Two years ago Christie’s Auction House sold an 87.8 carat ruby from Burma for the record selling price of $6.4 million! This sale confirmed that rubies are still among the most appreciated gems, but rubies have always had a special place in our histories.
AMERICA
One famous American ruby was a ring Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor. It had an 8.24 carat ruby and set among diamonds. The Van Cleef & Arpels ruby ring was sold for $4.2 million in 2011.
The "Rosser Reeves Star Ruby" (138.0 carats) can be found at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and the "De Long Star Ruby" (100 carats) can be seen in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY.
ENGLAND
Queen Elizabeth has a famous tiara that contains 96 rubies. Her “Burmese Ruby Tiara” was commissioned in the 1970s and the rubies used for the tiara were gifted to her by the Burmese people as a wedding present.
The "Edwardes Ruby" (167 carats) can be found at the British Museum of Natural History in London.
MYANMAR
The “Nawata Ruby” (a whopping 496.5 carats) is considered a national treasure in the Union of Myanmar. The Nawata Ruby was found in Dattaw, a mining area of Burma.