"Ah, why is ruby so much more expensive than sapphire?" Let's look at a real case first
In 2014, a 10.10-carat Burmese red ruby without burning pigeon sold for HK $65.08 million.
In 2015, a 10.33-carat Cashmere no-burn cornflower sapphire sold for HK $19.16 million.
To solve this puzzle, keep in mind three basic properties of gems: beauty, durability and rarity.
First look at the durability, red and blue are the same, mohs hardness is 9, crystallography characteristics, cleavage cleavage are the same. Look again beautiful.
Red, blue, green belong to the main tone, is also the most popular tone.
Everyone has a different aesthetic, some people like warm colors of red, others like cold colors of blue, when arguing about whether red or blue is beautiful, it depends more on personal preference.
Rule out beauty and durability, and you're left with scarcity.
That's right. Ruby is rarer than sapphire.
Why are Ruby more scarce?
Rubies are rarer than sapphires, not only in terms of yield, but also in terms of crystal size, for three main reasons:
● There are different color elements
As we all know, ruby is colored by the trace element Chromium Cr, sapphire is colored by iron and titanium.
There is far less chromium than iron in the earth's crust, which means rubies are less productive than sapphires.
Chromium not only determines the color of corundum gemstones, but also determines the brightness and saturation of ruby colors.
Rubies typically contain between 0.9% and 4% chromium, which varies from pink to bright red. The higher the chromium content, the purest the ruby.
It's not just the corundum family. Chrome-colored stones are prized.
The emerald of the Beryl family, for example, is endowed with an incomparable, vibrant green color and rare production, ranking among the top five precious stones, putting aquamarine of the same family in the shade.
For example, garnet family Tsavorite, also chromium element color, scarcity and value far beyond the family of magnesium aluminum garnet, iron aluminum garnet.
● The crystals are different sizes
Ruby grows in a much harsher environment than sapphire.
The growth environment of corundum is very magical, or it is very resistant to the growth space of chromium, like iron and titanium, so that the natural output of large carat sapphire; Or a preference for chromium, which is tiny enough to produce rubies with very small crystals.
Coupled with poor mining conditions, various factors lead to produce of the ruby crystal is generally small, most of finished products under one carat, more than one carat is greatly reduced, and more than 3 carat high-quality rubies, it is hard to find in the mass consumer market, more than 5 carat, the regulars of the auction above 10 carat very, very difficult to see, often refresh auctions a record.
Coupled with poor mining conditions, various factors lead to produce of the ruby crystal is generally small, most of finished products under one carat, more than one carat is greatly reduced, and more than 3 carat high-quality rubies, it is hard to find in the mass consumer market, more than 5 carat, the regulars of the auction above 10 carat very, very difficult to see, often refresh auctions a record.
Sapphire growth environment relative to ruby "tolerance" some, the output of the crystal is generally larger than ruby, the mass market 3-5 carat is relatively common, 10 carat high quality can also be selected.
● The clarity is different
Ruby fans must know "ten red nine cracks" this sentence.
It is because of the hell-like living environment of ruby that there are often a large number of solid inclusions in ruby, and some inclusions will cause cracks in ruby during its growth.
Therefore, there are few rubies with high clarity, especially Burmese pigeon red blood, cotton, crack, mineral deficiency, cream body and other defects are very common. What we pursue when buying is also "naked eye clean", so we can't be too strict with the crystal.
Overall, the yield of ruby is lower than that of sapphire, and the ruby products with high quality and large carat are even lower than that of sapphire of the same grade.
Scarcity determines that rubies are generally more expensive than sapphires.
Ruby OR Sapphire?
So when we buy, especially for investment collection, should we buy ruby or sapphire?
First of all, red sapphire and emerald are definitely the three most worthy of investment collection of color gems, with scarce output, wide audience and large increase.
If you like burning fire, brilliant morning glow, and the glowing vitality of rubies, then rubies also bring you joy, contentment, energy, and good luck.
Secondly, choose ruby or sapphire, depending on your aesthetic preference. One of the great values of gemstones is that they satisfy our aesthetic needs.
If you like the open sea, the quiet twilight, and the quiet mystery of sapphires, then sapphires also bring healing, peace, energy, and good luck.
Finally, look at your budget. Rubies are generally more expensive than sapphires, so if you're on a budget and can't reach for a high-quality ruby, sapphire is an option.
Post time: Jun-08-2022