Antique jewelry glossary

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Pigeon's-blood ruby

The most valuable variety of ruby, of which the colour is deep red tinged with purple. Such rubies come from Mogok in Upper Burma, hence sometimes called a Burma Ruby. Flawless specimens are rare, and are the next most valuable of the precious stones after the emerald.

A specimen weighing 20 carats in the rough and 7,50 carats after cutting was found in 1933. A synthetic ruby of this colour has been produced.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson