Celebrating the fortieth year of marriage is the perfect justification to pick out something memorable and symbolic.  The red ruby is the traditional gemstone for this anniversary representing love, passion, & success in love. The ruby is known as the gem of the heart. It has a rich history of uses including in engagement rings, as a religious symbol, being used as a talisman, and associated with passion. The ruby has an exciting and lively journey throughout time, culture, design, and popularity. 

The ruby with its bright red color is a variety of the corundum mineral species. The element chromium is what gives the ruby its bright red color. The more chromium present, the more robust the red color. If the gem is too pink, it will instead be classified as a pink sapphire.  Aside from its bright red color, ruby has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. This makes the gem resistant to scratching, which is one perfect reason to gift something that will have enduring value and longevity. One of the most prized colors of ruby is called Pigeon Blood Red Ruby and is named after its color. It is a deep red with a hint of purple. 

One of the oldest sources of ruby is Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Rubies also come from Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya in Africa, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. More recently, Vietnam is a place of renown with ruby mines that have stunned experts with their beauty of the ruby.

Some of our favorite designers that create remarkable jewelry with ruby are Lord Jewelry, Amali, Adel Chefridi, and Pascal Lacroix.

At Alara Jewelry, we offer the option for a custom design: necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings, and earrings that can be created for something extra special for your significant other.