Quiz
Where are the best rubies from?Answer
Mogok Valley, Myanmar (Burma)
Quiz
Where else do rubies occur?Answer
Pakistani Kashmir, Afghanistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Tanzania, Vietnam
Quiz
What is the gem commonly mistaken for a ruby?Answer
Spinel
Quiz
How is this antique kempu necklace different from modern ones?Answer
It does not have a lac filling.
Instead, it is solid gold. With rubies nested inside
Quiz
What design best displays rubies?Answer
Minimal is best.
Like ripples in a lake– as in this pendant
Quiz
What does the jeweller do today with kempu?Answer
He makes do. Does what he can.
Best to find a trusted goldsmith and supply real rubies sourced from Burma or Thailand.
Quiz
What is unusual about this antique bangle?Answer
It is solid gold, has nakashi (repousse) work highlighting elephants, and a line of rubies.
Valai means bangle.
Quiz
Do rubies lend themselves to modern pieces?Answer
Yes, as you see in this chain and pendant.
“Where grow crops of pearls; garnets lie scattered amidst sandal trunks thrown inland by the waves.”
Manimekalai, Tamil epic poem.
Quiz
What were the motifs of ancient jewellery?Answer
Typically fertility, abundance, prosperity, as in this gold necklace depicting seeds.
