The Perfect Stone

First, buy from a respected dealer or jeweller. If you’re not sure where to start, ask around for suggestions. Word-of-mouth is usually an excellent way to get helpful, targeted suggestions, especially from like-minded friends or family member

Once you’ve found a seller you’re comfortable with and a gemstone you like, look closely at it.
Take your time and don’t be afraid to get hands-on. Pick it up, turn it around, tilt it this way and that. Ask for a loupe to peer inside. Don’t forget to handle the gemstone with ultimate care and avoid dropping the stone.
Always use a tray when handling gemstones, and always ask your jeweller if your gemstone has been treated. Treatments can have a significant bearing not only on a gemstone's value, but also on how it should be set and taken care of.

Colour can have a dramatic impact on price — making it a defining gem characteristic — and is described in terms of hue, saturation and tone.

Hue describes the accuracy of the principal colour and the extent to which secondary colours are present. The strength of any secondary colour typically detracts from value.

Saturation relates to the vividness, brightness or intensity of the colour. Sometimes this is described as the amount of 'life' in the gem.

Tone describes the lightness or darkness of a gem, or the degree to which white or black appears to have been mixed in with the gem's pure hue. Duller gems, involving greys and browns, are not sought after. 

Rubies vary in colour more than you might expect, from brownish-red to orangey-red to purplish-red to pinkish-red. Traditionally, the most prized rubies are a vivid crimson with a hint of blue.

As with all gemstones, the colour should be even throughout. The appreciation of colour is, of course, subjective to some extent. 

Rubies from different origins often have distinctive colours, although each deposit can have a range of hues. For instance, Mozambican rubies are often a rich red. They are comparable with the legendary “pigeon blood” rubies of Burma, which frequently command the highest price per carat of any colour gemstone.

A gemstone’s clarity has to do with the number of inclusions that it contains, the size of those inclusions and their position within the gemstone. The fewer, smaller and less conspicuous the inclusions, the better.

It is rare to find exceptional clarity even in high-quality rubies. Look instead for a gemstone with good transparency — that is, an ability to transmit light.

Of course, in a good-quality ruby there should be no “ugly” inclusions, or those that are distracting and obvious when looking directly through the top of the gemstone.

Nor should there be so many that they affect the gemstone’s ability to reflect light. If there are, the gemstone will seem dull. A ruby that is relatively free of inclusions will have lots of brilliance, life and sparkle.

Inclusions: The clarity of a gemstone is determined by the number, size and location of inclusions which are present in the gemstone. They reflect its fascinating geological aspects. Internally and externally, there may be fissures, fractures and cavities which affect clarity.

Transparency refers to the ability of a gemstone to transmit light. It is affected by the quantity or absence of opacity and brilliance present in the gemstone.

Rubies can command the highest price of any colour stone. The per-carat price of fine-quality unheated rubies has been rising consistently, many times breaking auction records.

For better-quality materials, slight differences in colour can make significant differences in value. For top-colour unheated ruby that’s also free of eye-visible inclusions, the price rises even more.

The per-carat price of rubies can also increase dramatically as size increases, especially for better-quality stones.

Cut describes the shape into which the rough gemstone has been cut and polished in a lapidary.

Cut is typically divided into faceted gems (gems with geometrically shaped flat faces) and non-faceted gems (gems with rounded surfaces, generally called cabochons).

Value is enhanced when a gemstone is well proportioned and symmetrical, has been well polished and possesses good lustre.

Rubies are classed as a nine on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, making it second only to diamonds, so the options for cutting are practically unlimited. Cushions, ovals and rounds are the most popular cuts, as they tend to make the most of the colour and size of the gemstone; hearts, marquises and baguettes less so.

If a ruby is well cut, it will not create "extinctions" (dark patches). Badly cut gemstones tend to maximise weight at the expense of brilliance. A high-quality gemstone will almost always be well cut.

Gemstones can be artificially treated to improve appearance. These treatments include filling, heating, irradiation and diffusion.

The use of heating and irradiation is harder to spot, but gemological labs are able to determine if any treatment have taken place. When a ruby is heated, typically almost to melting-point, its crystal structure is effectively reformed and its colour permanently altered.

The extent to which a ruby has been treated will affect its value. One with good natural colour and clarity will always be more valuable than one whose qualities have been artificially enhanced.

Unheated, high-quality rubies and sapphires are proven to be an excellent investment when done wisely.

A certificate is a professional evaluation of a gemstone, and it's the key to buying smartly.
A certificate is not an appraisal. Rather, it confirms the characteristics of a stone including its colour, weight and dimensions, country of origin and — most importantly — if there is any indication of thermal treatments.

Gem Research Swisslab (GRS), Gübelin Gem Lab and Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) are three recognised Swiss gem labs for colour stones.

As some labs are not as strict with their standards, for important pieces, we recommend always buying SSEF & GRS or Gübelin-certified gemstones.

Avoid jewellers or dealers who provide their own certificates. You should always ask for certificates from independent, reputable Swiss labs. If a jewellery store offers to sell you a gemstone without a certificate, it means you’re buying the piece based only on the sales person’s claim about its quality.