Buying Rubies
Rubies are considered the most valuable colored stone which make highly prized ruby rings, necklaces and earrings. They bring the highest per carat price of all colored stones followed by emeralds and sapphires of the same carat size. People are drawn to the color of red rubies because of its trademark of love and
passion, thus red roses and rubyjewelry are given as expressions of love.Rubies are very durable with its hardest level being 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale.Because of this, ruby jewelry can be worn on a daily basis without concern of damage. Color of Rubies The finest color ruby is a highly saturated red to a slightly purplish red hue. If the stone is pink, it is considered a pink sapphire and can vary widely in price. Ruby Sizes and Cuts The rarest rubies are over one carat in size.
The most common cuts are oval and cushion cut with the rarer cuts being round, trillion, emerald cut, pears and marquise. When they are in larger sizes and of higher quality, they are considered rare. Clarity Experts believe rubies will have some inclusions. Rubies with no inclusions are considered very rare and are almost non-existent. Inclusions will have either a positive or negative effect. A positive effect of inclusions would be that the stone can be determined if it is treated or synthetic. Large inclusions can affect its brilliance and durability.
Treatment of Rubies Non treated rubies are rare which greatly effect price, even twice as much of treated rubies. You should expect that rubies are treated unless told otherwise. Heat treatment alters its appearance and durability. Ruby Supply and Demand The United States has the highest demand for rubies followed by Japan and France.
Other countries like Germany, Italy, Taiwan, China, Korea and Hong Kong also demand high quantities of rubies. Thailand is the highest supplier of rubies but the mines are almost exhausted. India is the second largest importer of rubies to the United States importing mostly cabochon cut rubies costing less than $5.00 a carat.
