How to check the naturalness of a ruby at home?

Walking near display cases where jewelry is sold, it is impossible not to stop when you see items with red stones. Minerals such as rubies will never go unnoticed. The awe of red stones was known back in ancient times, when the ruby was considered a sign of confident, strong and energetic individuals who firmly believed in their success. For most peoples, this gem meant love and vitality. And for good reason, because red color conveys the strongest emotions – from love and passion to rage and anger. But did you know that ruby is not just a beautiful gemstone, but also has magical and healing properties. Therefore, we will tell you in more detail about this stone, its features, price, etc.

What kind of stone is ruby?

Yakhont;
Carbuncle;
Corundum;
Lal;
Anthrax and so on.

Natural ruby stone has a bright red color, which is not typical of other precious minerals, since it contains an admixture of chromium. However, the shades of rubies can vary and include scarlet, crimson, maroon, pink-crimson and purple hues. The most valuable stone will be bright red with a purple tint.

Royal stone deposits are found on all continents of the earth, with the only exception being Antarctica. But the most valuable are considered to be gems from Asia – Thailand, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. Rubies mined in Kenya or Tanzania are also popular.

Today, natural corundum is widely used in jewelry, and synthetic corundum is found in lasers and watch mechanisms.

The history of the “royal stone”

Historians claim that rubies were heard of back in the Bronze Age. 20 centuries ago in India, the gem was considered “the king of precious stones.” Also in ancient Rome and Greece, rubies were companions of royalty who valued the true beauty of these stones.

The original name for ruby, “corundum,” was coined in ancient Asia, as in those days this name was used for hard, grayish minerals. But in Rus’ they became known only in the Middle Ages under the name “yakhont”. It was a talisman against bad dreams.

In Europe in the 1800s, ruby was recognized as a relative of sapphire, and in 1835 people began making synthetic gems.

Interesting fact: the most unique and largest stones were mined in Myanmar, near Mogok. Back in 2015, a gem called “pigeon blood” weighing almost 26 carats was sold at auction. Its price was $30 million.

Ruby: amazing properties of the gem

Did you know that natural ruby has both magical and healing properties? The mineral attracts luck and love. So this natural stone will be a great help for those who are looking for love, but are not confident in themselves. If a person has pure and sincere intentions, then the talisman will be the best companion on the path to the main achievements in life!

Healing qualities of ruby gemstone:

Supports health in chronic diseases of the joints, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, vertebrae and liver.
Treats depression, helps with schizophrenia.
Has hemostatic properties.
Relieves panic attacks, nightmares and generally improves the nervous system.

Ruby stone: who is it suitable for?

Previously, rubies were considered the stones of strong and energetic people. Today it is also considered a mineral of a nature that has leadership qualities, has perseverance and is always ready to fight for its goals and their achievement. But it is not suitable for vain people and with bad intentions.
Horoscope. Astrologers advise people born in July to wear jewelry with rubies as amulets. According to their zodiac sign, rubies are ideal for strong, temperamental representatives of Leo, Sagittarius and Aries. The stone will also appeal to active, energetic individuals – Scorpios and Capricorns. The mineral will help reveal and maintain strength of character and give more self-confidence. However, jewelry with a ruby should not be worn by Libra, Virgo, Cancer and Taurus.
Appearance. As for appearance, corundum is not suitable for all women. Blondes with a fair skin tone can wear a stone of bright and dark shades, framed in a red gold frame. A light ruby in white gold will suit dark-skinned girls. But for blue-eyed blondes, products with a “hot stone” are not suitable at all. For red-haired representatives of the fair half of humanity, rubies will be inappropriate, since the fiery shade of hair and stone cannot be combined at the same time.

How much is a ruby worth?

The price of a ruby will directly depend on:

Its deposits;
Hue and its saturation;
Weights;
Transparency and purity of the mineral.

The cost of the stone is determined depending on the carat value. The price for a gem of one to three carats of low quality ranges from $100. A ruby of impeccable quality will cost up to $15 thousand per carat.

It is also worth knowing that the price of “fire stone” is not affordable for everyone, since it belongs to the first category. However, thanks to modern technologies, jewelry makers are making products with these gems cheaper. This is done thanks to glass filling technology – imperfect stone with cracks and voids is filled with glass. Even if a ruby contains 50% glass, it will still be natural.

Learning to distinguish a real stone from a fake

Natural ruby is now very rare. Unfortunately, the great value of the mineral has led to the emergence of synthetic gems that only imitate the nobility of the royal stone. For more than 50 years, jewelry stores have been missing products with natural stone. There are not many unique rubies left in the world, the price of which is unaffordable for most.

It is very important to distinguish real stones from cheap fakes made of plastic and glass, from which cuts are made that are visually similar to natural ones. Experts recommend checking the authenticity of crystals in the following ways:

The most popular method is to immerse the stone in cow’s milk. If the ruby is real, then the liquid will turn slightly pinkish.
Place the gem in a glass bowl. A natural crystal will emit a pale red hue.
Place the stone under an ultraviolet lamp – the real gem will be orange.
Another effective way: put a stone on your eyelid; if it stays cold for a long time, then it is natural. The fake quickly heats up from the temperature of the human body.
Synthetic minerals are more susceptible to mechanical stress and a straight stripe with shine will be clearly visible on them. On a natural ruby, the damage will have a slightly noticeable matte line in a zigzag shape.

Where can you buy stylish ruby jewelry?

Jewelry stores offer products with top quality rubies. Buying accessories with rubies means touching something beautiful, because these stones are created for bright personalities who love to be the center of attention. And you can purchase fashionable, original and luxurious products on the website of the Golden Standard jewelry hypermarket. The Gold Standard online catalog offers a good selection of earrings, pendants and rings with rubies set in gold. Our catalog contains a wide range of products from well-known manufacturers. So you can easily buy exactly what you need for the wow effect in your look!

Ruby is one of mankind’s favorite stones. Jewelry connoisseurs know that purchasing this stone does not represent a single investment. The natural gem sparkles like a diamond in bright light and shows various shades: from dark red to purple.

To ensure that your purchase does not become a disappointment, you need to ensure the authenticity of the stone. This article will help you with this.

ruby properties

To be able to distinguish natural rubies from synthetic stones and imitations, you need to understand a little about the physical and chemical properties of the red gem.

Firstly, the hardness of a ruby is 9 on the Mohs scale, which is almost the same as the hardness of a diamond. This means that rubies are very durable stones that remain intact after being dropped or hit and are not susceptible to scratches or chips.

Secondly, the chemical structure of the gem produces unusually smooth edges during the cutting process – the processed gem will not receive depressions and convolutions.

Thirdly, natural specimens, as a rule, contain a number of impurities that slightly reduce the transparency of the stone. Flawless specimens of incredible purity can most often be found at auctions; they are rarely sold in ordinary jewelry stores. The jewelry house Maxim Demidov is an exception; in our catalog you will find jewelry with rubies of exceptional quality.

Synthetic rubies

Densely colored, crystal clear – such rubies are very expensive, often more expensive than diamonds. Synthetic specimens have the properties of the best nuggets, but cost tens of times less.

The low cost of artificial stones is associated with their reserves – new gems are synthesized in laboratories literally every day. Therefore, there can be no question of any uniqueness or investment value here.

Artificial rubies flooded the jewelry market at the beginning of the last century, when Verneuil’s laboratory presented the first samples of synthetic red gems. Therefore, some of these stones may be more than 100 years old, because they were distributed in the countries of the East and exchanged for real rubies by employees of the Verneuil laboratory. For this reason, tourists should be especially careful when purchasing supposedly natural gems at a low price.

Imitation rubies

Sometimes more common or cheaper minerals are passed off as rubies. The following stones are similar in appearance to rubies:

pomegranate – this stone is very close in color and brightness to ruby, but its brilliance falls far short of corundum. If you hold a garnet up to the light, it will not sparkle as beautifully as rubies do.

External similarity between ruby and garnet

tourmaline – this stone comes in different colors, including red varieties that can pass for a ruby. Sometimes gems can only be distinguished in a laboratory under ultraviolet light: tourmaline will turn orange, while ruby will remain red.

External similarity between ruby and tourmaline

red glass – painting glass a ruby color is not difficult, but it is impossible to fake the play of light, and besides, the glass will quickly give itself away due to the fragility of the material; scratches and chips will quickly form on it.
glass + ruby – such a combination is also possible, its image on the screen of mixing glass with mineral residues after processing rubies. Only specialists can identify such a fake, since in appearance it is very similar to the original.

Mixing ruby with glass is a fairly common practice. Sometimes stones are simply refined using a glass composition, when cracks in the mineral are filled with lead glass – in this case, the result is a specimen, although of low quality, but still natural. If you install too much glass, then it becomes unclear what predominates in the manufacturers: ruby or additives. It’s good that in this case the gem is very cheap – around $30 per carat – so identifying the imitation will not be difficult.

How to distinguish a ruby from synthetics, imitations and fakes

There are several ways to check the authenticity of a stone. Some of these methods are used at home, the other part – in the laboratory.

The easiest way is to pour some water into a transparent glass container and immerse the stone in it. If it glows with red rays, it means the gem is real.
The next technique is to hold the stone up to the light. A natural ruby, like a diamond, will sparkle with hundreds of shimmers. In this case, the side to which the lighting is directed will glow with a dark red light, while the opposite side will glow with a pale and dull light.
You can check the stone using a regular magnifying glass. If you see ordered inclusions inside the mineral, then you are probably looking at a true ruby. This method is especially good for recognizing synthetics.
For synthetic origin of the stone, it can be tested under ultraviolet light. Natural rubies do not change color, but synthetic rubies take on an orange tint.
Many people notice that natural gems remain cool for a long time when held in their hands. Artificial stones or glass very quickly absorb the heat of the human body.
Most fakes are lighter than natural stones. The high hardness of rubies also affects their weight – these stones feel quite heavy. If jewelry with a red gem seems too light to you, this is a reason to think about its authenticity.

So that you can be sure of the quality and quality of the stones you purchase, pay attention to the documents and tags attached to the jewelry – there should be a note about the composition and origin of the stone.

All jewelry from Maxim Demidov undergoes a special examination by expert gemologists in production, confirming its authenticity and origin.

The rubies in Maxim Demidov’s jewelry are created by nature itself and processed by brilliant craftsmen. With rubies decorations! You can evaluate in our catalog right now.