My favorite jewelry is made of red gemstones.
Red gemstones make me
feel good, look good and always draws attention and comment. My engagement ring is has a
central Indian Star Ruby which radiates its star in the sunlight as though it
has an internal secret ready for everyone to share. There are more than 20 different
varieties of gorgeous red gemstones for you to choose from ranging from very
expensive rubies and diamonds to much more affordable semi-precious stones. As you can see from the selection of photos all make amazing engagement rings as well as pendants, earrings etc. Can you tell the difference?
Rubies
The name ruby comes from the Latin word rubeus, meaning “red
gemstones.” Like sapphires, rubies are precious stones which come from the
mineral group conundrum, the difference being that rubies are red gemstones, with
a color ranging from blood-red to pink. The depth of color in rubies is the
single most powerful factor in determining their price. The richer the color of
the red gemstones, the higher is their value. What is described as pigeon
blood-red rubies commands the higher prices.
The clarity of rubies also contributes to their value, the
clearer they are the more expensive they become. All natural rubies have some imperfections in them, including color
impurities and inclusions of rutile needles which cause a hazy effect known as
"silk". Beware though, a large number of rubies on the market have
been treated to improve their clarity and colour, but treatment does not
increase their value.
Rubies are mostly found in Asia, with Myanmar, formerly Burma, having supplied the finest
rubies for centuries. Rubies are the birthstone for July.
Star Rubies
Some natural rubies show a three-point or
six-point asterism and are known as star rubies. Star rubies are cut into
cabochons in order to show the star properly. The star is best seen under a
single-light source or in the direct sun, due to the light being reflected off
the "silk". This is an example where inclusions increase the value of
a precious gemstone
Red-Diamonds
Diamonds can occur as precious red gemstones but they are
extremely rare, in fact only a few are known to exist. Like other diamonds these exquisite red
gemstones are known for their brilliance, elegance, hardness and toughness.
they are the symbol of everlasting love as well as courage. A diamond is
considered a magical stone of great power. A pure diamond is colorless and
transparent but natural impurities give
diamonds various colors called fancy colored diamonds, the rarest being the red
gemstones which are usually quite small in size. As a general rule when the color
is rare or more intense the more valuable it becomes. Diamonds are the
birthstones for the month of April.
Padparadscha Sapphires
Although blue is their most well-known color, sapphires may
also be colorless and can be found in many colors including shades of
pink, purple, yellow, green, orange, brown as well as gray and black depending on which type of chemical impurity is present. Colored
sapphires are known as Fancy Colored Sapphires. Sapphires are made from conundum and the red gemstones of conundrum are classified as rubies. The rarest sapphires of all are natural Padparadscha sapphires which are pinkish orange in color and very valuable. Prized throughout the ages, padparadscha sapphires are as beautiful and exotic as their name. The term padparadscha is derived from the Singhalese word for a salmon colored lotus blossom. Overall, padparadscha sapphires are pinkish orange in color, but do vary in hue and tone.
A sunset sapphire is probably most
closely related to the famous padparadscha sapphires which are a special
variety of the gemstone corundum, featuring an often delicate color
that is a mixture of red and yellow. It is a marriage between a ruby and
a yellow sapphire. However a sunset sapphire is too orange to be a ruby
and not pink enough to be a padparadscha
Bixbite
Bixbite is an extremely rare and valuable species of scarlet
beryl which occurs as red gemstones. In fact in 2006, the Jewelers Association
named Bixbite as the rarest gemstone on earth. Pure beryl itself is a colorless
stone but it sometimes is contaminated by other minerals, resulting in colored
beryls which include green beryl also known as emerald, and the precious red gemstones
of this species also known as red-beryl and scarlet-beryl. The most sought
after stones are those with a deep scarlet color, and which are as clear as
possible. However because Bixbite is a species of beryl, like emeralds,
inclusions are commonplace. Bixbite is only found in
a very few places in America,
namely in the states of Utah and New Mexico.
Pezzottaite
The relatively rare red gemstones of pezzottaite are also a variety of beryl but
differs from other species of beryl because it also has lithium incorporated
into its chemical structure. The
crystalline structure of these red gemstones is also different to other species
of beryl. Otherwise known as raspberyl or raspberry beryl, the
red gemstones of pezzottaite have only recently been discovered, with deposits
found in Madagascar and Afghanistan.
The colour ranges from raspberry-red to orange-red color, as well as some pink
varieties and the stones are usually quite small.
Imperial Topaz
Imperial topaz is found in many colors ranging from yellow,
orange, wine, pink and pinkish red gemstones. The presence of pink in imperial
topaz increases its value, and the red gemstones which are extremely rare are
the most valuable of all Imperial topazes. Pure topaz is a silicate mineral containing aluminum and fluorine and is colorless and transparent but is usually
tinted by impurities to form the beautiful color range. The red gemstones
are mainly found in Brazil.
Red-Spinel
Spinel comes in a variety of colors including the beautiful
red gemstones which were once called spinel-rubies or balas rubies because they
were erroneously identified with rubies. In fact Spinel is the great impostor
of gemstone history and it is thought that many famous rubies and sapphires in
crown jewels around the world are actually spinels and not rubies or sapphires at
all. Pure Spinel is colorless, but impurities are responsible for the wide
range of colors. The most valuable and desirable Spinel are deep blood red
gemstones.
Some spinels have become famous gemstones such as the Black
Prince’s Ruby and the Timur Ruby in the British Crown Jewel collection. The
Samarian spinel is the largest known spinel in the world, weighing in at 500
carats. These red gemstones are still treated as substitutes for ruby to this
day. They are found in Central
Asia. Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Rubellite
Rubellites are red gemstones from the species of tourmaline called elbaites, which also come in blue, green and colorless varieties.
Rubellite ranges from red gemstones to pinkish red gemstones. They are
abundantly found in Brazil,
Africa and Pakistan.
Garnet
Garnets come in a rainbow of colors, such as dark brown-red,
rosy-red, orange-red and green and include the deep red gemstones of the pyrope
garnet and the vibrant green of tsavorites. Garnets in fact represent several
different stone species, including The different species are pyrope, almandine, spessartine,
grossular
(varieties of which are hessonite or cinnamon-stone and tsavorite), uvarovite and
andradite.
All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms,
but differ in chemical composition Of these types of garnets, the most common
are almandines, also called carbuncles, which are deep red gemstones. Garnets
are the traditional and modern birthstone for the month of January. The name garnet is derived
from the word granatum, meaning seed, and is called so because of the
gemstone's resemblance to a pomegranate seed. Egyptians used garnets as
inlays jewelry dating back to 3100BC. Garnets, the gem of faith, are both
versatile and affordable.
Fire Opals
Fire opals are
transparent to translucent opals which come in a warm array of colors from
yellow to orange to red gemstones. Fire opals do not usually show any play of
color, but occasionally a stone will exhibit bright green flashes. Of
the varieties of opals, the red gemstones are extremely rare and most come from
Mexico,
hence the mane Mexican Fire Opal. Opals are the traditional birthstone of
October.
Cherry opals are also a deep cherry red gemstones.
Hyacinths
Hyacinths, (other
wise known as jacinth) are the transparent, red gemstones of zircon and are so
named from the flower hyacinthus, whose name is of Ancient Greek origin. Zircons
are diamond-like stones of various colors, including colourless, blue, yellow,
green, black and red gemstones. They are made from a mineral belonging to the group of neosilicates and its
chemical name is zirconium silicate. Colorless Zircon are a popular substitutes
for diamonds and are often referred to as "Matura diamonds".
Zircons are abundantly found over the earth’s crust making them relatively
inexpensive. Zircon is one of the modern
birthstones for December in America,
as well as the month of September among Hindus.
Carnelian and Sard
The semi-precious gems, carnelian and sard, are varieties of
the silica mineral chalcedony that are brownish to red gemstones. They get
their color from impurities of iron oxide. Carnelians are softer in structure
and range in color from translucent orange to brownish red gemstones; whereas
sard is a bit harder, tougher and darker in color, ranging from deep brown red gemstones
to almost black. These differences
are not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used interchangeably, but
they are used to describe distinct sub-varieties of the same or similar
semiprecious stone.
The use of
carnelian for decorative purposes can be traced back to the bronze age 1800BC.
It was used widely by the Romans in signet or seal rings because wax does not
stick to it. Carnelian is the stone of passion.
Agate
Agate, which is a silica or chalcedony associated mainly
with volcanic rocks, is characterized by its fineness of grain and brightness
of color. Agate comes in many different colors including red gemstones which
are absolutely amazing. Agate is one of the most ancient stones known to
be used in hard-stone carvings. Its use was widespread in the ancient world where
it has been recovered from a number of ancient archaeological sites. Agate is the birthstone for June and is
considered to be the most powerful of power stones.
Sardonyx
Sardonyx is a semiprecious stone of banded chalcedony made up of attractive stripes
of reddish brown sard and white onyx. Sardonyx
comes from double layered sea shells of the species Cassis Madagascariensis or
Sardonic (Sardonyx). The semi-precious red gemstones are one of the traditional
birthstone for August.
Sardonyx was popular with ancient Greeks and Romans
soldiers who carried it engraved with images of heroes such as Mars or Hercules
into battle with them to bring them courage and victory. Sardonyx is still
handcrafted by masters to create beautiful cameos with carved raised figures
and also intaglios which are the reverse of cameos.
Jasper
Like carnelians and sard, jasper is chalcedony but it is
opaque and can be striped or banded, like sardonyx. Jasper commonly occurs as red
gemstones due to iron inclusions. The name jasper means spotted or speckled
stone. Jasper is known to have been a favorite gem in the ancient world and can
be traced back to Crete 1800BC. The semi-precious stones are the traditional
birthstone for the month of March.
Sunstones
Sunstones are feldspars like oligoclase and andesine, but
are distinguished by their mostly clear appearance that looks like glass with
bright glittering minerals at the center. Sunstones can be found in a variety
of colors including yellow, green and blue, and red gemstones. The red gemstones are commonly found in Oregon and are often
referred to as the Oregon Sunstone. The color, which is due to the presence of haematite
or copper, grows more vivid and sparkly toward the middle, giving them a bright
spangled appearance. This optical
effect is called Schiller iridescence which is bronze like luster, sometimes
with iridescence,
occurring in certain minerals.
Andesine
Along with sunstone and oligoclase, andesine belongs to a
group of minerals called feldspar. Andesine is now commonly available as green
or red gemstones. However these varieties have been artificially-coloured and do not appear to occur
naturally.
Oligoclase
Oligoclase, together with Labradorite, Albite and Anorthite,
belongs to the Plagioclase Feldspar series. In composition Oligoclase contains
between 70 and 90 percent Albite, and between 10 and 30 percent Anorthite as
well as both Sodium and Calcium. It forms as tabular crystals, which are
commonly twinned, with parallel or criss-cross twinning striations. It appears
as massive, granular, or compact. It may show brilliant reflections from
inclusions and is often confused with Oregon
sunstone because some may show Schiller iridescence. It is
light, transparent to translucent, with a vitreous luster and may come in the
colors grey, white, greenish, yellowish, brown, reddish, or colorless, and has
a white streak. The red gemstones are often opaque. Oligoclase is traditionally
sourced from India and Sri Lanka
and is often referred to as Indian sunstone.
Red-Coral
Precious-coral or red-coral is the common name given to
Corallium rubrum and several related species of marine coral. The skeleton of precious coral is very
durable and intensely colored and is used to make the reddish pink or deep
coral red gemstones. The skeleton of coral branches is naturally matte, but can
be polished to a glassy shine. Due to
its softness and opacity, coral is usually cut into cabochons, or used to make
beads.
Precious coral skeletons have been harvested since antiquity
for decorative use. Evidence of the use of coral jewelry has been found in
ancient Egypt and
prehistoric Europe and it continues to be made
to the present day.
Cuprite
Cuprite are red gemstones with a very distinctive deep rich color
and a sheen which can be more brilliant than a diamond. However due to their softness,
brittleness and the overall small size of the crystals, cuprite crystals are
usually unsuitable for jewelry making. Faceted cuprite of any size is considered one of the most collectible and
spectacular gems in existence, with its deep garnet coloring and higher
brilliance than a diamond. Only the gem's soft nature prevents it from being
among the most valuable jewelry stones. The word cuprite comes from
cuprum, the Latin word for copper. It
is known as ruby copper due to
its distinctive reddish color.
Fluorites
Fluorites, or fluorspars, are crystals so bright and
colorful they gave birth to the word fluorescent. Fluorites come in virtually
all colors and is said to be the
most colorful mineral in the world. Composed of calcium fluoride, the color of
the fluorite is determined by factors including impurities, exposure to
radiation, and the absence or voids of the color centers. They shine in
visible light and fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Less common of fluorites
are the red gemstones. However, because of their relative softness, these
semi-precious red gemstones are not widely used in jewelry.
Tiger’s Eye
Like chalcedony and citrine, tiger’s eyes are red gemstones
of the quartz family. They range in color from golden to brown-red and are
treasured for their chatoyancy, or silky, iridescent lustre. The gems are usually cut in cabochon in order to
display their beautiful lustre.
Red gemstones of tiger’s eye are only created through gentle heat treatment.
Tiger’s eye comes mostly from South Africa
and East Asia.
Alexandrite
The magic of Alexandrite is in its property of color change. It is
described as emerald by day and ruby by night. That is because the color
changes from light reddish purple in incandescent artificial light
and emerald green or blue-green in daylight or under a fluorescent
light . Red gemstones at night gives the wearer such delight.
