Fine Ruby Gem Stones for sale.

Ruby is the second hardest mineral after Diamond, and together with Sapphire (also a variety of corundum) it is the hardest colored gemstone. This means that it is usually safe to clean your ruby in an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner. However, occasionally, some rubies are oiled to enhance their appearance and these stones should not be cleaned this way. So check with your jeweler that your ruby is not oiled before submitting to having it cleaned in one of these machines. For everyday cleaning simply use some warm soapy water and a toothbrush. It is very effective.

GEM SPECIES : CORUNDUM

REFRACTIVE INDEX : 1.76

HARDNESS (MOHS SCALE) : 9

TOUGHNESS : EXCELLENT

STABILITY TO LIGHT : STABLE

BIRTHSTONE : JULY, CAPRICORN

Timeless....

The earliest source for ruby is in Sri Lanka. Mining began in Buddha’s time (624-544 B.C.) near Ratnapura, which is Sinhalese for “City of Gems.” --Burma: The range of colors in Burmese rubies start from vibrant pink red through orange red, from the deep “pigeon’s blood” red, to purple-red.

The world’s finest rubies come from the Mogok valley of Upper Burma. Within the last five years, a big new find of new rough material was unearthed in Mong Hsu, which depends on heat treatment to bring its beautiful red color. Even though the treated stones can compare in beauty to the natural ones, the untreated Mogok stones remain the most prized. There are certain internal characteristics, namely silk, which soften and “hold” the color in a unique and beautiful way. --Thai: These are the deepest red of all the rubies, sometimes bordering on black. Unheat treated stones exhibit a large proportion of purple which the heat-treatment process eliminates.

Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa also produce some very nice ruby with a purple cast. Although not in the league of Burmese ruby, the stones from East Africa command a far lower price bracket which make nice stones available to more people. Lapigems Gem Company owned and operated a ruby mine in Kenya for a number of years that produced some very nice ruby. See our History Timeline

See our Private Ruby Gem Stone Collection!

After diamond, ruby is the hardest mineral. Color quality is the key factor in judging a ruby; while flaws diminish a gem’s value, a fine-colored ruby is considered of high quality even if a minor flaw exists; the purest red is the ideal, with no secondary colors of purple or brown, Large rubies are even more rare than large diamonds, so the value of ruby, more so than other gems, increases with weight. Good quality Burmese ruby of 1 carat sizes plus are typically in the range of US$1500 per carat up to US$13,500 per carat. However, you could get similar sized African rubies for US$450 per carat to US$4000 per carat.

BUY FINE RUBY GEM STONES AND BROWSE OUR PRIVATE RUBY COLLECTION

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Lapigems Gem Company is a member of / staff hold qualifications from the following leading Gemological Organizations