Devout Saturn Ruby

From the Latin devotus, consecrated — used principally in religious contexts for the dignified deep colors of sacred art and ecclesiastical dress. As a color modifier, devout implies saturation combined with restraint: the deep blues of Marian mantles, the deep reds of cardinals' robes. Sits in the bold-and-formal corner alongside imperial.

Latin Saturnus, Roman-god-of-time-and-sixth-planet. As a color modifier, saturn implies a Roman-god-of-time-and-ringed-sixth-planet quality, the visual register of Roman-Saturn-and-Cassini-rings hand-Roman-god-of-time-and-ringed-sixth-planet Roman-Saturn-and-Cassini-rings-and-Saturnalia saturn-and-Roman-god-of-time-and-ringed-planet surfaces under Roman-Saturn-and-Cassini-rings-and-Saturnalia Saturnalia-festival-and-ringed-gas-giant ringed-planet-light. Sits at the modifier-and-zodiac end of the grid, parallel to jupiter and neptune in usage.

From the Latin ruber — simply, red. The gemstone is a chromium-tinged corundum, harder than anything in nature except diamond, and so saturated that a fine Burmese pigeon's blood ruby at auction outpaces a comparable diamond by weight. The color borrows the gem's confidence: a clear, glassy red without the brown of garnet or the blue of crimson.