Patrician Clove Ruby

Latin patrīcius, of the noble class — derived from pater (father). As a color modifier, patrician implies a saturated-and-aristocratic-and-Roman-Republic quality, the deep-rich color of Roman-Patrician-class toga and senatorial-livery hereditary-aristocratic dress. Sits at the bold-and-aristocratic end of the grid, parallel to senatorial and imperial.

Latin clāvus, nail-shaped-aromatic-bud. As a color modifier, clove implies a warm-pungent-and-Indonesian-Spice-Island quality, the visual register of Indonesian-Spice-Island-and-Zanzibar-clove hand-warm-pungent-and-Indonesian-Spice-Island Indonesian-Spice-Island-and-Zanzibar-clove-and-Banda-Islands clove-and-warm-pungent-and-Indonesian-Spice-Island surfaces under Indonesian-Spice-Island-and-Zanzibar-clove-and-Banda-Islands Banda-Islands-and-Zanzibar-and-Maluku Spice-Islands-light. Sits at the modifier-and-flavor end of the grid, parallel to nutmeg and anise 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.