Ruby

Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes ruby one of the most important gems in the colored stone market.

OVERVIEW - RUBY

South Sea pearls generally have the highest value and command the highest prices of all types of pearls. South Sea pearls are generally much larger than other pearl types (commonly in the 10 - 13mm range) and have a unique and luxurious satin-like lustre quality. They also have the thickest average nacre of all cultured pearls.

Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines are leading sources of South Sea pearls. Their colors can be white to silver or golden, depending on the type of oyster. Their large size and thick nacre, due to a long growth period, plus their limited critical growing conditions are all

QUALITY FACTORS

  • COLOR

    Color is the most significant factor affecting a ruby’s value: Fine gems are a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red.

  • CLARITY

    If a ruby's inclusions affect its transparency or brilliance they reduce the gem’s value significantly.

  • CUT

    Rubies are commonly fashioned as mixed cuts, which have brilliant-cut crowns and step-cut pavilions.

  • CARAT WEIGHT

    Fine-quality rubies over one carat are very rare and price goes up significantly as size increases.

THE COLOR OF RUBY

Color is the most significant factor affecting a ruby’s value. The finest ruby has a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red color. In most markets, pure red colors command the highest prices and ruby with overtones of orange and purple are less valued. The color must be neither too dark nor too light to be considered the finest quality. If the color is too dark, it has a negative effect on the stone’s brightness. At the other extreme, if the color is too light, the stone may be considered to be a pink sapphire, even if color strength or intensity is high. That said, pink sapphires enjoy a following at far more competitive prices than rubies.

 'Pigeon's blood' is the trade name applied to the most highly saturated colour and natural red fluorescence possible in a ruby. Burmese Pigeon Blood Ruby displays a bright red hue with a slight tint of purple and is the most sought-after color variety of Manik gemstone. Historically, the term “pigeon’s blood” described the red to slightly purplish or pinkish red color of rubies with a soft, glowing, red fluorescence.

Ultimately, the most desirable color of ruby is the one you prefer the most.

RUBY CLARITY

People in the trade expect rubies to have at least some inclusions because inclusion-free rubies are practically nonexistent. Ruby value can depend on how visible the inclusions are. Obvious inclusions, or inclusions that reduce transparency or brightness, lower a ruby’s value dramatically.

If large and prominent inclusions are located under the table facet, they greatly diminish the transparency, brilliance, and value of the stone. Inclusions can also limit a ruby’s durability. Significant surface-reaching fractures can pose durability threats.

Typical ruby clarity characteristics include thin mineral inclusions called needles. When the mineral is rutile and needles are present in intersecting groups, it is called silk. Needles might be short or long and slender, and they might appear to be woven tightly together.

Ruby can also contain needles composed of other minerals, small crystals, zones of color variation, or inclusions that resemble fingerprints.

Some inclusions can actually contribute positively to a gem’s appearance. The presence of rutile silk causes light to scatter across facets that might otherwise be too dark. This adds softness to the color and spreads the color more evenly across the ruby’s crown.

ASLOWE RUBY

Aslowe ruby products are made from high-quality natural rubies. Each piece is carefully selected by our gemological experts and handcrafted to reflect its pure, vibrant red or unique purplish red color, brilliance and clarity.

RUBY TRIVIA

Ruby is the birthstone for July and the gem for the 15th and 40th anniversaries. The first laser was created in1960 using the red fluorescence light emitted by ruby.

RUBY CARE

Ruby is the most valuable of all colored gemstones. Wipe it clean with a soft cloth after wear and store it in your Aslowe jewelry box or pouch. Avoid exposure to sharp objects, heat, perfume or cosmetics.

 

Read more about ruby from GIA gem encyclopedia.

Source: www.gia.edu/ruby

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