Large Ruby Gemstone

Affordability For A Big Ruby Gemstone

Gemstones

Should we really get into the definition about what constitutes a 'big' ruby gem. This might be an interesting debate but, here is a true fact about most precious gems. As rubies and sapphires became rarer and demand went far head of supply, gem traders started pulling down their perception of what constituted a 'big' ruby or sapphire gem. For our discussion let's define a big ruby gem as one that, has a weight of at least 3 carats.

So presume that you are looking for a ruby with the following parameters:

• Oval natural ruby gem, weight around 3-4 carats.
• Treatment, only conventional heat - not fissure filled etc.
• A gem that could come with a certificate of authentication. 
• Size approximately, 10x8mm oval.
• Origin not critical but, authenticity and treatment applied is important. 
• Price range 2,000 U.S$ to 2,500 U.S$ for the piece. 

To begin with make sure that you are not saddled with a cheap fissure filled (also known as glass filled) ruby.  This gem is not worth more than 50 U.S$ to 100 U.S$ even in the retail market, single piece category. Since your budget for this big ruby is not very much, don't splurge on a ruby just because it came from a specific origin. See the general appearance of the stone, judge the reputation of the laboratory that issued the gem authentication certificate, look around before you make a buying decision.

A big ruby with this size and weight and at this modest price range will  show visible inclusions and fissures. And if you want an explanation of what is meant by fissures, here it is. Natural gems can often have fine cracks in them, generally the lesser the cracks the better the quality of the stone - higher the price per carat too. In your case, you happen to be looking for a ruby that is fairly large but, priced very moderately. Accept fissures and inclusions but, do not go for a stone that has cracks right on the surface. Any crack in the stone that is likely to make the ruby prone to chipping and breaking, is not acceptable. This becomes all the more important if you buy the loose ruby gemstone from one vendor and need to get a jewel made with the stone, at another jeweler. Your jeweler will be scared to try and set your ruby gemstone if he or she fears that, the piece can break when being put through the setting process. This also means that, getting the ruby gem and the jewel made from the same jeweler, would be a good idea. 

Though the money that you plan to spend for your large ruby gem is not exactly extravagant, you have every right to get a gem that meets all your criteria. From our 3 decades of experience in gems and jewelry, here is something that we would like to share with you. Let's say that you need to be aware of these things when making the purchase. Natural gems that can sometimes be confused with ruby are red spinel, red rubelite (tourmaline) and even rhodonite. While a gem certification from a reputed gem lab should settle this confusion, you should be aware of these possibilities. Synthetic ruby gems are made in a factory and can sell for a maximum retail price of around 5 U.S$ to 10 U.S$ per carat. Sophisticated equipment can replicate natural rubies to a degree where only, a lab test can distinguish the stone from it's natural counterpart. 

Our price range for the ruby was 2,000 U.S$ to 2,500 U.S$ for the piece but, what if you wanted those criteria but had a budget that was slightly lower than that. Here is one recommendation that we can make, we would suggest that you go for a smooth cabochon cut ruby - one that has no facets. Keep the other criteria that we have listed above constant and this cabochon ruby, can cost you around 20% to 30% less than what a faceted ruby would. The idea of a cabochon ruby gem would also be of interest to you if you had the budget mentioned above but, were hoping to get a larger ruby in that amount. Simply put, the same amount could most likely get you a larger cabochon ruby gem. 

Another important point to keep in mind is where, to buy your large ruby from. Online gem providers if located in gem and jewelry sourcing zones, can often give you the best deals. And if you are afraid of quacks and gimmicks, there is no shortage of those both online and offline. Check the website that you plan to make a purchase from, ask questions review the quality of answers. Websites that  scream 'Buy Now', 'Express Checkout' etc are generally stage managed shows, the staff at such places do not have sufficient skill or knowledge about gems and jewelry. While we at Claddagh365 will be glad to help you, we are not the only source for big ruby gemstones in a wide range of prices. We would rather suggest that you seek advice and guidance from our experts at sales@claddagh365.com and once you have all your doubts cleared, work on picking a gem provider that makes you feel comfortable. 

Claddagh365: We provide fine custom jewelry in gold or silver with your choice of designs and gems. While we have preferential access to almost every mining center across the globe, we do not generally deal in loose gems and prefer to work with complete jewels. We will try our best to fulfill your request for loose gems but, have a better suggestion to make. Do communicate with our support team for any hard to find gem that you need, take their advice and evaluate it as per your  ideas. Armed with that valuable information, you can then begin to look for a place to buy the gemstone. We handpick and custom cut every single gem that is set in our jewelry, this does give us a wide range of gem reserves to access. If the stone that you need happens to be on our current requirement list, we will work on a price quote for you.