Pigeon’s Blood Rubies

History of the term "Pigeon’s Blood"

For the first time, the term “Pigeon’s Blood” (“Pigeon Blood”) was introduced by GRS (Gemresearch Swisslab) in 1996 for the qualitative characterization of ruby ​​color in gemmological reports. In 1998, rubies with gemological reports describing color characteristics as “Pigeon’s Blood” were implemented during the auction at Sotheby's.

Initially, this term was applied only to rubies from North Burma fields (now Myanmar), known as the Mogok region. The main requirement for color characteristics: the color is red or red with a faint magenta tint, the tone is medium or medium dark (“medium”, “medium dark”), the degree of saturation is high or very high (“vivid”). Moreover, these stones should not have visible color zonality, signs of refining, be transparent and have inclusions that are hardly visible with the naked eye. These rubies should luminesce in long-wave ultraviolet radiation with an intensity not lower than the average. In addition, demands were also made on the size of a faceted stone (“a rare combination of color size and stone purity” — conclusions with the phrase “Pigeon’s Blood” were not issued for stones less than 1.00 carats in size).

 Since the beginning of the 2000s, this term has been used by other laboratories, which confirmed the relevance of its isolation.

Since the beginning of the second decade of the 2000s, in the GRS gemological reports, the term “Pigeon’s Blood” has been applied to rubies of different origin from the Mogok region in Myanmar.

In May 2015, GRS registered the term “Pigeon’s Blood” as a trademark, and in November, the terms of use of the term “Pigeon’s Blood” were agreed by GRS with the laboratory “Gübeline” and SSEF.

 Content of the term “Pigeon’s Blood”.

In 2015, GRS defined the meaning of the term “Pigeon’s Blood” (“Dove's Blood”) in relation to rubies. In accordance with the new regulations, two varieties of the ruby ​​type “Pigeon’s Blood” were identified.

Type 1. This type corresponds to the rubies with the main red color - red or red with a faint magenta shade, tone characteristics - medium or medium dark (“medium”, “medium dark”), degree of saturation - high or very high (“vivid” ). Rubies should not have a visually noticeable zoning distinguishable from the side of the crown, slightly observable zonality is allowed in other viewing angles. The luminescence of such stones in long-wave ultraviolet light should have an intensity not lower than the average. And, as a rule, such rubies should be mined at deposits of metamorphogenic or contact-metasomatic genesis localized in marbles.

Type 2. Rubies with similar color characteristics, but characterized by luminescence with an intensity below the average, correspond to this type. Stones of this type can be mined from deposits of any genetic class.

Additional terms for the use of the term are:

  •    Size limit - the stone must have a mass of at least 1.00 carats.
  •     The limit on the degree of purity - the stone must be visually transparent, that is, have only small inclusions, or “silk” clouds.
  •     The limitation on the degree of heat treatment - heat treatment should be classified no more than insignificant ("On" or "Hv" in accordance with the GRS classification).
  •     The absence of beryllium diffusion refinement.
  •     Lack of filling with glass and other materials.
  •     The absence of the fact of "curing" and "growing up" the stone.
Most importantly, the term “Pigeon’s Blood” is never applied to synthesized rubies.
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