DIY Jewelry Making and Beading with July's Birthstone: Ruby!

July's birthstone is the magnificent ruby! This long-prized gemstone has been a favorite of royalty for centuries and is highly coveted for its rich red color, rarity, and hardness (9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness). The name ruby is derived from the Latin word ruber which means red. This beautiful stone represents life, love and passion.

Rubies color can vary from a very deep red with purple undertones to a shade of pink and everything in between. The most sought after ruby color is a vivid and intense red. This is the color that most people think of when they hear "ruby." Some famous rubies include the DeLong Star Ruby weighing over 100 carats and displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Edwardes Ruby weighing a humungous 167 carats and displayed at the British Museum of Natural History in London, and then of course we have to include Dorothy's red ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz which is forever enshrined ruby in our hearts as something rare and special.

Ruby gemstones, because of their rareness and hardness, can be rather expensive to purchase. There are lots of different grades with different clarity levels and colors which will affect the price. If you want to incorporate genuine rubies into your jewelry designs, Dakota Stones has some very nice ruby gemstone offerings at a surprisingly affordable price. 

If you want to invoke the "feel" of ruby in your designs, a wonderful choice is the ruby color by PRESTIGE Crystal Components. This deep red tone with a hint of purple definitely invokes the look of ruby in your creations. Being from the luxury brand PRESTIGE also means that each piece is wonderfully uniform in both cut, size, and color—a real asset when designing jewelry!