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12 Types of Ruby Color

John Spacey, November 25, 2019

Ruby is a dark red or reddish pink that is inspired by the color of ruby gemstones. The most valuable ruby gemstones are a dark red known as blood red or pigeon blood. However, rubies come in a variety of colors from bright red to dark pink. The following are common named colors inspired by rubies.

Ruby

#ca0147

Ruby Red

#9b111e

Ruby Dust

#e0115f

Antique Ruby

#841b2d

Light Ruby

#dd3344

Dull Ruby

#aa4069

Ruby Brown

#813e45

Ruby Slippers

#9c2e33

Ruby Star

#bb1122

Ruby Pink

#ce536b

Blood Red

#980002

Ruby Wine

#77333b

Associations

The color ruby is heavily associated with the Ruby slippers from the The Wizard of Oz. These were silver slippers in the book but were changed to ruby to take advantage of the fact the 1939 film was shot in technicolor. In the book, the yellow brick road symbolizes the gold standard and the silver slippers represent silver money. The Wizard of Oz is considered an allegorical criticism of fiat money.

The character Dorothy and the actress who played her in the 1939 film, Judy Garland, are considered gay icons. For example, "Friend of Dorothy" was historically used by as slang for gay men by gay men. This is simply due to the fact that the film seems to have captured the gay community's imagination. The ruby slippers from the film are considered a symbol of hope in gay culture this may extend to the color ruby itself.

Ruby gemstones are one of the cardinal gems that have historically been considered more precious than all other gems. As such, the color ruby symbolizes wealth, nobility and luxury.