This genuine oval-faceted ruby from Sri Lanka weighs 1.30 carats and has been mounted in an 18 karat gold ring embellished with 12 radiant fully-cut diamonds from South Africa weighing a total of 0.53 carats.
Ruby is the red variety of corundum, the second hardest natural mineral known to mankind. The red color in ruby is caused by trace amounts of the element chromium. Ruby is primarily found in India, Burma and Ceylon. The ruby was considered in the Ancient East to be the luckiest of gems, able to confer protection from all misfortunes, manmade or natural. Sanskrit writing refers to it as the king of gems. Because of its rich red color, ruby is thought to avert diseases of the blood and stomach. In eastern philosophy, ruby promotes peace and prosperity for its owner, and grants invulnerability from evil. Its warm glow casts a spell over the heart of all who behold it.
Perhaps no gem delights the senses in quite the same way as the diamond, which burns with a deep internal fire. Crystallized carbon, formed under tremendous pressure over millennia, the diamond is famed for its everlasting hardness. Diamonds are normally colorless, but are also found in shades including yellow, pink, and blue. In Eastern belief, the diamond is said to enhance the full spectrum of energies in the body, mind and spirit. Within the circle of gems, the diamond defines the standards of beauty, rarity, and preciousness.