Your ultimate guide to buying rubies this festive season

Since ancient times, rubies are widely believed to hold the power of life. Rarer than white diamonds, the coveted stones are thought to represent the redness of the blood that flows through our veins. In Hindu mythology—the earliest written accounts of the ruby or “Ratnaraj” (meaning “king of the gemstones” in ancient Sanskrit), the stone is referred to as the “sun new risen”. The deep red hues of the precious stone are also known to attract some of the highest bidders in the jewellery industry. Whether you’re eyeing a pair of red stone earrings to go with a black cocktail dress, or a ruby embedded choker to go with that saree, it’s important to know which qualities to look for while picking your perfect piece. And there couldn’t be a better time, than the festive season.

Read ahead as Vogue sits down with experts from Gemfields to give you a comprehensive guide on how to choose the perfect stone.

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Colour: When it comes to rubies, the intensity of the red colour is the crowning factor in determining the value of the stone. The ideal ruby displays an intense, rich crimson without being too light or too dark.

Evenness:  Rubies tend to have vast variations in their colour. From purple-red to an orangey-red, no two rubies are exactly the same hue. As with all gemstones, you can spot a good quality stone on the basis of the distribution of colour. The red hues should be constant throughout the gemstone. “If you’re looking for evenness of colour with good saturation, tilt the stone in all directions as sometimes the colour can look vacant along some angles. Also if possible, view the stone in daylight so you don’t get a surprise when you take the stone away from the light-source at the shop. Rubies sometimes have a strong chromium content which means that when you view the ruby in a yellow/incandescent light it will really look like it is glowing.

The cut of the stone is also important, for this will also make the ruby come alive. Coloured gemstones often have inclusions (natural features) within the stone and these are part of its DNA. Basically, rarity means value: the clearer the stone along with good colour, the rarer the stone will be, but do not worry about the inclusions as these are what make your ruby unique, as you will never get two stones looking the same.

Lastly, rubies can be heat-treated, which is perfectly acceptable, but you should ask for disclosure about all treatments. If it is a significant gemstone you are purchasing, then there must be transparency on treatments of any kind, so it must be accompanied by a certificate from a recognized, independent gemmological laboratory,” says Joanna Hardy—Author & jewellery specialist.

Origin: Rubies from different origins often have distinctive hues. Mozambique, in southern Africa is best known for its production of all known colour ranges, including the rarest fluorescent reds. In a short period of time, this region has become the world’s most important deposit of rubies.

Clarity: Clarity is one of the most important things to look for, as a ruby with perfect clarity is incredibly rare. The rule is to look for stones that are eye-clean, which means, no impurities should be visible to the naked eye. In some cases, extremely fine silk distributed lightly throughout the stone, can even enhance the beauty of the precious gemstones. For example, when it comes to star rubies, a certain amount of silk is necessary to create the star effect.

Shape: With faceted rubies, ovals and cushions are most common, but rounded shapes are also seen. The stones come in other shapes such as the heart or emerald-cut as well. Customers pay light premiums for round stones; this is because the shape of the rough rock typically determines what will produce the biggest piece.