What makes a fine ruby exceptional is when it is given the term ‘Pigeon Blood’. This is a title granted very selectively, and is reserved only for rubies of the true deserving colour. The colour is probably best described as a vivid velvety blood red with hints of blue undertones – extremely captivating and strikingly beautiful.The Mogok region in Burma is the world’s only known source for these precious rubies. These mines, located in Upper Myanmar have been worked for centuries. The yield today is fairly insignificant compared to the quality rubies that were mined many years ago. Rubies from this region are highly revered for possessing the extraordinary quality of actually fluorescing in daylight, giving them a truly enchanting glow. This quality, combined with the strong blood-red colour, places pigeon blood rubies at a very high level of desirability.Fine quality natural unenhanced Burmese rubies are rare, but pigeon blood rubies are very scarce indeed. Given their rarity, sizeable pigeon blood rubies are even more remarkable. It is for these reasons that rubies are the most expensive of any gemstone, with pigeon blood rubies demanding the highest prices of all coloured stones. If a ruby is termed pigeon blood, it has fundamentally been given the mark of the highest quality.At Berganza, we have four beautiful pigeon blood rubies set within their original antique hand-crafted settings, all of which are extremely fine examples of this highly coveted gemstone.
