Ruby

Responsibly sourced sapphires from Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Australia and Malawi. Nineteen48 works directly with a trusted network of miners and suppliers to ensure all sapphires are sourced through a fair and transparent supply chain.

Sapphires are a popular gemstone due to the spectrum of colours they come in. From traditional rich blue to pale azure, you can also find violet, yellow, green, teal, orange, pink... any colour except red.

Sapphires are part of the corundum family.

Red corundum is ruby, however there is no official classification for this. If you are looking for a red ruby or a pink sapphire, do broaden your search to look for both.

Nineteen48 sapphires are responsibly sourced from Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Many of Nineteen48's sapphires come directly from their own artisanal mine near Kuruwita. Others are sourced through a long-established network of local Sri Lankan miners, with whom strong and trusted relationships have been developed over the years.

Australian sapphires are supplied by Capricorn Gems and Malawi sapphires are provided by Fair Trade Gemstones.

Nineteen48, Capricorn Gems and Fair Trade Gemstones are members of the Ethical Gem Suppliers.

The Rubyfair project was a community-run, artisanal mine located near the famous town of Mahenge in south-central Tanzania. The mine ran for a number of years and produced a good quantity of ruby and spinel. It has now ceased operation.

Established in the UK by Gary Roberts, Rubyfair pioneered a fully traceable supply of gemstones from mine to retailer from 2008 - 2016.

The project began a community-level, gemstone mining partnership near Mahenge in Tanzania that connected the artisanal miners directly with UK jewellers. The mine produced both rubies and spinels, which are sold untreated.

Since 2017, Nineteen48 has overseen the sale of Rubyfair stones, so that the brand could maintain its strict ethical stance. These commitments include fair compensation, safe working conditions, environmental land reclamation, a total ban on child labour and supporting local mining communities.