Chuni Stone (Manik, Ruby)

Chuni, Manik and Padmaraga

Bengali uses চুনি (Chuni) for ruby. The Bengali Wiktionary defines it as a deep red precious crystal and gives the Sanskrit-derived synonym পদ্মরাগমণি, Padmaraga-mani. Padmarāga means "lotus-hued" and, in the Monier-Williams dictionary, a ruby. Bengali Wikipedia uses চুনি in the same sense, for example in its article on Mogok in Myanmar, a town founded after rubies were found there. The name is used in West Bengal, Tripura and Bangladesh, and by Bengali speakers everywhere.

On product pages you may see three names for the same stone: Chuni in Bengali, Manik in Hindi and ruby in English. They all mean the Sun's ratna in jyotish, which is ruby, the red variety of the mineral corundum.

Reading a Chuni listing

• Weight in two units. Listings give carat and ratti side by side. Use the carat to ratti converter rather than a rule of thumb, because sellers do not all use the same factor.
• Where it was mined. Most rubies listed here are African; a few are from Burma (Myanmar), the origin behind the Mogok story above. Burmese stones usually cost more, so line up stones of the same origin before judging price.
• What was done to it. Our ruby listings mostly leave the treatment line empty. Get the answer in writing, because heating and other treatments change what a Chuni is worth.
• Pink or red. Ruby runs from pinkish red to a deep, slightly purplish red. A photo under warm light flatters it; a daylight video is fairer.
• The report number. Type it into the Check Certificate tool before wearing. If a qualifying lab ever proves the stone synthetic, the certification and guarantee terms give a full refund. GemsMantra works with leading labs including GIA, IGI, GRS and GJEPC's IIGJ. Each stone's listing names the lab that issued its report and the report number.

Faceted Chuni or star ruby?

Some rubies are cut as smooth domes (cabochons) to show a six-rayed star. The star comes from fine needle-like inclusions of rutile inside the stone, and the effect is called asterism. Star rubies are valued for the sharpness and centring of the star rather than for transparency, so they are priced differently from faceted, transparent rubies. When you compare Chuni listings, check first whether each one is a faceted ruby or a star ruby, then compare weight, origin and treatment only within the same type.

Wearing customs, as traditionally stated

Chuni is traditionally set in gold and worn on the ring finger of the working hand, starting on a Sunday morning. Many astrologers suggest about 3 ratti or more; this is general guidance, and your astrologer's advice comes first. Check suitability with the free Gemstone Calculator or an astrologer consultation (₹499, adjusted against a purchase).

Price snapshot

On 24-Sep-2026, n = 78 ruby listings in the parent collection were in stock. Prices ran from ₹7,590 to ₹15,01,000, with a median of ₹15,710. This page shows exactly the same products as the Ruby (Manik) collection, and prices change as stock sells, so the product grid is the live reference.

Read next

• Ruby (Manik) collection
• Gemstones for Singh (Leo) Rashi: ruby guide
• Manikyam (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam) name page

Astrological associations on this page describe traditional Vedic belief. Gemstones are not medicines, and no specific outcome is guaranteed. Regional names are given as recorded in the dictionaries and encyclopaedias cited; spellings vary by region.