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Colored Gemstone
Ladies in Red
Gemfields celebrates the allure of rubies in a trio of YouTube films focusing on the modern woman.
By Sheryl Jones
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| Still from YouTube movie featuring Indian actress Aditi Rao Hydari. |
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| Ruby and rose gold fluted ring from Fabergé. |
“She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her” (Proverbs 3:15). This biblical passage is one of the most well-known references to women and rubies. The value of a woman is higher than a ruby, yet women have coveted and adorned themselves with this precious and rare stone throughout history.
Stories behind how the rubies were obtained, why women wear them and what the gems symbolize have become part of our collective history and culture. Examples of these famous rubies span the centuries. One of Queen Elizabeth’s crowns, the Burmese Ruby Tiara, contains 96 rubies from Burma. In Burmese culture, the stones represent protection from 96 different diseases. In the 1990 movie, “Pretty Woman,” actor Richard Gere adorns actress Julia Roberts with a necklace made with 23 pear-shaped rubies by French jeweler, Fred Joaillier. The 32-carat Hope Ruby, owned by Brazilian-born philanthropist and socialite Lily Safra was sold at Christie’s Geneva in 2012 for $6,742,440 to benefit several charities and organizations.
In a nod to this iconic red gem, Gemfields recently launched a new social media campaign to tell the story behind the rubies that contemporary women wear. “At Gemfields, we believe that there’s a story in every gemstone. This campaign was a way for us to explore some of those stories in a modern context,” explains Sally Morrison, Gemfields director of marketing and sales.
The stories featured in the campaign focus on three contemporary women who see rubies as symbols of passion, protection and prosperity. “Those are qualities that have historically been associated with rubies in different cultures,” says Morrison. “However, we wanted to infuse new life and a contemporary insight into those narratives. It’s about making those traditional attributes relevant to a modern woman.”
Gemfields enlisted award-winning filmmaker, Leonora Lonsdale, who co-wrote and co-directed the film “Black Dog, Red Dog” with James Franco, to create these “ruby-inspired stories.” They explore the relationship young, independent women who are focused on making their way in the world have with rubies at pivotal moments in their lives.
“Rubies have often been about passion. But for us, it was important that the passion resonate with a young, independent woman in the modern world. It’s not about an old-fashioned fairytale — it’s about their real lives,” says Morrison, explaining why Gemfields wanted to portray these women.
The campaign’s target audience is the influential modern woman who wants to express herself, her style and her spirit in a way that is different from previous generations. To reach its target market, Gemfields is streaming the film shorts on YouTube, a critical vehicle in social media marketing. Each film will be released in a 15-, 30- and 60-second edit, supported by a global print and social media campaign, according to Gemfields.
The YouTube short films feature up-and-coming talent from around the globe: British actress Sophie Cookson, who has been in the television miniseries “Moonfleet,”the movie “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and the upcoming film “Emperor;” Indian actress Aditi Rao Hydari, who stars in Hindi and Tamil language films, and Chinese model Grace Guozhi, who has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar UK and InStyle magazines. According to Morrison, “Cookson, Hydari and Guozhi are all fresh talents whom we believe have a powerful presence on screen and are able to bring these narratives to life.” Furthermore, “Lonsdale is a compelling storyteller, so we knew it would be a great combination,” Morrison adds.
The women were also chosen because, says Morrison, each “resonates in the markets for which their films were created.” The ruby-inspired story about passion, featuring Cookson, takes place in England. Her rubies bring her back to moments with her lover. The story about protection, featuring Hydari, takes place in India. She is given rubies by her grandmother, who wants her to be fearless but safe. The third ruby story is about prosperity. It takes place in China and features Guozhi, who is given rubies as a sign of success and prosperity. The jewelry worn in these film shorts reflects the look and feel of the campaign and was created by several designers, including AYA by Chelsy Davy, Gyan and Fabergé.
There has always been a story behind rubies. But with the new Gemfields campaign focusing on young independent women and their relationships to the rubies they wear, Morrison concludes, “We are engaging with a generation of influencers to create and share their own ruby stories.” Article from the Rapaport Magazine - October 2016. To subscribe click here.
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