Assessing the Color of a Ruby Gemstone

Every ruby gemstone can be said to have its own unique personality. This is because each ruby gemstone has its own individual red or pink hue. The color of the stone is dependent on many factors including where it is from and also how many fractures, bubbles or inclusions that that in the crystal. It is actually these flaws in rubies that give them their sparkle.

The most famous source of fine rubies is Burma, which is now called Myanmar. There is evidence that these rubies have been mined since the Stone Age. The rubies from this mine produce rubies of two colors: a bloody looking true red and a vivid fuchsia pink. When shopping for a ruby gemstone, hold it up to the light. If it seems to have a strong fluorescence when you hold it up to the light then it is likely to be a ruby gemstone from Burma.

Quality rubies are also mined in Thailand. These rubies tend to be a darker red that in the most intense specimens can be burgundy or even chocolate brown in appearance. If you hold up a ruby to the light and it seems to have a black flash or reflection to it then you are likely looking at ruby gemstone from Thailand.

Sri Lanka is also an important source of rubies in the world. It is home to a once famous mine that produced millions of bright raspberry pink rubies. This mine is fairly dry of stones now so it is likely that if you find a stone with this bright hue that it is a used stone from the days when Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon.

Occasionally a few fine top-quality rubies appear on the market from Pakistan or Afghanistan however these rubies are idiopathic in their identification and do not come in any one color.

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