9 Ways to Tell if ruby is Real

In the current market, colorless or light-colored corundum is sometimes dyed to imitate ruby. Low-quality ruby may also undergo glass filling to enhance appearance. There is nothing wrong with buying treated stones as long as you understand what you're purchasing and pay an appropriate price, as such treated stones are significantly cheaper than natural ruby. Another point to note is that the current market is flooded with numerous lab-created ruby gemstones. Although they are still considered genuine, sharing the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural ones, they typically cost much less than natural ones. Materials such as Glass, Cubic Zirconia, Pyrope Garnet, Elbaite, and plastic are occasionally mislabeled as ruby. It's wise to purchase from reputable retailers and, if feasible, request a certificate from a gem testing laboratory. Here are some handy tips to help you initially discern the authenticity of ruby.

When purchasing Ruby gemstones, be wary of strange names like "Bohemian Ruby," "Hyacinth Ruby," "Montana Ruby," etc. These names are not associated with genuine Ruby gemstones. Moreover, the "Honeycomb Ruby" available in the market is, in fact, a lab-created ruby. This synthetic ruby is produced by superheating aluminum oxide and chromium oxide, typically displaying a distinctive honeycomb-like appearance.

Real: Natural Ruby gemstones typically display pinkish to deep red, with occasional hints of purple tones.

Fake: Common Ruby imitations such as garnet, tourmaline, cubic zirconia, red glass, and red plastic may sometimes exhibit an orange or yellow hue.

Real: Natural Ruby gemstones that are free of visible inclusions are exceptionally rare; nearly all Ruby gemstones available in the market contain inclusions like rutile needles or internal fissures, impacting their transparency.

Fake: If you purchase a "Ruby" that is flawless and completely transparent, it is unlikely to be a natural Ruby but rather more likely to be a lab-created ruby, red cubic zirconia, red glass, red plastic, or other synthetic materials. Sometimes gas bubbles may be observed in glass-made fakes and glass-filled rubies.

Natural Ruby gemstones typically cost over $1,000 USD per carat, meaning that purchasing a medium-quality Ruby the size of a red bean would cost thousands of dollars. If the price of a Ruby seems too good to be true, it is more likely to be a lab-created ruby or an imitation made from other materials.

Natural Ruby gemstones are rarely found in large sizes. The natural Ruby gemstones available in the market are usually below 5 carats, which means their size is typically smaller than ordinary coffee beans. If a Ruby is both large and flawless, it is more likely to be a lab-created ruby or an imitation made from other materials.

Real: The hardness of Ruby is 9, second only to diamond, making Ruby harder than most materials encountered in daily life. Ruby can easily scratch glass and even common stones like amethyst and agate.

Fake: The hardness of red garnet and red tourmaline is similar to that of amethyst and agate. While they can easily scratch glass, they cannot easily scratch amethyst and agate. Red glass and red plastic have even lower hardness and cannot scratch glass.

Natural: Rubbing the natural Ruby with nail polish remover (acetone/ethyl alcohol) won't cause the gemstone to fade.

Dyed: Swabbing the dyed stone with a Q-tip and some nail polish remover (acetone/ethyl alcohol) might cause it to fade.

Real: When illuminated with UV black light in a dark environment, real Ruby typically emits red fluorescence.

Fake: When illuminated with UV black light in a dark environment, if the gemstone does not fluoresce or fluoresces in colors other than expected, it could be a sign of a counterfeit.

Under reflected light, inspect the surface luster of the Ruby. If you detect material along cavities or fractures with a different luster than the surrounding area, the Ruby might have undergone glass filling to enhance clarity. Glass-filled ruby, sometimes referred to as "Composite Ruby," is typically priced lower than natural Ruby, ranging from $150 to $400 USD per carat.