Ruby Engagement Rings

Why ruby rather than diamond

Durability is usually the argument against a coloured engagement stone. With ruby it does not apply — you are not trading longevity for colour the way you are with emerald or opal.

What you are trading is size. Fine ruby is expensive by the carat, more so than sapphire and in the top grades more than diamond. A one carat ruby of good colour costs what a considerably larger sapphire would. For most couples the answer is a smaller centre stone of better colour rather than a larger pale one, and that is usually the right call — colour is what people notice.

Ruby has also carried meaning for as long as gemstones have been given: passion, protection, and in several traditions the stone of enduring love. That is not marketing invented in the last century.

Settings

Ruby's hardness opens up options that softer stones close off.

Claw — the classic choice. Exposure is not a risk with ruby, and the extra light entering the stone improves the colour noticeably.

Halo — surrounding diamonds add presence and let a smaller centre stone read larger. Worth considering given how ruby is priced.

Three-stone — ruby flanked by diamonds, carrying the past-present-future symbolism. The hardness contrast is deliberate: diamond and ruby are the only two gem materials that will not wear each other down over decades.

Bezel — protective without being structurally necessary, and suits a more contemporary look.

Platinum and white gold sharpen a vivid red. Yellow gold warms a darker stone. Rose gold flatters lighter, pinkish material.

Heated and unheated

Most rubies on the market have been heat-treated. It is permanent, accepted throughout the trade, and produces perfectly good stones. Unheated material of equivalent colour is considerably rarer and priced accordingly.

We carry both and state which on every ring. For a piece meant to last a lifetime, knowing what you bought matters — we will tell you plainly rather than leaving it to the fine print.

We do not sell synthetic ruby or lead-glass filled material.

Designing your own

Most of our engagement rings begin with a client selecting a loose stone rather than choosing a finished ring.

Consultation first, then the stone, then design sketches, then a 3D rendering you approve before anything is made. Four to eight weeks from approval, depending on the setting.

Browse our loose rubies to start with the stone.

Wedding bands

Worth thinking about at the design stage rather than afterwards. A contoured band sits flush against most of our settings without a gap, and matching the metal across both pieces is easier now than in two years' time.

On colour, clarity and origin

How ruby is graded, what pigeon's blood means, and where the finest material comes from are covered on our ruby jewellery page.