Ruby Custom Piece

As you all know, I love rubies and sapphires (they are the same mineral but differently colored) because they are beautiful, rare, AND durable. So it should come as no surprise that when I saw this 2-carat, glowing ruby from Tajikistan , I had to have it for my client. Well, she had to have it, so lucky for me!

This ruby is a swirl of rich red and deep magenta with a lot of brilliance. It’s rare to find such brilliance in a ruby and the round shape (unusual in large rubies) and carat size are very compelling. We decided that stone needed crisp white diamonds to give her the field, and a little motion to allow her to sparkle in any direction. Platinum was the metal of choice. Et voila! A ruby icicle is born.

A bit about the geographic origin of this stone. Most rubies are found in Burma, Madagascar, Mozambique, and other parts of Africa. Tajikistan is off the radar because it lies between some of the other “stans” including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The location for the ruby mining is high in the Pamir Mountains and only accessible via the Khyber Pass or “Quirkistan “ Airlines, as noted by famed gemologist Richard Hughes in his lab article about searching for rubies here. So totally remote that I’m not even sure how this stone migrated to the dealer in New York City from whom I bought it. For my client and I, the origin added to the gem's allure. That allure or mystery is part of the fun of collecting jewelry and gems.

One of my favorite client services is the ability to access the rare and the beautiful and design a piece around them so we can wear them all the time. This Tajiki ruby screamer is living her best life.