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Most commonly, rubies are treated with heat to improve their red color; the results of this type of treatment are usually permanent. It goes from pinkish red, to purplish red, to orangish red, and an unmodified ruby red as well. There are even star rubies, which we have available at the Natural Ruby Company.

It also makes for a great anniversary gift or unconventional engagement ring. Heating is literally exposing the Ruby to high temperature, which can improve the depth of color. This is a permanent treatment that is required for many Rubies, otherwise the colors would look far too light.

We recommend certifying rubies above 2.00ct, as the value will prove it worth while. Often times, a more cost effective route will be to have a certified appraiser verify the gemstone. The appraiser will most likely identify the same things the lab will. The one thing though that the lab can tell you is the country of origin. For some, this is important and can actually affect the value of the ruby. Rubies for some countries, such as Myanmar, are more valuable because they are rarer and have more desirable color attributes.

Most rubies on the market have been treated to improve their clarity. Heat treatment is the most common method to improve a ruby’s clarity. The description says ruby CZ, but what it means is that the stone is red cubic zirconia, meant to pretend it’s ruby. CZ comes in a variety of colors and is probably the most used gemstone simulant in fake jewelry. Other ruby simulants could be red spinel, dyed glass, and even garnet are passed off as rubies.

A Complete Guide to Ruby Jewelry

Finding a hue that calls to you is part of the engagement ring shopping experience. Rubies can come in many different shades, such as purple red, brown red, and rose red. Pigeon’s Blood rubies are considered the most valuable and desirable as they exhibit an intense red color and natural red fluorescence.

• We believe these are temporary treatments to mask inclusions and can create structural problems in the long term.
• Also, rubies that fluoresce (glow in ultraviolet light) can have even greater saturation.
• For some, this is important and can actually affect the value of the ruby.
• Because of the light reflection, it is important to have more color in the round Ruby.
• This is a rare occurrence called asterism in which three or six-point stars are visible in the stone when viewed under proper lighting.

Instead, gemological laboratories use master stones in order to contrast colored gemstones to other stones’ hues, tones, and saturations. It should go without saying that if the color of a ruby is by far the most important factor, it would be crazy to even consider buying a ruby sight unseen. This is why we recommend buying ruby jewelry online from James Allen, as their high-resolution photos let you accurately view a ruby’s color before you make a purchase. Blue Nile also have a range of pre-set ruby engagement rings and other ruby jewelry. However, their selection is significantly smaller than James Allen’s. Fine star rubies display sharp six-rayed stars well-centered in the middle of the cabochon.

How Rare are Rubies?

A 1 carat Burmese ruby from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) will command prices more expensive than a 1 carat diamond because of its color and scarcity. Because of this, it’s more common to see rubies in non-round shapes, such as the oval, pear and marquise cuts. Like with all gemstones, there’s no “best” shape for a ruby — instead, you should choose a shape that looks the most beautiful to you personally.

Mozambique is currently the foremost producer of fine Rubies. Other African countries also produce Ruby, specifically Tanzania Kenya and Madagascar. Some Ruby is also mined in Greenland, under the receding ice shelves and in Australia, India and Russia.

Some rubies on the market are treated in a process called glass filling. In this ruby treatment, a red mineral glass is infused into the fractures of an included gemstone to improve its color and clarity. Fine-quality rubies over one carat are very rare and ruby’s price per carat goes up significantly as its carat weight increases.

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We’ve broken down each attribute to help you find what you’re looking for when purchasing a Ruby. Almost every gem quality ruby will undergo basic or standard treatments that will slightly improve it’s quality. We believe these are temporary treatments to mask inclusions and can create structural problems in the long term. Untreated natural rubies can be more than 10 times more expensive than treated rubies. The industry wide Ruby scale is below, along with the corresponding colors required to achieve that grade.

The rarity of a ruby depends on the quality of the ruby crystals. Highly included, opaque rubies are nowhere near as rare as clear, transparent rubies or even clear, blue sapphires. Ruby can command the highest prices of any colored gemstone. The per-carat prices of fine-quality rubies have been rising consistently, many times breaking auction records. Worthy helps people sell their unwanted jewelry, diamonds, and gemstones for the best prices on the market. What we’ve learned about selling diamonds for the most money can help you when you are selling gemstones as well.

When a Ruby grows excessively too pink, it becomes a sapphire. Ruby is usually deep red in color which some best describe as a rich and vivid hue. Different levels of inclusion, the depth of the color and the origin of the stone can affect the tone of the color. The formation of rubies requires a lot of Earth’s natural elements and many years of pressure and natural growth.

Make sure that you ask about all treatments the ruby has undergone and how these enhancements affect the way you should wear it and care for it. Also, don’t forget to ask whether the ruby you are buying is natural or artificially created. Regardless of what treatments a stone has undergone, its enhancements should be disclosed, so you should always ask whether a ruby has been treated before you buy it. It is best if the stone comes with a certificate that verifies whether it has been enhanced. Rubies that have an intense red hue are more valuable than those whose color is not as vivid.

Synthetic rubies are usually heat treated as well, and you can find them pretty cheap. The lab conditions also allow for better controlled clarity and color too. Afghanistan rubies produce a light red to a dark red color. Madagascar rubies have been known to range from orange into natural red.

Both semi-precious and precious stones can be evaluated using the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Color Stone Grading System. This system determines the color, saturation, clarity, and cut quality of the stone. If they affect transparency or brilliance they reduce a ruby’s value. Because the red hue of ruby is so strong, inclusions and haziness don’t distract the eye as much as they would in a colorless gem and so don’t affect the value as much.

When it’s any other color, such as blue, yellow, or pink, we call it sapphire. You can identify a ruby alongside other gemstones thanks to its rich, pink to blood-red coloration. However, the stones can come in almost all shades of red, including pink, according to Gemological Institute of America, Inc.

Final Choice of Rubies

The disadvantage of composite rubies is that these stones contain glass and, thus, are easily fractured and harmed by chemicals in housekeeping supplies. Each country produces rubies that are uniquely beautiful with different characteristics. They were considered powerful stones that enhanced strength, confidence, and valor. Rubies were once considered to be as valuable as diamonds and often set into royal crowns. However, if like me you are always looking to get more carats per dollar, then you’ll surely find a great option at James Allen.

Why a difference in price even though the carat weight is the same? Because a 2 carat ruby is that much rarer than two 1 carat rubies. Unlike color or even cut, carat weight cannot be gained, though it can be lost with re-cutting and re-polishing of the stone. As mentioned coinrule sign up above, real rubies are highly resistant to scratches, ranking a firm 9 on the Mohs scale of Hardness. Real rubies rank second in durability only to diamond and moissanite gems because a diamond ranks a 10 on the Mohs scale, while moissanite ranks a 9.25.

Exercise caution when buying ruby jewelry on the secondary market. Color is the most important factor in the value of a ruby. The traditional term for the reddest ruby is pigeon’s blood red. It has a slightly bluish cast that gives it pinkish reflections. Ruby with more vivid red is more expensive than rubies that have dark burgundy or brown overtones. If you don’t like faceted gemstones, ruby is also dramatic when cut in a smooth domed cabochon shape like a raspberry jelly bean.

But as is the case with most gemstones, the true glow of the ruby is only revealed after a quality cut that maximizes light return and color. There are four factors gem cutters must keep in mind when cutting sapphires and rubies. Like diamonds, rubies are assessed using certain quality factors.

Rubies that have a report from an independent laboratory like GIA confirming there is no evidence of heat command a premium due to their rarity. Rubies that have been diffused or are glass filled are worth less than heated rubies. A report from an independent laboratory like GIA can confirm that the ruby you are buying is natural and tell you whether there is evidence of treatment. The price of a Ruby is directly influenced by its scarcity. A comparable 2ct Ruby would cost between $6K and $8K per carat. The larger a Ruby is, the higher its price will exponentially climb.

However, these options also have major drawbacks when it comes to lowball offers, market competition, and security and protection from scams. Rubies are typically mined from Madagascar, Nepal, Thailand, and Australia. Rubies can be cleaned with a jewelry cloth and warm soapy water with a soft toothbrush. Rubies do not fade in color over time, always showcasing the color you fell in love with from the beginning.

Although you cannot expect a ruby to be perfectly flawless, the highest quality gemstones will be eye-clean, i.e. there won’t be any flaws visible with the naked eye. Lower quality rubies are heat treated to improve color saturation and minimize inclusions, making these varieties more affordable. The Sunrise Ruby is the world’s most expensive gemstone other than a diamond. Note that rubies (aside from star rubies) do not have light tones. Their tones only go from medium like U12034 to dark like R7697.