2.25ctw Burma Ruby Ring, 10k yellow gold, 2.3g

Donated by Bill Wingfield

Burma Ruby is the rarest and most valuable member of the corundum family. Colors range from pink red ruby to a vivid pigeon blood red that is regarded as the finest color for ruby.
Prized for their beauty, durability, and rarity, it is the quality of the color which most determines the value of rubies. The pigeon blood red color is that of a red traffic light, a fluorescent red of high intensity. Demand for gem quality Burma Ruby has always been strong with mining records from Burma dating back almost 500 years. Officially, ruby, jade, and other gems are Burma's (Myanmar's) fifth-largest export, but government statistics are notoriously unreliable. Official ruby gem and jade sales are sold at Myanmar's gem auctions, but hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gems leak across borders to China, Thailand, and India every year, selling at open market prices.

Burmese Rubies are considered the best, for one simple reason - their color. The most famous localities for Burma Rubies are in the districts around Mogok in northern Burma and at Mong Hsu about 250km east of Mandalay. Rubies tend to have significant inclusions, so eye clean specimens are rare.
The prices and value of Burma Ruby can vary tremendously, depending on the size and quality of the gemstone. AJS Gems is one of the leading dealers in high quality Burmese Ruby and we supply collectors and jewelers around the world.