Rubies
What is a Ruby?
Ruby is a precious gemstone, one of the four considered to be in the category, and is a subclass of the parent mineral corundum. Although corundum comes in a wide array of colors, they are only called rubies if their main shade is red and the rest would be considered sapphires. Since rubies exist in shades of pink, gemologists had a hard time drawing the line between rubies and pink sapphires in the past. Though it is still often the subject of debate even for current experts, gemology laboratories have helped with drawing the line between the two.
Called 'Ratnaraj' or "King of Precious Stones" in ancient Sanskrit, ruby can command the highest price per carat out of all gemstones and has been considered the most precious gemstone since ancient times.
Where are Rubies from?
Natural rubies are mined from deposits located in Thailand, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, Namibia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Myanmar (Burma) to name a few. Every ruby mine delivers rubies with a large variance in quality, and its source is not a guarantee of quality. For instance, the descriptive term "Burmese Pigeon Blood Ruby" for example, might refer to only a small yet highly desirable percentage of stones coming from that origin. In fact, few good rubies have been found in Burma these past few years. Today, Mozambique has become the world's largest source of gem-quality ruby.
different hue rubies
Two rubies with the same hue but different tones
Ruby Color Components
The ruby is well known for its translucent even color. At Golden Eiffel, we inspect every one of our rubies to make sure that they have an even color with negligible color zoning, spotting, or banding. In our inspections, we primarily observe their hue, tone, and saturation.
Hue
Hue indicates the actual color of the ruby. As such, the hue refers to two things: the main color of the ruby, which is red, and any other colors that might exist. For example, rubies can be found in pink-red, orange-red , brown-red, or many others. In this case, the secondary color is specified first, whereas the primary color is mentioned second.
Tone
Tone refers to the intensity or depth of color. For instance, two rubies may both have red hues. However, the first ruby is bright red while the second appear to be pigeon's blood red. The variation between the two stones' shade is the tone.
Saturation
Saturation specifies the purity of color within rubies. For example, a ruby is considered to be more saturated when it is free of brown hues. The highest saturation, "vivid", refers to sapphires that have the purest color with minimum impurities.
Golden Eiffel's standard guidelines ensure we exclusively offer rubies ranging from pinkish-red to orangish-red hues and strong to vivid saturation with medium to dark tones.
Clarity
Clarity in rubies is perceived in a very different manner compared to diamonds. Corundum is found in mineral-rich deposits that cause specks of minerals to be easily trapped within the gemstones, especially so in rubies compared to sapphires. Some common clarity characteristics in rubies include needles, crystals, and naturals. Although the strong color in rubies makes small clarity characteristics more easily concealed, gemologists and jewelers assume that rubies will have some inclusions in them, because flawless rubies essentially do not exist. As such, rubies without inclusions easily seen with a naked eye are regarded "eye-clean" and is one of the mark of excellent rubies that are traded at premiums. On the flipside, rubies that are more included command lower prices, especially those with inclusions that present significant risks to the gemstones' durability or that affect transparency.
At Golden Eiffel, we hand pick stones that are clear of big noticeable flaws and screen for close to eye-clean rubies.
Cut
Cut is essential to bring out the true worth of rubies. However, unlike diamonds, there is no one standard perfect cut for rubies because each one have a unique combination of color components, clarity characteristics, and transparency levels. As such, it is critical that ruby cutters are able to maximize a gemstone's beauty using the cut. For example, a cutter might choose to cut more deeply for lighter-colored stones compared to one with deeper colors. Additionally, color can be distributed unevenly throughout a stone and different tones of the same hue can often be found in a stone. Consequently, cutters must contemplate the best way to cut the stone such that it reflects exclusively one shade of color as evenly as possible. Likewise, cutters try their best to "hide" clarity characteristics through cut and possibly remove them if deemed undesirable in addition to orienting the gemstone with the goal of having as much transparency as possible to reach the highest level of brilliance and fire or "liveliness" of the gemstone. The objective of every superior cut ruby is to end with a gemstone that has a beautiful, even color saturation face-up combined with brilliance that makes the stone look full of life while preserving as much weight as possible for value.
Transparency
Transparency refers to the relative ability of a ruby to transmit light. A ruby's transparency is often gauged by using a flashlight from the pavilion of the gemstone. A stone with great transparency would look very translucent even when tested, while those with less transparency would look cloudy and light would be noticeably hindered. High transparency is one of the indication of a magnificent ruby as it affects salience greatly.
Why Rubies?
Value
Ruby is generally the more affordable option compared to diamonds, especially considering how rare and pricey red diamonds can be. This bang for your buck makes it so you can get a bigger sized stone. Moreover, high-quality rubies over one carat see their prices consistently rise over the years due to their beauty and salience in combination with their growing demand and scarcity.
Individuality
Rubies are considered to be one of the most treasured gemstones by many. The most prominent reason is its iconic fiery color symbolizing love, passion, courage, energy, and power. Therefore, ruby is known to be the most emotionally powerful gemstone to exist. This brings a lot of individuality to each piece of ruby jewelry and its wearer alike by making them stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, ruby being the birthstone of July adds to its value as a modern engagement ring option.
Durability
Just like diamonds, rubies are durable and therefore is appropriate for daily wear. Rubies are graded 9 out of 10 on Mohs Scale of Hardness just behind diamonds, which is an attribution to their sturdiness. Subsequently, they tend to be hard to crack or chip, so they can be worn daily without the horror of damaging the gemstones. Lastly, rubies are not unusually sensitive to exposure to heat, light, or chemicals often found in perfumes and such, so they can be worn fairly frequently.