Red, the color of love, passion, fire, strength, and invincibility has been coveted, collected and carried since neolithic times. However, because natural red precious and semiprecious stones are most rare of all colored gems, quality red jewels suitable for daily wear jewelry can be pricey and hard to find.
It is said that ruby, spinel and tourmaline are the only gems that naturally occur in true red. Some garnets may appear red as well. All are well-suited for jewelry.
Natural Ruby Reigns as Top Red Jewel
Called the King of Gems, throughout history ruby has been most desirable of all red jewels. No other gem presents more pure, saturated, intense, red color combined with transparency, luster, hardness and beauty. It’s extremely durable and rates 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. However, it’s not impervious to fracture.
Finest ruby will be highly saturate red to bluish red with pure red fluorescence. Top stones will “glow” rich, vibrant red.
Collectors prefer natural, untreated ruby that may or may not show internal rutile needles called “silk.” Also, ruby is acceptable after heat treatments that improve clarity, transparency and color. All treatments should be disclosed, and may greatly affect price. Rubies filled in any way are undesirable.
Ruby mined from Myanmar (Burma) are most coveted, especially gems featuring the bluish-red color “pigeon blood red.” Accessibility, mining conditions, law and politics, have made Burmese ruby difficult to source and purchase. Any material over two carats is extremely rare. Fine ruby may cost thousands per carat.
Red Spinel is Ruby Lookalike and Wonderful Gemstone for Jewelry
Red spinel is one of the most scarce and underrated gemstones. Once commonly referred to as Balas Ruby, and for centuries mistaken as ruby – even appearing in crown jewels as “ruby” – red spinel is actually more rare than ruby.
Without question, red spinel is an outstanding gemstone. Featuring a similar makeup and visual appeal to ruby, spinel possesses an intermediate to high refractive index, shows good dispersion, and is highly durable. Hardness for spinel is Mohs 8.
Both ruby and spinel are known for superior luster. Experts love the fact that red spinel can appear more brilliant and transparent than ruby. The best spinel may glow. Spinel is not heated or treated, and material in large sizes is a gem rarity.
One of the most distinctive differences between ruby and spinel is that ruby is doubly refractive and is dichroic, meaning one may see two different colors in the stone when the gem is viewed from two different angles (red and deep pink, for example). On the other hand, spinel is one of a few singly refractive gems and has no pleochroism, so the gem’s color appears the same throughout the stone no matter how it is viewed.
In addition to misunderstanding regarding the likeness to ruby, spinel’s reputation suffered another blow during more-recent history when synthetic spinel was developed and marketed as an inexpensive stone. However, natural spinel’s identity crisis brings a silver lining to savvy buyers because prices for natural spinel are a fraction of prices for ruby. Some of the most coveted spinel is mined in Myanmar (Burma).
Rare Rubellite Makes Excellent Big Red Gem
Red tourmaline known as rubellite is even more rare than ruby and spinel. If you like big, hot, red stones, then red tourmaline rubellite is an excellent choice.
Gem rubellite comes in many subtleties of color and tone, however, the best appears as intense ruby-red, perhaps a bit pinker in shade than ruby or red spinel. Highly saturate, intense, pure red color is most valued.
Rubellite shows constant, intense color in both natural and artificial light. Other red and deep pink tourmalines will appear less clear and show a brownish tint in artificial light. Rubellite is doubly refractive and shows strong pleochroism.
Also, rubellite naturally tends to show eye-visible inclusions. In the best stones, inclusions do not detract from the gem’s beauty. Cleanest specimens are most prized.
Tourmaline crystals may reach up to three feet in length, so it is possible to find large gems. However, big, impressive stones are quite scarce and pricey. The Mohs rating for rubellite is 7.5. Questionable tourmaline treatments are becoming more prevalent; buyers should consult a trusted expert to ensure natural gemstones.
Beautiful Red Garnet is Budget Friendly
Rated Mohs 7-7.5, red garnets are relatively tough. However, direct impact and high temperature changes should be avoided. Prices for red garnet may be as little as $10 to $50 per carat and do not reflect the beauty and durability of these singly refractive gems.
Many ancient jewelry pieces are made from garnet. Also, garnet was popular during Victorian times and antique jewelry is collectible.
Red garnet is often a combination of two garnet varieties, such as pyrope and almandine. Pyrope/almandine garnets have colors from orange-red to purplish red; rhodolite garnet is one example of pyrope/almandine.
Dark, blood-red pyrope is a distinctive and attractive gem that is usually free of inclusions. Nicknames for pyrope include American Ruby, Bohemian Ruby, Cape Ruby and Montana Ruby. Almandine garnet may be deep red, or reddish-brown. Sometimes called Almandine Ruby, almandine is often too dark on its own to make attractive jewelry. Another extraordinary reddish garnet is the small, fiery, anthill garnet.
Claire Eddins - Writer/editor, award-winning photographer Claire Eddins collects gems, horses, and obsesses over home, art, and design.
