Ruby Necklaces

A ruby pendant is viewed straight on in daylight against skin, which is the most honest lighting a red stone ever gets. Every necklace here centers on a natural ruby, with origin and treatment disclosed.

Oval Ruby and Diamond Drop Pendant

USD 25,050

What separates one ruby pendant from another

Two rubies of the same weight can differ in price many times over, and almost none of it shows in the carat figure.

Color first. A vivid, pure red is the target, the grade the trade calls pigeon blood. A hint of blue or purple in the red lifts it. brown or orange undertones are the most common reason a ruby prices below its size.
Origin is of utmost importance. Burma prices first, Mozambique second. War and floods have dramatically reduced the supply of Burmese material reaching the market, which is the reason behind the current gap.
Treatment sets the bracket. Unheated rubies are scarce and carry a substantial premium over heated stones of the same appearance.

Why a pendant shows a ruby differently

A ring is seen at an angle and in shadow from the hand. A pendant is seen flat, in whatever light the room has, against skin.

Daylight fluorescence shows here. Low iron rubies, particularly Burmese material, glow in daylight in a way that is hard to photograph and easy to see on the chest.
Skin tone raises the red. Warm skin next to a red stone increases apparent saturation, which flatters a slightly paler ruby more than a top color one.
Evenness matters more. Any stripe or color pooling is visible face on, where in a ring it would often be hidden by the setting.

Choosing the piece

Ruby is 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond, so a pendant worn constantly needs no special protection.

Halo designs frame the ruby in diamonds, which extends the visual footprint and raises apparent saturation by contrast. They often deliver more presence per unit of budget than a plain setting.
Drop designs hang below the chain and suit oval and cushion stones.
Unique designs carry the more individual stones in the range.

White gold keeps the red cool and strong. Rose and white gold combinations warm the setting against the stone and suit a ruby with a slightly deeper tone. Chain length of 16 to 18 inches sits a pendant just below the collarbone, which works with most necklines.

The center stone decides it. An unheated Burmese ruby of fine color can be worth many multiples of a heated stone of the same size, so color, origin and treatment matter far more than carat weight.

Ruby is the traditional 15th and 40th anniversary stone, and it is also the July birthstone. That is why ruby pendants are one of the most common anniversary gifts in colored stones.

A lot of rubies on the market are heated, which is permanent, stable and accepted throughout the trade. Our buying focus is unheated stones, and treatment is disclosed on every piece.

Yes. Ruby is 9 on the Mohs scale and a pendant takes fewer knocks than a ring, so daily wear places no real demands on the piece beyond having the clasp checked periodically.

No, and that is standard across the industry. Accent diamonds are graded as a group rather than individually, and we state that grade along with the treatment status of the center ruby.