Get to know ruby and amber gemstones with Singapore’s Gem Guru, Howe Wei, a GIA Graduate Gemologist this Lunar New Year
The Chinese New Year is celebrated by Chinese families around the world. It is the most important holiday in Chinese culture and is known as the Spring Festival. This festival celebrates the coming of spring and the end of the coldest season of the year. People celebrate by eating special foods, visiting family members, giving gifts, and making wishes for the future.
The Color Red for Chinese New Year
The color red in Chinese culture represents a powerful color which banishes bad luck and keeps away everything evil. In the Lunar New Year, red and gold is a classic color combination. It’s been used for centuries to symbolise wealth, prosperity, and happiness. Gold is associated with royalty and power while red represents passion, love, and energy. Together, they create a powerful look that will make you feel confident and happy.
The Lunar (or Chinese) New Year is right around the corner, ruby and amber would be perfect gemstones for the Lunar New Year as they symbolize prosperity, happiness, good fortune and long life.
In Chinese culture, Ruby – symbolizes wealth and luck, many folks believe that wearing ruby may bring you good fortune and wealth. Ruby is easily recognisable due to its intense color and one of the most used in jewelry.
A short history of Ruby gemstone
Ruby was first mentioned in a writing of ancient India, more than 4,000 years ago. Its name means “red” in Latin and “king of the gemstones” in Sanskrit, being considered among the most beautiful precious stones in the world, next to diamonds and pearls. In China and India, ruby was often used to decorate noble armor and was later included in the foundations of palaces for luck and longevity. Legend has it that these stones are, in fact, drops of dragon blood and that the wearers of ruby jewelry gain unlimited physical strength and become irresistible to those around them. The late emperor Kublai Khan offered an entire city in exchange for a ruby.
Ruby Precious Gemstone
The stone is found on all continents but the purest rubies are those collected from Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. The largest rubies have an oval or cushion shape, the stones being cut and polished in specialised centers in Bangkok. Ruby melts at 2,050 degrees Celsius. Color is very important for a ruby. The most valuable are the bright red rubies. An over 5 carats ruby exceeds the value of a diamond, because the intense red stone is much rarer, and the medium shades of red are called “pigeon blood”. The lighter the red, the lower the ruby’s value.
Some of the most famous red ruby jewelry are - Elizabeth Taylor’s Ruby and Diamond Necklace by Cartier, Queen Elizabeth II’s Ruby Necklace and Queen Camilla’s ruby and diamond necklace.
A short history of Amber
In ancient times, amber was used for restoration, protection and good luck. It symbolises longevity and wisdom. Ancient Chinese called the amber gem “hu po” which means the courage or spirit of the tiger. Some believe that Amber’s spiritual meaning is also one of protection and it’s given to travelers to keep them safe on long journeys.
Get to know Amber
The main source of amber gems is just west of Kaliningrad, Russia. Amber from this region is found in clay about 30 meters below the surface. The second-largest source of amber is the Baltic region.
Amber comes in a range of different colors, but it's mostly yellow, orange, or brown. Golden yellow amber is usually a hard, translucent resin from evergreen pine trees. Amber can also be whitish to pale lemon yellow and brown to almost black. The Dominican Republic is known for producing rare blue amber. There are also rare green and red colored ambers. Red amber is sometimes called "cherry amber".
Amber has been used in jewelry since prehistoric times. Amber is believed to have been one of the first types of gemstones used in amulet jewelry. Baltic amber, bone amber, and Dominican amber are the most common varieties of amber. Amber prices can range from $20 to $40,000 or more.
If you need a Gemstone appraisal or valuation report? Speak to Gem Guru, Howe Wei is a GIA Graduate Gemologist in Singapore