About Ruby
Ruby, #e0115f, is red refracted through a gemstone — pinker and more jeweled than crimson, richer than rose. The stone and sapphire are the same mineral (corundum); chromium alone tips it red, and that accident of chemistry named a color, a programming language and a thousand anniversaries.
History
Burmese rubies outpriced diamonds for centuries — “a ruby the size of a pigeon’s egg” was Asia’s ultimate treasury line. Dorothy’s slippers (silver in the book, ruby for Technicolor) fixed the color in cinema; the 40th anniversary fixed it in marriage.
Psychology
Ruby reads passionate and precious at once — red’s heat set in ceremony. It is the red chosen when the message is treasure rather than urgency.
In design
Ruby is a jewel accent: luminous on charcoal and cream, strong for badges and CTAs (#e0115f ≈ 4.6:1 on white — AA for large text; deepen toward #9b111e for body). Pair with gold, ivory and deep green velvet tones.
In culture
Ruby slippers, ruby weddings, rubies in crowns and idioms of worth beyond rubies: scripture and cinema agree on its rank.