What is a ruby?
Ruby is the most valuable variety of the corundum mineral species, which also includes sapphire. Rubies can command the highest per-carat price of any colored stone. This makes ruby one of the most important gems in the colored stone market.
Your ruby could be sitting in an heirloom ring or an anniversary necklace or you can have a matching pair set in beautiful earrings.
The value of the ruby is based on a few different traits and each trait will have an impact on its monetary value.
The 5 main traits are:
The origin of the ruby. The color of the ruby. The size of the ruby. The treatment of the ruby. The clarity of the ruby.
In this article, we will discuss why the origin of your ruby is so important to the value.
Myanmar rubies are the most famous, also referred to as Burma rubies, they come from Mogok and Mong Hsu. The mines are thousands of years old and their historical significance is a contributing factor as well. The way the rubies are formed in these specific regions influences the other traits that make rubies so valuable. The color, the clarity, the luster, everything that goes into making a ruby the beautiful gem that is, has to do with the way it is formed.
Outside of Burma, here are the other locations rubies can be from Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam.
The most valuable ruby ever sold was auctioned at $30,335,698 at Sothebys. It was named Sunrise Ruby and was 25.59 carats. It was Cartier’s most expensive gemstone and sold for an average of $1.2 million per carat. One of the most important determining factors was that it was from Burma. While it had amazing qualities, those qualities were emphasized by the fact it came from Burma.
The origin of a ruby is very important in establishing its value. You need to have a reputable laboratory certify its origin. Before sending it off to the laboratory you should have a gemologist evaluate the stone as there is a cost to send it to the laboratory.