description Pigeon Blood Ruby Overview
Pigeon blood describes a prized red colour in ruby, the red variety of the mineral corundum. The term is associated with saturated red stones that may show a slight bluish component, although its precise application varies between gem laboratories. Chromium produces ruby's red colour, while fluorescence can strengthen its appearance under suitable lighting. The fluorescence associated with these stones is red, rather than blue.
Myanmar's Mogok region has a long historical association with rubies described this way, but the colour designation does not establish a stone's origin. Collectors and gem enthusiasts value the combination of colour and that connection to Burmese mining history. Within the ruby category, pigeon blood refers to a colour assessment rather than a separate mineral variety or a guarantee that a stone is untreated.
help Pigeon Blood Ruby FAQ
What color qualifies a ruby as pigeon blood?
The term usually describes an intensely saturated red with a subtle cool or bluish undertone, without excessive darkness or brown coloration. It is a trade color designation, not a separate mineral species: the stone is still red corundum.
Do pigeon blood rubies only come from Myanmar?
Myanmar's Mogok region is historically associated with the designation, but rubies with comparable color can come from other deposits, including Mozambique. A laboratory report should identify geographic origin separately from any color description.
How can a buyer tell whether a pigeon blood ruby has been heated?
Heat treatment cannot be established reliably from color or a shop photograph alone. Laboratories such as GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, and GRS examine inclusions and other internal features before stating whether evidence of heating was detected.
Why can two pigeon blood rubies have very different prices?
Price depends on more than the color label, including carat weight, transparency, cut, origin, treatment status, and the quality of laboratory documentation. An untreated Mogok ruby with strong clarity can command far more than a heated or fracture-filled stone carrying similar sales language.
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