July birthstone: ruby, meaning and history
The July birthstone is ruby, a vivid red that tradition associates with passion, fire, and faithfulness.
July at a glance
For you, a blazing red stone that evokes your drive and the causes you want to commit to.
- 1912 list
- Ruby
- Additions
- none
The stones of July
What traditions associate with them
Ruby arrived in July through an exchange. In most of Kunz’s old lists, it opens December (six lists out of eight) and onyx holds July. The 1912 list sends it to July and gives December to turquoise.
This reversal, Kunz notes, returns to the order of the Polish list. He discusses it: ruby, a warm stone, seems to him better suited to winter.
For modern crystal practice, ruby evokes mostly love, then self-confidence. In the old traditions, its ember color makes it the stone of ardor, to keep close as a reminder of what matters.
No stone has a proven effect on health: if you have a health concern, see a health professional.
July birthstone: your questions
Why did ruby move from December to July?
In 1912, the jewelers gathered in Kansas City swapped ruby and turquoise, on the grounds that a red stone suited a warm month better. Kunz sees in this a return to the Polish list, but regrets the break with the old order, in which ruby marked December.
What exactly is ruby?
Ruby is a red corundum, the same mineral as sapphire: only the color differs. Kunz speaks of sister stones. For the rest, origins, imitations, possible treatments, the ruby profile gives the verified facts, kept separate from the traditions this page reports.
Your stone, your intention
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