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Ruby is one of the symbols of love.
Ruby is of the mineral species Corundum (ko-RUN-dum). The red color
Corundum is Ruby, all other colors are Sapphire. Some gem dealers debate the borderline between
Ruby and
Pink Sapphire. Historically, the word
Ruby referred to shades of red,
which technically included pink. But the names
ruby and
pink
sapphire reflect a bit of a difference in value. That’s why, given a
choice, a gem dealer would prefer to be able to call a corundum gem Ruby rather
than Pink Sapphire. Pink Sapphire is really just Light Red Ruby. The
International Colored Gemstone Association passed a resolution that the
light shades of the red hue be included in the category Ruby since it was
too difficult to legislate where red ended and pink began. In practice,
however, pink shades are now known either as Pinkish Ruby or Pink Sapphire. Either
way, these gems are among the most beautiful of the Corundum family.
 Ruby hues range from
strongly purplish-red to orangy-red. The finest ruby has a slightly
purplish-red to pure vibrant red hue. As the hue becomes more purplish or
orangy, the ruby moves down the quality scale into good and commercial ranges.
The highest-quality rubies have vivid saturation.
 Medium
tone to medium-dark tones are preferred as long as the tone is not so dark that
it has a negative effect on brilliance. At the other extreme, if the tone
is too light, the stone is considered pink sapphire, even if saturation levels
are high. The most valuable ruby colors are red
(R) to
slightly purplish red
(slpR)
with medium (5) to medium-dark (6) tones and strong (5) to vivid (6) saturation.
Typically these are called Cherry Red to Pigeon Blood Red colors. Chrome imparts the Redness to Ruby.
Here are charts showing the GIA master hue/tone/saturation to determine if corundum is ruby, or if it’s pink, purple, or orange sapphire.
Gem Laboratories that use the GIA scale, grade on the principle that red must be the
dominant hue before a stone can be called a ruby, and since
identification of the dominant hue is subject to personal perception, in some
areas of the world pink sapphires are considered rubies. Ruby is an excellent choice
for jewelry and has a high refraction which produces a bright stone.
Ruby's relative density is high, so a one Carat Ruby will be smaller in
millimeter dimensions than a one Carat Diamond.
We typically offer only the finest Burma and Ceylon Rubies, so feel free to
browse through our inventory. The
Mogok region in Burma, or Myanmar, is the source historically for the
finest Rubies. Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Mong Hsu Burma Rubies
are what we would consider the regions producing the next to the finest grade
Ruby, whereas Rubies from Thailand, Africa and Vietnam are typically in the
commercial grade of Ruby. Facet grade Ruby stones are usually cut in the Cushion or Oval shapes.
Native cutters take liberties with the cutting of the pavilions or back
side of Rubies to produce larger stones by lifting out dark inclusions,
sometimes
leaving small cavities (or divets), allowing the culet or bottom point to be a
little bit off-center,
or by having deeper or shallower than ideal pavilions. Generally these minor points are not
noticeable when the stones are mounted, and generally they do not affect the
price. Precision cuts required for designer jewelry are cut by strict standards,
and consequently the cutting adds to the overall cost of the item. Ruby is not
usually heat sensitive, but a jeweler's torch could alter the color, it
may be prudent to ask a Jeweler to remove the stone before applying his torch.
There are not very many chemicals that could attack this gem, but if boiled in a
diamond cleaning kit the stone can lose it's polish, also Jewelers pickling
solutions containing boron will etch the surface.
Ruby was the first mineral to be produced by commercial Gem synthesis,
dating back to the 1880's. It is not uncommon that some have purchased an
antique or inherited a family heirloom, and when sending it for an insurance
appraisal they learn their "Gem" is not a natural stone, but a synthetic, so
just because it's old doesn't mean it's the real thing. We have only genuine
natural Ruby, so you will not find synthetic Ruby, among our Gemstones.
Rubies are an excellent choice for investment that are today still
more valuable and rare than even the top quality colorless diamonds. Natural
"unheated" top quality Ruby never decreased in true value and remains a highly valued
Collectors Gemstone.
COLOR - The most important
factor in the value of a RUBY. The top qualities are as red as you can
imagine: a saturated pure spectral hue without any overtones of brown or blue.
After color, the other factors which influence the value of a ruby are clarity,
cut, and size. There are many variables in colored gem pricing because
it's not a controlled market like the diamond market is. One dealer may
sell an Ruby of the same quality at one price and another dealer may sell that
same Ruby for another price. There is no price guide as in diamond
purchasing. Whatever a dealer can get for that rarer colored gem is what
it's worth and if he wants to hold out for a certain amount of money he just
has to hope he's making the right move. So you need to be educated enough
to know what you're doing! Since we cut out these middleman dealers, you
can expect to get a great quality stone for considerably less.
TREATMENTS - Over 99% of all Ruby on the market is heat treated, to
stabilize and/or enhance the color and/or clarity. The typical heat treatment
process is a permanent process that does not adversely affect the performance
and durability of the gemstone, so there's no need to worry when you see this
enhancement disclosed. The typical heat enhancement procedure performed on
Ruby from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) normally refers to the lower temperature wood
'blow' heat method, whereas and the typical heat enhancement procedure
performed on Mogok, Myanmar, MongHsu, Thai, Vietnamese, and African Ruby usually
refers to the high temperature furnace fired method. Both heating methods are accepted
trade practices, and have been for many generations. The heat treatment process is permanent
and does not adversely affect the performance, and durability of the gem, but
in recent years demand for natural non-heated non-treated top quality Ruby has
caused these gems to command a somewhat higher premium, depending on the gem. We take pride in finding and featuring many of these non-heated natural Rubies.
CAVEAT EMPTOR
- A
new type heat enhancement was introduced recently, called 'bulk
diffusion', which means the gem is subjected to the high
temperature furnace fired method above 1900o C, and also under high
pressure, then titanium oxide or another coloring agent is added to the mix to
alter and/or change the color of the gemstone. AGTA and GIA gem labs,
after examination of this 'bulk diffused' heat treatment process reveals that
the color does not go all the way through the gem, but is only in the outer
layer, so if the stone is ever scratched or recut the outside color layer would
be removed and the original color would then be visible under
the outer layer of the gem. These 'bulk diffusion' factories are usually at
locations in Thailand, and since
Asian gem suppliers (and there are many online now) are not subject to the same
disclosure laws as we are here in the US, these enhancement processes are rarely
disclosed to the buyer, so buyers please beware. For example, you may see a
premium Burma Ruby advertised on one of those websites for what appears to be
pennies on the dollar. You can rest assured this is most likely a diffused stone
altered by one of the Asian factories. Some of these gem suppliers even go to
great lengths to try to convince the public that there is no difference in the
value of their diffused gems, and the value of a natural non-treated gem, but
any experienced jeweler will verify that a statement like that is totally
untrue.
CARE - It is usually safe to clean Sapphire
in an UltraSonic Cleaner,
and generally safe to use a steamer, but we strongly recommend
Ionic
Cleaners and/or warm, soapy water and a soft brush as the most trustworthy way
to clean Sapphire
jewelry.
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