Many people don’t know the value of uncut rubies, so when buying them, they either pay way over the amount they are worth or get a gem worth something and don’t know yet. However, these priceless colored stones have a long history. In addition to being treasured by European royalty, they were worn by ancient Burmese soldiers during battle, according to ancient texts.
Uncut rubies have great value worldwide but can hold little value in some places. They can go for as little as $1 per carat in some countries and, in others, over $100,000 per carat. The condition and size of the uncut ruby also play a significant role in the value.
Rubies are some of the most priceless gems and also the most beautiful. Many people buy uncut rubies and send them to be shaped to their liking and put into their jewels. However, when you purchase uncut rubies, ensure a few things before buying so you don’t end up with damaged gems or fake ones.
What Is A Uncut Ruby Worth?
The price of an uncut ruby varies a lot from the standard faceted forms. The value of an uncut ruby also depends very much on the quality of the stone itself. The different types of rubies play a role in the value as well. Generally speaking, your different types of rubies will have different prices. For example, the star ruby is not worth $1 a carat, typically in its uncut form.
The more rare the ruby is, the higher the price will be and the value. Although when you buy any uncut gems, it is a huge gamble given that each ruby is unique and has a range of inclusions, colors, and cutting.
The Burma ruby is the rarest and most valuable ruby in the corundum family. The color ranges from pink, and red ruby to a vivid blood red, the most pleasing color for a ruby. Like any other gemstone, they vary in value depending on their size and quality. In the market, a Burmese ruby with few inclusions and a deep red hue can easily fetch $1,400 to $1,600 per carat, even more.
How To Identify A Real Uncut Ruby
When a ruby is uncut and raw, it’s much easier to tell if it’s real or fake. You can tell a few ways as a ruby grows in a flat and hexagonal shape. If the uncut gem demonstrates this trait of spontaneous development, together with some of its host rock, it’s most likely a genuine uncut ruby. Rubies are also rather hefty in weight, so that is a way to tell.
You shouldn’t just go on the shape of the ruby, as they don’t always grow this way. Rubies also form in a super-heated slurry of various elements making inclusions and weirdly shaped rough gems very common. Rubies can also appear as water-worn pebbles in areas like Sri Lanka, making it impossible to distinguish them from one another by their original crystal form.
Rubies can also be weathered down and broken up over time, appearing shallow in this form. Unfortunately, at this time, only personal experience and general training can help with precise gem identification. Thankfully, there are alternative methods for examining the gems.
Additional Ways To Identify Real Uncut Rubies
Another way to tell if your uncut ruby is genuine is to try and look at inclusions, the stuff that forms inside the ruby. They frequently have crystals, and silk and fingerprints are exceptionally typical. The crystal surface is often hazy, making it challenging to gaze inside with the usage of a loupe. Cutters regularly do this to decide how they want to cut diamonds and other gemstones.
The following way to tell is the streak test, which is not carried out on faceted rubies since it damages the polish. However, you can do this test on any uncut gem as it doesn’t cause any damage to them. In addition, this test only works on a gemstone with a hardness of 6 or lower. It also involves dragging the gems across an unglazed porcelain plate.
When you scratch a cut ruby on a black or white plate, the color of the ruby reveals in the resulting streak. However, If an uncut ruby leaves any stripe on this surface not made by parts of the rock material that are still connected, then the stone is not a ruby. Since natural rubies have a hardness of 9, the plate will only reveal its striped pattern when scraped with a substance of hardness of six or below.
Value Of Uncut Rubies In Different Continents
Every country has a different price for rubies, and all have other values. So while rubies may be precious on some continents, you may find one or two where they don’t hold that much value. There are many places to find rubies, but rubies are generally more challenging than diamonds.
- Pakistan – the average price of ruby in Pakistan is around $3,45 for a low-grade stone and $58,74 for a higher-grade stone
- Madagascar – most recently, the average value of a ruby in Madagascar begins at $240 a carat and gets as high as $3100 per carat.
- United States – a ruby can go for as little as $1 a carat in the United States. However, rubies can get as high as $100,000+ per carat. It depends on the 4 Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat)
- Mozambique – on average, the value of rubies begins at $315 a carat to approximately $1400 per carat.
Most Valuable And Famous Rubies In The World
Since ancient times, rubies have amazed people because of their magnificent crimson color and majestical origins. However, some stand out more than your average ruby, and people will pay a hefty price. These rubies are some of the most valuable worldwide and have the most exquisite appearance.
- Queen Victoria’s ruby and diamond brooch – Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain treasured this particular ruby. In her journal, they say that the brooch was given to her by Prince Albert in 1849. The ruby inside the brooch weighs 4,5 carats and originates from Burma
- Cartier The Sunrise ruby – This particular ruby is extremely rare and has a diamond ring weighing 25.59 carats. The ring fetched a price of $30.3 million in 2015. It holds three world records: the most costly gemstone ever sold by Cartier, the highest auction price ever paid for a ruby, and the highest price paid per carat ever for a ruby ($1.2 million per carat)
- The Dupont ruby – Emeralds, diamonds, and natural pearls accompany this brooch. The brooch mounts a hefty 18K gold and platinum. The stone itself is 11.2 carats and sold to a prince at an auction for around $8.9 million.
Conclusion
When you don’t know if your uncut ruby is worth anything or if your ruby is genuine, it will be best to take it to a specialist like a trusted jeweler or a gemologist. The value of your rubies depends on your color and clarity. The total carat of your ruby also plays a significant role, if not the greatest one. The value of rubies differs worldwide, and you will pay different prices depending on where you decide you want to buy.
