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Rubies have been treasured for millennia for their incredible deep red color. Rubies and sapphires are two varieties of the same mineral species, corundum. The sapphire variety encompasses all sapphire colors including blue, yellow, green, purple, pink and a multitude of colors in between. The ruby variety only encompasses red corundum. The dividing line between what constitutes a ruby or a pink sapphire is a thin one. If a corundum gemstone is highly saturated, it would be considered a ruby. But, if the saturation is not quite as strong, it could fall within the pink sapphire category. There’s something magical about the radiating color of a ruby, and it’s no wonder that rubies are the most expensive of all corundum colors.
Both rubies and sapphires derive their colors from specific minerals within their chemical makeup. Corundum is an aluminum oxide, meaning aluminium and oxygen are the essential components to create a corundum crystal. Pure corundum is clear, and creates a white sapphire. When tiny amounts of other minerals called trace elements are also present, they produce different colors. Iron is responsible for the widest range of colors in corundum. Iron creates yellow sapphires and titanium and iron create blue sapphires.
Trace amounts of vanadium or chromium create the red of a ruby. In addition to their vivid red hue, some chromium rich rubies have the ability to fluoresce under longwave UV radiation. This response can also be a clue to a ruby’s origin, as chromium rich rubies often form in marble deposits in Burma, a historic source for high quality gemstones. If you’re searching for a ruby, color is usually the most important factor to consider. More leeway is given for variations in cut and clarity because highly saturated rubies are so hard to come by.
