Rubies and sapphires are rival emeralds in their popularity and stunning colors, and are widely synthesized – but which is more expensive?
Though rubies and sapphires are variations of the same mineral, natural rubies are far rarer than natural sapphires and considerably more expensive. However, both gems are widely synthesized and quality synthetics of both can be bought for under $500.
Learn more about the composition of rubies and sapphires, and how much these rare gems are worth.
What are rubies and sapphires?
Both rubies and sapphires are variations of the same mineral, corundum. Red corundums are rubies, and blue corundums are sapphires; they have the same chemical composition.
Impurities in the mineral cause it to take on different colors.
The red color of rubies is caused by the presence of chromium. The blue color of sapphires is caused by iron and titanium.
A colorless corundum is known as a white sapphire, and of any other color (such as yellow, orange, or green) are known as ‘fancy sapphires.’
Rubies range from a pale orange-pink color to a dark purplish-red – the most desirable colors are those from vibrant to dark red, and these are more expensive.
Sapphires range from a pale watery blue color to a rich violet-blue hue, with these darker more intensely colored stones being the most desirable.
Although corundum by any color other than blue or red is known as a ‘–sapphire’ the color it is is used as a prefix to the word sapphire – used alone, sapphire refers only to blue corundum.
How valuable are rubies and sapphires?
Few pieces of natural corundum have the color or clarity required to create a nice faceted stone, and many are treated by heating or fracture-filling to improve their quality.
Rubies and sapphires are both very popular gems, but sapphires are worth around $460 million dollars in imports a year in the USA gem industry, outstripping all other gems but emeralds.
Rubies do not make up such a large proportion of the industry, but on an individual basis, rubies are far more valuable than sapphires.
Resources of naturally formed sapphires were diminishing when a process called lattice diffusion was discovered which made it easy to create blue sapphires from worthless corundum.
The value of this type of sapphire is less than that of natural sapphires, but they are still popular, and there are many on the market.
Natural gem-quality rubies are rarer than diamonds, while blue sapphire is the most common form of gem grade corundum.
Natural small sapphires of gem quality are relatively abundant and are considerably less valuable than comparable rubies of 1-3 carats.
Rubies are some of the most valuable stones on the market, with record prices reaching upwards of $1,000,000 per carat, while a carat of the finest sapphire could reach $11,000 per carat.
This makes rubies more valuable than comparably sized diamonds, and they are rarer.
How expensive are synthetic rubies and sapphires?
Rubies and sapphires have been extremely popular stones for millennia, and natural resources have been heavily exploited, but there is still a high demand.
As both rubies and sapphires are birthstones, they are a popular choice for gifts, but as they are expensive there is a large market for affordable rubies and sapphires.
Because of this demand, labs that can reliably produce synthetic rubies and sapphires have an important place in the gemstone market.
Synthetic ruby and sapphire jewelry found on sale in many mall-name jewelry stores can be found within the $100-$500 range, considerably cheaper than the natural alternative.
Synthetic corundum has exceptional color and clarity and is very attractive and excellent for use in jewelry.
In fact, compared to the varied clarity and color of natural stones, many shoppers opt for the comparative brilliance of synthetic stones as they are cheaper and appear more attractive.
The difference in price between synthetic and natural stones will only increase as time goes on because natural stones are an ever decreasing finite resource.
Are rubies or sapphires more expensive?
Both rubies and sapphires are variations of the same mineral, corundum, but rubies are significantly rarer than sapphires and therefore much more expensive.
High-quality natural rubies have reached record prices of $1,000,000 per carat, while the finest sapphires reach $11,000 per carat.
Due to their popularity, both rubies and sapphires are widely synthesized, and high quality synthesized gems can be reliably produced.
These synthetic rubies and sapphires are similarly priced, costing between $100 and $500 from most well-known jewelry stores.