Ruby gemstone one of the 9 gemstones that are considered to be the most precious after diamonds. It is known for its beauty and sturdiness, which is because of its mineral composition, which is corundum. Given the unique combination of strength, beauty, and durability, it is said to be even rarer than diamonds.
The color of a ruby gemstone ranges anywhere between red to reddish-brown; however, the most popular and in-demand color is the blood-red; which is unlike Sapphire, which has a variety of colors ranging from yellow, green, purple, pink, except red. In fact, one could very well say that red Sapphire could be a Ruby, owing to their similar chemical combination.
Blood red rubies, are known as the Burmese Rubies or pigeon blood rubies or Burma rubies and are considered to be extremely rare. Burmese Rubies rarely exceed several carats.
Even if they are in larger proportions, they are mostly flawless and worth millions of dollars. Currently, Thailand is the largest producer of Rubies, but they are less desirable because of their color which has a brownish tinge to it. As well as Rubies can be heat-treated for color and quality correction. Heat treatment can also eliminate the internal flaws that Rubies have.
Refining a Ruby Gemstone
Cutting and shaping a natural ruby gemstone is a work of extreme craftsmanship and skill. It’s often mixed-cut, which include brilliant cut-crowns and step-cut pavilions. But, the most common shapes are ovals and cushions.
Some of the less incredible shapes include round, triangular, emerald-cut, pear and marquise cut. These shapes are not comes in larger sizes. Rubies above one carat are rare. Therefore, the prices increase greatly with the sizes.
Rubies are typically cut en cabochon and display aster ism. On the contrary, rubies with rutile inclusions exhibit star silky luster. Transparent rubies exhibit a vitreous luster.
Rubies are expose to heat treatments to enhance color. Some of the other enhancements include fracture filling with lead glass. These are use for make gemstones, jewelry fit for use.
It is a matter of choice whether you wish to buy the original gemstone with its flaws or a heat-treated one, both varieties being available it all the jewelers. If the gemstone is heat-treated, oiled or dyed, the jewelers will let you know that in advance.
Ruby Gemstone And Their Origin
The countries that are the largest producers of rubies include Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Australia, Brazil, Nepal, India, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Kenya, Pakistan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Thailand, Tajikistan, the USA, and Vietnam. We have already discussed why Burmese Rubies are considered the best.
However, given the variety and shades of the gemstone, it is worth explaining which variety of Ruby belongs where. So, here are some different varieties of Rubies:
Thai Rubies
They produces from the southeast of Bangkok. They are darker in color because of Iron and Chromium.
Ruby Gemstone From Tanzania
Mined generally from the Songea region, the appearance of these gemstones is similar to hessonite because of its color. It should be noted that these Rubies are less expensive than Burmese or Thai Rubies.
There is one peculiarity of Tanzanian Rubies. Their color intensity reduces when the size of the Ruby increases. Therefore, the smallest varieties are considered to be more precious.
Burmese Ruby
Considered to be of top quality, these Rubies are flawless and have a unique shape to them. They are deep red in color due to the presence of chromium in it.
They are generally from Myanmar. All rubies have blemishes and you have to look for them when you have to identify the real from the fake.
Madagascar Rubies
Relatively new to the market, Madagascar rubies are the top of the line gemstones. The two regions in Madagascar are Andilamena and Vatomandry.
Find in different varieties of igneous rocks, the quality of the gemstones varies according to the rock . These rubies are red, orange and naturally red in color.
Rubies From Afghanistan
Rubies comes from Afghanistan from the first century onward. The mines where they are come are Badakshan and Jagdalek. The latter region produces a Ruby that ranges from a deep to faint red color Ruby.
They are of superior quality, which can not find elsewhere in the world. The color of the original ruby stone found in this area ranges from light red to dark red.
Rubies from Africa
Available in purplish to dark red colors, African rubies have varieties of shapes and sizes. The best color of these rubies is the fine dark red color.
Gemstones have a whole lot of history behind them, which makes them worth their price. Moreover, they are astrologically powerful too, which makes them even more precious. For instance, Rubies have immense healing power and can amplify your energy levels.