About Your Ruby Engagement Ring

Ruby is the birthstone for July. This rich, bold colorful gemstone is perfect for ruby rings including your ruby engagement ring. Rubies are a 9 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale making them a perfect gemstone for everyday wear. The only stones harder than rubies are moissanite and diamonds. The ruby color ranges from purplish or bluish red to a yellowish red. The very best ruby for your ruby engagement ring is a vivid pure red with a faint undertone of blue, as seen in Burmese rubies but these rubies are very pricey. Burmese rubies are considered the finest in the world and are especially desired by gemstone collectors. Selecting a Burmese ruby for your ring would be quite extravagant, but there are other color tones to ponder that are also very beautiful. Treated rubies may be another consideration for your ring and that will be discussed later. Other sources besides Burma for stunning rubies are Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan. Ruby comes from the Latin word “ruber” meaning red. Large high quality red rubies are rare and can be very expensive. Most rubies seen in jewelry stores are heat treated to bring out its color. Unless otherwise informed, you should consider all rubies heat treated or enhanced in some way. Other enhancements include infusion of colorless oil, wax or resin to improve clarity. Rubies are graded using the specifics of the four C’s, color, cut, clarity and carat weight. The most important factor is color. Color is divided into three important parts, hue-referring to color, saturation-meaning more color and tone-referring to the lightness or darkness of the saturation. Cut refers to a gemstone whose cut represents the most even color. Clarity refers to its inclusions. All colored stones have some inclusions which are the fingerprints of the stone. Carat weight refers to its weight and size, for instance its diameter measurement. It sounds like a lot of information to consider when buying your ruby engagement ring but all these factors will help you select the best ring at a price your budget will allow.