Manikyam Stone (Manik, Ruby)

From Sanskrit māṇikya to Manikyam

All three forms come from the Sanskrit māṇikya, which the Monier-Williams dictionary defines as ruby. Tamil writes மாணிக்கம் (Manikkam) and also uses செம்மணி, "red gem"; Malayalam writes മാണിക്യം and Telugu మాణిక్యం. The word also travelled beyond India: Malay borrowed it as manikam. In the Tamil list of nine gems, மாணிக்கம் sits beside முத்து (pearl), மரகதம் (emerald) and பவளம் (coral). The names are used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

Ruby is a red variety of corundum, the same mineral as sapphire; the Tamil Wikipedia article notes that its red comes from chromium.

What to ask before buying Manikyam

• Treatment. In a 24-Sep-2026 sample of 20 Manik listings on this site, the treatment field was "-" in all 20. Rubies are often heated or otherwise treated in the trade, so ask for the treatment status in writing before you pay.
• Origin. The same sample gave Africa for 17 and Myanmar (Burma) for 3. Origin is printed on the report and affects price.
• Whose report. In that sample, 16 of 20 listings named GemsMantra's own lab. Your Manikyam ships with a numbered GemsMantra Authenticity Report, which you can look up on the Check Certificate page; a proven-synthetic result is covered on the certification and guarantee page. 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.

Ruby look-alikes and glass-filled ruby

Red spinel and garnet can look like ruby, and both are genuine gems in their own right. A bigger concern is glass-filled ruby, sometimes called composite ruby: low-grade corundum whose fractures are filled with lead glass to improve clarity. It is priced far below a natural ruby and needs careful handling, because heat and some cleaners can damage the filling. Ask directly whether a stone is glass-filled, and look at the Comments and Test Carried Out fields on the report. A fair price for Manikyam starts with knowing exactly what the stone is.

Wearing customs, as traditionally stated

For Surya's stone, custom calls for a gold setting, the ring finger of the working hand and a Sunday sunrise start. A weight of around 3 ratti or more is the figure many astrologers quote, but it is a guide rather than a rule, and the carat to ratti converter converts listing weights for you. When ruby is out of reach, red spinel and garnet are the substitutes tradition names. Test the idea against your chart with the free Gemstone Calculator or an astrologer consultation (₹499, adjusted against a purchase) first.

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
• Chuni (Bengali) 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.