Rubies are one of the most rare precious gems. Having been discovered in only a few regions on earth, the rarity of this gemstone is directly related to science and the scarcity of chromium, the trace element that causes that gorgeous red colour. Its occurrence is extremely rare in most geological areas. The ruby is a kind of corundum, the primary chemical component of which is aluminium oxide, corundum cannot crystalize in the presence of silicon, one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust. The formation of a ruby requires an unusual set of geological conditions, the area must contain chromium but not silicon, making the growth of rubies truly a prized phenomenon. In addition to producing the ruby’s colour, chromium, in another miracle of nature, absorbs some visible and ultraviolet light, which gives rubies their red fluorescence. This intense scarlet radiance seems to come from within the facets of the stone, imparting a more dazzling, fiery red than other red gems that lack the same fluorescence.

In the gemstone market, Myanmar is synonymous with superlative rubies, and pigeon blood red rubies, produced in Myanmar’s Mogok region, are passionately pursued by collects ors. With its large amount of weathered marble, Mogok has been an important gem-producing area since the 16th century. Ruby deposits are irregularly distributed in the marble layer, which contains large amounts of chromium and almost no iron. Mogok rubies usually have a very intense red fluorescence, which produces a brilliant red colour. Rubies often contain many needle-shaped rutile inclusions which light refracts off before diffusing to the surface of the gem and creating an intense, bright red. Every major gemmological institution in the world has its own mechanism for evaluating pigeon blood rubies, but the primary indicators are a ruby’s chromium content, as well as its hue, saturation, and translucency, which are judged by very stringent standards. Generally, pigeon blood rubies must be a bright, even, and saturated true red, and have a high degree of translucency and claritys , without opaque or dark inclusions visible to the naked eye. These rubies also have a particular fluorescent effect, which gives the gem its blazing red colour. Only a very small number of rubies meet these standards. Centuries of mining will inevitably exhaust the Mogok deposits, and with the addition of strict policy controls, output has rapidly declined. As a result, Mogok pigeon’s blood rubies have become even rarer over t.mes .

紅寶石是最稀有的貴重寶石之一，世界上僅有少數的區域發現紅寶石的礦藏，其稀有性和地質環境的發生率有直接關聯。絢麗璀璨的紅色，致色因子為一種微量元素鉻(Chromium)，在大部分的地質環境中極為罕見。紅寶石屬於剛玉的一種，而剛玉的主要化學成份是氧化鋁，在有矽的環境下剛玉無法形成結晶，偏偏矽又是地殼中含量最豐富的元素之一。成就紅寶石的特殊地質條件必須不含矽而含鉻，確實很不尋常。而另一個大自然的美妙奇蹟，是鉻不僅為致色元素，還會吸收一些可見光和紫外光，轉而使紅寶石放射出紅色熒光。 其強烈的緋紅光芒，彷彿可以從內而外穿透寶石的切面，使紅寶石比其他相似紅色調但沒有熒光的寶石，顯得更加鮮豔火紅。

在寶石交易中，緬甸已與頂級紅寶石畫上等號。 而產自緬甸莫谷(Mogok)的「鴿血紅」紅寶石，更是令收藏家競相追捧的典範。莫谷擁有大量的風化大理石，從十六世紀以來就是重要的寶石產地。其紅寶石礦床不規則地分佈於大理石層內，含有大量的鉻，幾乎不含鐵，往往具有非常強烈的紅色熒光，因此呈現鮮豔的紅色，且紅寶石內常見豐富的金紅石內含物，光線在針狀的金紅石之間折射，最後射散至寶石表面，造就寶石濃烈明亮的鮮紅色。世界各大寶石鑑定機構各自有對於「鴿血紅」的評等機制，主要根據紅寶石的鉻含量，以及色相、飽和度、透明度等指數，以極為嚴格的標準比對制訂。大致上「鴿血紅」紅寶石必須為色彩鮮明 、均勻而飽和的正紅色；具高透明度和淨度，沒有肉眼可見的不透明或深色內含物；具特殊的熒光效應，寶石呈現如烈焰炙燃般火紅的顏色，僅有極少數的紅寶石符合以上標準。經過幾世紀以來的挖掘，莫谷面臨礦產枯竭，再加上政策的嚴格管制，產量已急遽減少，使得莫谷的「鴿血紅」紅寶石更加珍貴難得。