Bastioned Pater Ruby

Italian bastionato, fortified-with-bastions — past-participle of bastion, derived from bastia (fortified-tower). As a color modifier, bastioned implies a saturated-and-fortified-and-projecting quality, the deep-rich color of Vauban-period military-fortress star-fort projecting-bastion stone-architecture. Sits at the bold-and-fortified end of the grid, parallel to fortified and buttressed.

Latin pater, father. As a color modifier, pater implies a Latin-father-and-paterfamilias-and-Pater-Noster quality, the visual register of Pater-Noster-and-Roman-paterfamilias hand-Latin-father-and-paterfamilias-and-Pater-Noster Pater-Noster-and-Roman-paterfamilias-and-Catholic-prayer pater-and-Latin-father surfaces under Pater-Noster-and-Roman-paterfamilias-and-Catholic-prayer Roman-Senate-and-Catholic-liturgy paterfamilias-light. Sits at the modifier-and-Latin end of the grid, parallel to mater and dux 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.