Lordly Comet Ruby

Old English hlāford-līc, lord-like — adjectival suffix -ly. As a color modifier, lordly implies a saturated-and-aristocratic-and-haughty quality, the deep-rich color of pre-modern English-and-French manorial-aristocracy livery and hereditary-estate household-textile. Sits at the bold-and-aristocratic end of the grid, parallel to princely and patrician.

Greek κομήτης, long-haired-or-tailed-star. As a color modifier, comet implies an icy-and-tailed-and-streaked quality, the visual register of Halley-and-Hale-Bopp-comet hand-icy-and-tailed-and-streaked Halley-and-Hale-Bopp-and-Encke-comet comet-and-icy-and-tailed-and-streaked surfaces under Halley-and-Hale-Bopp-and-Encke-comet sun-grazing-and-coma-and-ion-tail outer-system-arc-light. Sits at the modifier-and-cosmic end of the grid, parallel to meteor and nebula 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.