Praetorian Zeus Ruby

Latin praetōriānus, of the praetor — adjectival suffix, referring to the Roman-Imperial elite guard-cohorts. As a color modifier, praetorian implies a saturated-and-elite-and-imperial-guard quality, the deep-rich color of Roman-Praetorian-Guard elite-imperial-bodyguard scarlet-tunic-and-bronze-armor military-formation. Sits at the bold-and-formal end of the grid, parallel to spartan and imperial.

Greek Ζεύς, king-of-the-Olympian-gods. As a color modifier, zeus implies a thunderbolt-and-king-of-gods-and-Olympian quality, the visual register of Olympian-Zeus-and-Phidias-Pheidias-statue hand-thunderbolt-and-king-of-gods-and-Olympian Olympian-Zeus-and-Phidias-statue-and-Mount-Olympus zeus-and-thunderbolt-and-king-of-gods-and-Olympian surfaces under Olympian-Zeus-and-Phidias-statue-and-Mount-Olympus Pheidias-chryselephantine-and-Olympia thunder-cloud-light. Sits at the modifier-and-myth end of the grid, parallel to hera and atlas 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.