Red Ruby Gemstone: Color, Quality & Price Guide

A red ruby gemstone may appear simple at a glance: it is red, beautiful, and valuable. However, the variation between a common ruby and a really good one can simply be enormous.

This guide will explain what will influence the color, quality, treatments, and price of a stone so that you can more effectively assess a stone before buying jewelry or loose gemstones. 

What Makes a Ruby Valuable?

Ruby is a very popular type of red precious stone, however, not all ruby is equally valuable. The primary ones include color, clarity, cut, carat weight, origin, and treatment.

Color is the number-one criterion in the value of a ruby, according to GIA, typical fine ruby has a deep red pure yellowish reddish, to slightly reddish-purplish, vibrant red color. 

Ruby Color: What Shade Is Best?

The color that is most preferred in ruby is a rich red colour that is saturated. A typical buyer might have heard such words as pigeon blood red, but the point made is that it is not only the words that matter. Look for: 

• Rich red color without looking too dark

• Strong brightness under natural light

• Minimal brown, orange, or gray undertones

• Even color across the stone

A ruby that is too dark can be dull. Overly pink ruby can be considered to be closer to pink sapphire, based on the market and lab opinion.

The term blood-red roman gemstone can be found in a historical or decorative search, but in the modern gem buying world, the quality visible and lab graded are far more important than the name. 

Check out green diamond here!

Ruby Quality: The 4 Key Checks

Clarity

A majority of natural rubies contain inclusions. That is normal. The issue begins as inclusions decrease transparency, brilliance, or toughness. According to GIA, large inclusions beneath the table facet could decrease value, and surface-reaching fractures could pose durability problems. 

Cut

A properly cut ruby has a more reflective quality of light and contributes to a higher level of richness of color. Even the good ruby may appear flat due to poor cutting. 

Carat Weight

At first, the price of a Ruby increases dramatically in terms of size, particularly when quality remains constant. An expensive 2-carat ruby can cost more per carat than an identical stone of 1 carat. 

Treatment

Rubies are usually subjected to heat treatment. It has the power to enhance color and clarity yet it must be disclosed. Raw fine rubies are more special and tend to be costly. 

They can also be a meaningful first wedding anniversary present!

Red Ruby Gemstone Price Guide

The prices of Ruby cause quite a range. Commercial-grade rubies may actually be cheap whereas finer untreated rubies may cost a great deal. According to the International Gem Society, the values of ruby are based on factors like color, clarity, origin, treatment and size. 

A practical buying mindset:

• Budget ruby:
  attractive color, visible inclusions, often heated

• Mid-range ruby:
  better red color, decent clarity, good cut

• Fine ruby:
  vivid red, strong brilliance, fewer distracting inclusions

• Collector-grade ruby:
  top color, excellent transparency, desirable origin, untreated or minimal treatment

Do not purchase because a vendor claims it is Burmese, pigeon blood or natural. Request a good lab report. 

Ruby vs Other Red Gemstones

Ruby can be more beautiful and long lasting than most red semi precious stones, but still other substitute materials can be beautiful such as garnet, spinel and tourmaline.

Consumers would also use such strange words as red stone, however, to make actual purchases it is better to consider such names as a gemstone, its treatment status, hardness, and lab confirmation. 

Ruby works beautifully with classic wedding bands!

How to Buy a Ruby Without Overpaying

Before buying, check these points:

• Is the ruby natural or synthetic?

• Has it been heat treated, glass filled, or dyed?

• Does it come with a lab report?

• Is the color bright in normal daylight?

• Are inclusions visible from the top?

• Is the price realistic for the quality?

A cheap ruby is not necessarily bad, but a vague description is a red flag. 

Find out the birthstone of the month of April here!

The Bottom Line

A red ruby gemstone will be something worth purchasing when you know what you are purchasing. Color is the most important factor affecting value, but clarity, cut, treatment, origin and certification are all factors that influence value.

The most intelligent purchaser is not the one that buys the highest priced ruby. It is the one who is able to distinguish beauty, rarity, and marketing. 

Also consider economical engagement rings before choosing a ruby center stone.

What precious stones are red?

Ruby is the most famous precious red gem. Other red gems include red spinel, garnet, red tourmaline and certain red diamonds, but diamond is typically kept separate due to its rarity and the pricing structure of the gem. 

Where to find the gemstone for celio in fire red?

In Pokémon FireRed, Celio needs the Ruby and Sapphire gemstones. The Ruby is found at Mt. Ember on One Island after progressing through the Sevii Islands quest.

How to get gemstones in fire red?

Get the Ruby from Mt. Ember, then pursue the Sapphire through the Sevii Islands questline. The Sapphire is first found on Six Island, then recovered from the Rocket Warehouse on Five Island before returning it to Celio.

How to identify red gemstones?

Check color, hardness, transparency, including material, optical effects, but not on appearance alone. Glass imitations, garnet, spinel, and the appearance of ruby can look like each other. In the case of valuable stones, the certified gemological lab report has to be used.