Depending on the day, my favourite gemstone is either a fancy colour diamond or a ruby. I love pairing them with yellow gold to bring out their rich, opulent colour. With a hardness second only to diamond, ruby makes an excellent choice for jewellery worn every day. As the most valuable members of the corundum family, rubies can fetch higher prices than diamonds of similar size—and they’re certainly rarer.

So let’s dive in: Ruby, a buyer’s guide.

The word ruby comes from ruber, the Latin word for red.

Ruby is a pink to blood-red coloured gemstone,

a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). All other colours of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. The colour of a ruby is due to the element chromium, if a pink corundum doesn’t contain a high percentage chromium, then it’s pink sapphire.
Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The most expensive coloured gemstone ever sold at auction is a Burmese ruby. The Sunrise Ruby is the world’s most expensive ruby, most expensive coloured gemstone, and most expensive gemstone other than a diamond. In May 2015, it sold at auction in Switzerland to an anonymous buyer for US$30 million Weighed an astonishing 25.59 carats – an extraordinarily rare size for a ruby of its calibre.

The quality of a ruby is determined by its colour, cut, and clarity,

Colour and carat weight are two of the biggest factors influencing a ruby’s value. The most prized shade—known as blood-red or pigeon blood—commands a significant premium over other rubies of similar quality. Clarity comes next: like diamonds, clearer rubies are more valuable. However, a ruby with no needle-like rutile inclusions may raise suspicion, as it could indicate treatment.

All-natural rubies contain imperfections, including colour impurities and rutile needle inclusions known as “silk.” Gemologists rely on these silk patterns to distinguish natural rubies from synthetic or imitation stones. Most rough rubies undergo heat treatment before cutting to enhance their colour and clarity. Today, nearly all rubies are treated in some way, with heat treatment being the most common. High-quality rubies that remain untreated fetch a large premium.

Although Asia has long dominated ruby production, other sources—such as the United States, Australia, and more recently Africa—have emerged. Origin plays a major role in value. Rubies from Burma (Myanmar) typically command the highest prices. Interestingly, the Republic of Macedonia is the only country in mainland Europe with naturally occurring rubies, found primarily near the city of Prilep. Macedonian rubies stand out for their distinctive raspberry colour.

Ruby is the traditional birthstone for July

and is usually more pink than garnet, although some rhodolite garnets have a similar pinkish hue to most rubies. When rubbed on the skin, they were also thought to restore youth and vitality. For thousands of years, Ruby was considered the stone of love, energy, passion, power, and a zest for life. Ruby buyers guide
Discover more
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/ruby-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/
<em>https://www.gia.edu/gem-encyclopedia