all. The name ruby comes from the Sanskrit word ratnaraj meaning “King of Gems.” In the Bible, wisdom is called “more precious than rubies.”
Ruby is considered the most powerful gem in the universe. As such, it’s associated with many astral signs, including Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpio and Capricorn. Numerous early cultures believed, due to its blood-red color, that rubies held the power of life. Still others believed rubies protected them from misfortune and illness.
The most sought-after rubies are the pure red known as “pigeon’s blood.” Red fluorescence in these fine rubies causes them to glow an intense red in sunlight. But it’s nearly impossible to mine flawless rubies, so many earth-mined rubies are enhanced with heat and fracture filling to improve their appearance.
Ruby is in the corundum mineral group, which contains the hardest colored gems in the world, second only to diamond. This makes ruby easy to care for, durable and perfect for everyday wear.
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