Seeing red

Following from the very popular Feeling blue post last month, we thought we would cover another colour – this time focusing on the shades of red available to jewellery buyers.

Whilst RUBIES haven’t enjoyed quite as much popularity in recent years as in the past, the fabulous range of reds available, both from stone to stone but also as the light catches within one individual stone, mean that they will never be completely out of favour.  Having the same chemical composition as sapphires, pale colours with a pink hue are actually known as pink sapphires, with only those with truly red colouring called rubies.  The truest red rubies come from Burma, but many on the market these days come from Thailand since they often have fewer inclusions.

18 carat white gold and diamond pendant set with an oval cushion cut ruby (with chain) - £2,450.00

18 carat white gold and diamond drop earrings set with marquise cut rubies - £3,450.00

18 carat white and yellow gold bracelet, set with oval cushion cut rubies totalling 8.08 carats, and round brilliant cut diamonds totalling 2.89 carats - £11,250.00

18 carat white gold butterfly brooch set with rubies and diamonds - £1,650.00

18 carat white gold 9 rubies x .49 rubies + .14 diamonds - £975.00 + 18ctw chain - £185.00   (£1,160.00)

Often thought of as the semi-precious alternative to the ruby, GARNETS do actually come in almost every colour, just often known by other names.  However, the most commonly used colour within the jewellery trade remains the pleasing wine to brownish-red.  Mined in many locations, including Africa, South-East Asia, North America, Thailand and India, garnets remain readily available and therefore do offer a less expensive option for the red stone shopper.

9 carat yellow gold bracelet set with cabochon cut round garnets - £1,275.00

18 carat white gold stud earrings set with garnet and 0.10 carat diamond - £550.00

18 carat white gold ring with cushion cut garnet in a rubbed over setting - £895.00

CORAL is also most commonly found and used in its tomato-red colour, but can be found in pink and white, or very occasionally in black and blue.  Formed from the calcified skeletons of sea creatures, red coral has been used for ornamental purposes since 3000bc, however it is a more controversial substance these days since the commercial harvesting of it can cause significant damage to the environment, even in areas where it is in abundance such as the Western Mediterranean, the seas surrounding Japan, Northern Australia and the Red Sea.

8mm coral bead stud earrings set into 9 carat yellow gold - £235.00

Uniform red coral bead necklace - £140.00

9 carat yellow gold drop earrings set with red coral and cultured pearls - £180.00

Found in a rather orange-y shade, FIRE OPALS are the less valuable cousin of what the consumer would normally think of as an opal.  However, they can be found both perfectly transparent, and pleasingly clouded so they do have some commercial appeal to jewellers and consumer’s alike.

9 carat yellow gold earrings with fire opals in a rubbed over setting - £295.00

When a pink tourmaline is found in a deeper red, it is known as a RUBELITE.  All the stones within the tourmaline family offer excellent colour reflection so they prove fairly popular as a semi-precious gem. Large stones without any inclusions are tricky to find, but smaller stones are mined in Siberia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Brazil, the US and Madagasgar.

18 carat white gold cocktail ring set with an octagonal cut rubelite and 0.41 carat of diamonds   - £2,550.00