Ruby or Red Garnet

Ruby or Red Garnet: Quick Tips To Choose.

Ruby and Red Garnet are both red gemstones. They are visually quite similar. As such, an untrained is quite likely to get confused between the two. And you wouldn’t want to buy a garnet thinking it to be Ruby. The latter is a highly expensive precious stone while the former is a relatively less expensive semi-precious one.

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The regal red Ruby rules the roost in the gem kingdom. It forms the quartet of topmost precious gemstones alongwith diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. Not everyone has pockets deep enough to afford a ruby. Happily, mother nature has provided us with alternative red gemstones that are visually similar but much less expensive. Red Garnet is on such gemstone.

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Ruby or Red Garnet look identical. Even so, you should know the pros and cons of each to make an informed choice. Here is a tabulated comparative analysis of the two stones for your read-through.

Ruby or Red Garnet: A tabulated comparison of the two gemstones.

 

is immensely prized. But purplish or bluish secondary hues are also often seen.

Attribute	Ruby	Garnet
Color	Rubies with vivid red colors are the most precious. Particularly, the Pigeon blood color	There are more than twenty garnet categories, called species. Out of these, the almandine-pyrope blend displays the dark red color commonly associated with garnets. However, when kept side by side ruby will look ‘more red’. A garnet will simply pale in comparison with ruby.
Hardness	A gemstone’s hardness is a good yardstick to know how well it will resist scratches and scuffs. Ruby measures 9 on Mohs scale. It is a robust gemstone remarkably resilient to damage.	Hardness ranges from 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. It is surely not as sturdy as a ruby.
Clarity	Inclusions are fairly common.	Red strain of garnets is typically eye-clean. These are free of inclusions visible to the naked eye.
Clarity	Inclusions and flaws are commonplace in sapphire. They are a testimony to the natural formation process deep inside earth.	Most tanzanites are eye clean, i.e. they usually do not have flaws visible to the naked eye.
Rarity	Superior quality rubies in larger sizes weighing more than one carat are exceptionally rare and valuable.	Red garnets are abundant in nature.
Associated Metaphysical Powers	Ruby is believed to impart clarity, wisdom and motivation. It is thought to protect the wearer from psychic and physical attacks. Soldiers in ancient Burma inserted rubies into their skin that they believed would save them from fatal wounds in the battlefields.	A garnet is thought to bring success to one’s business, cure depression and to boost self-esteem. It is believed to exhilarate the soul, heart, and blood.
Treatments	Virtually all ruby gemstones are heat treated to enhance color & to improve clarity.	Almost all gemstone garnets are completely natural and untreated.
Affordability	First rate rubies are among the priciest gems you could buy.	Garnets are semi-precious and definitely not as expensive as ruby.

 

Though garnet and ruby appear to be similar, their properties are considerably different. And that is the rationale behind bringing out the above comparison. Case in point being that ruby is exceptionally hard gemstone and can be used in engagement rings and wedding bands without bothering too much about knocks and bumps. Using Garnet will require additional care.

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Red garnets have a natural color and do not need to be treated. Your gem is 100% percent natural. Rubies, on the other hand have to be heat treated to bring out their best color. A ruby is very expensive. Garnets are more affordable.

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Here are a couple of tips to differentiate between a rub and garnet visually. Check the color of the gem meticulously. If it shows traces of orange or other earthy tinges, it is probably garnet. Rubies are blessed with a vivid red color. And yet they can also be endowed with bluish or purplish secondary colorants.

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You can also hold the stone in bright light. Turn the stone till the light emitted from the stone casts a rainbow. If yellow and green bands also visible in the color-spectrum, the stone in all likelihood is not a ruby. Rubies absorb yellow and green elements in the spectrum. As such, yellows and green should not appear in the resulting rainbow. Garnets though, flash small bands of yellow and green.

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The best way is to get a certificate from a reputed Gemological institute.

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Or See More Similar Looking Gemstones As Follows:

 

Similar Looking Gemstones

Blue Sapphire or Tanzanite	Orange Sapphire or Citrine
Ruby or Pink Sapphire	Yellow Diamond and Yellow Sapphire