Difference Between Red Diamond And Ruby (All You Need To Know)

Many people are not familiar with the world of diamonds and gemstones. They might know what colors and styles they like in jewelry but have little knowledge of what stones are available and their differences. If you like red stones in your jewelry, you have a choice between red diamonds and rubies. To make a good selection, you need to know the difference between the two.

Red diamonds are the rarest and most expensive diamonds worldwide. They belong to a group called fancy color diamonds and command a minimum of US $1 000 000 per carat. Rubies form from a mineral called corundum. They vary in price but are much cheaper than red diamonds.

What Are Red Diamonds And Rubies Made From?

Red diamonds develop in the same way as clear diamonds. Carbon deposits in the earth are subjected to intense pressure and high temperature. Clear diamonds are the only gemstone to be made from a single element. Other trace minerals may be included in the carbon giving rise to colored diamonds.

Most diamonds are millions of years old. They are usually found in vertical pipes of igneous rock such as kimberlite and lamproite.

The formation of a diamond may not be one continuous process. Researchers have found that diamonds may develop, and when temperatures or pressure change, their development is arrested. When conditions are right, the diamond continues developing.

Since the 195Os, scientists began growing diamonds in laboratories. They use the same process and subject carbon and a diamond seed to intense heat and pressure.

Diamond seeds are a single diamond crystal about as thick as a strand of human hair. The carbon melts around the diamond seed, forming the diamond.

Laboratory-grown diamonds are often chosen by people concerned about the ethics of diamond mining.

Rubies form from corundum, a crystalline form of an aluminum oxide containing traces of other elements; iron, chromium, vanadium, and titanium. Corundum heated to extreme temperatures can either form rubies or sapphires.

In 1837, Marc Antione Gaudin made the first synthetic rubies, and by 1903 Verneuil produced rubies that could be sold commercially. These synthetic stones were big enough to cut for use in jewelry.

What Gives Red Diamonds And Rubies Their Color?

Rubies get their color when chromium is incorporated into the corundum during the heating process. The amount of chromium determines the intensity of the color. Blood pigeon rubies have the most intense color and are considered the most desirable.

In some countries, any pink or red corundum gemstones are called rubies. In the USA, the stone must have a minimum saturation (color intensity) before it can be called a ruby.

No one is quite sure what gives red diamonds their color. There are several different theories, but none are conclusively proven. The most popular theory is that atoms glide over each other during the diamond formation causing the red color.

Red diamonds grown in a laboratory are usually produced by the addition of chemicals. The color of natural diamonds may be enhanced in the laboratory to create fancy color diamonds, including red diamonds.

How are Red Diamonds And Rubies Valued?

Diamonds are usually valued on an eleven-point system, but colored diamonds are valued differently. Red diamonds and rubies are valued on the same system, which considers the following characteristics:

Carat weight

Color is valued according to three aspects; hue, saturation, and tone. Hue refers to the color of the gemstone. In the case of red diamonds and rubies, it will be red. There are variations of red. There may be pink-red, orange-red, or purple-red.

Saturation is a term referring to the intensity of the color. Hues with minimal saturation are called pastel. Those with medium saturation are muted, and those with high saturation are vivid. Saturation can be measured on a 6-point scale.

Tone refers to the brightness or darkness of a stone. It is influenced by the degree of absorption or reflection of light. The tone is measured on a 10-point scale. 0= clear and 10 = dark.

Clarity is the number and extent of inclusions, fractures, and blemishes in the stone. These result from materials trapped in the stone and structural abnormalities that occur as the gem is forming.

Cut has more effect on the value of a diamond than it does for rubies.

How Expensive Are Red Diamonds And Rubies?

Red diamonds are extremely rare, with only a few being found yearly. Most are less than one carat in size. Their rarity escalates their worth. It is not unusual to pay one million US dollars per carat.

The largest red diamond ever found is the Moussaieff diamond which weighs 5.11 carats and has an estimated value of twenty million US dollars.

Rubies vary in price according to their evaluation in terms of cut, carat, clarity, and color. Rubies of poor quality can be a few US dollars per carat. The better the ruby, the higher the price, with jewelry quality rubies usually more than one hundred thousand US dollars per carat.

The Sunrise ruby weighs 25 carats and is valued at thirty million US dollars. It is the most expensive ruby and colored gemstone ever sold. (Red diamonds are not considered colored gemstones.) The Sunrise ruby has an intense color and is classified as a pigeon’s blood ruby, considered the most desirable color.

Which Is Harder, Red Diamonds Or Rubies?

Gemstones and other minerals are graded on their hardness according to the Mohs Hardness Scale. The scale measures the stone’s resistance to being scratched by a substance of known hardness on the scale.

Diamonds score 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, and rubies score 9. Diamonds are one of the hardest minerals or gemstones known to man. Rubies are also hard but one point less than diamonds.

The rating on the Mohs Hardness Scale is important for jewelry. Softer gemstones must be looked after more carefully as they are easily damaged. The hardness can also influence jewelry design as some protect the stone better.

Conclusion

Red diamonds and rubies may appear similar to the untrained eye. There is a big difference in how they are formed and their value. Rubies vary significantly in price, but red diamonds always command high prices.