Differences between ruby and garnet?

[CDCsparkles]

I have been looking at getting a colored stone alternative ering and I am trying to figure out the biggest differences between ruby and garnet.
Can anyone help or give me the general guidelines in what to look for in a good ruby or garnet?

 

[minousbijoux]

Welcome to the forum! I think you will find that the pinned thread at the top of this page will be really informative on learning about colored stones and their differences, and then in the next thread, if you are looking to buy, a good, vetted list of vendors that have medium to excellent quality stones at very good to very high prices (you'll see that the list is so comprehensive that it has overseas vendors through ebay, all the way up to high quality jewelers who source stones themselves and make bespoke jewelry for their clients - often this latter group has a price premium on the stones).

Anyway, big differences between garnets and corundum. On the Mohs hardness scale, corundum is harder, so will theoretically take more wear and tear than garnet. Garnets come in many colors - in fact, I don't know if there is any color in the spectrum that doesn't have garnets. While garnets come in pure red, they are rare and typically smaller, like the chromium anthill garnets from Arizona (at least I *think* its chromium; it may be iron. Garnets also have a tendency to "brown out" in certain lighting like fluorescent. I have two garnet rings approximating red (one is purplish red; the other is red but browns out) and if I had to do it again, I would wait and save for a ruby, because I don't wear the rings because the stones don't look good in some lighting.

The problems with corundum are the price/rarity; and treatments. Unless you buy from a reputable vendor, these days you are almost guaranteed to get a highly treated stone. This might even mean one that is lead glass filled and is often as much glass as corundum. Red corundum is typically included, which is why it is difficult to get one that is not highly treated. Both high heat and filling such as leaded glass helps improve clarity and strengthen the stone. Red rubies are also often dyed. Price is a huge factor in this, as a decently cut, eye clean and only lightly treated ruby of good, saturated red will cost upwards of 10-20x the price of a garnet. But most rubies will be consistently red in all lighting.

There's a lot more to the differences, but this is a starting point. HTH.

 

[chrono]

Ruby does red extremely well, can be worn everyday but is the most expensive and tends to be the most highly treated.
Garnet is almost never treated and very affordable but does not do red well. They are either a bit orangish or purplish, overly dark and / or brown out indoors. They are best as occasional wear right hand rings.

 

[CDCsparkles]

Are both rubies and garnets man made?
I am looking for an alternative colored stone ering or 3 stone ring in an antique setting. My current ering is a 3.75 mm stone so I would like something bigger.
I contacted one of the ruby sellers, who did say the ruby was treated but also said that 99% of all rubies are. When I showed my husband the garnets, he thought they were man made crystals.
Do garnets and rubies have alot of sparkle factor?

 

[LD]

Oh crikey you're going to need to do quite a bit of research I'm afraid.

No - not all rubies and garnets are man made. There are simulants and synthetics that mimic nearly all gemstones on the market. Ebay is littered with them. If you are considering an expensive ring then you MUST get the stone checked out by a lab.

In terms of rubies, a small percentage mined are left alone and just simply cut into gemstones. Others are heated (just as they would be in the earth) to improve colour. However, with less gorgeous rough being mined, stones that previously wouldn't have been destined for jewellery can now be treated to make wonderful looking gemstones. They're still natural BUT they have been treated to hell and back and so the buying price is/should be considerably less. To find out more, please look at the last sticky on this part of the forum because alot of what you're asking about is in there. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

In terms of rubies -v- garnets? Rubies are hardy/durable and an everyday ring. Rubies only come in various tones of red. Garnets come in every colour. They are not as hardy and not generally an everyday stone to wear. Garnets can be very cheap (think red/brown ones) or can be sensational and have a higher price tag.

However comparing Rubies and Garnets is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a Mini. There's no comparison. A good Ruby will be more expensive and beautiful than a Garnet always (if you like red).

 

[txgreeneyes]

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a cheat way to remember the difference between rubies and garnets.

Rubies:
1) Lots more expensive than a garnet
2) Harder than a garnet
3) Same mineral as a sapphire. Red sapphires are (with some exceptions) almost all called rubies. Sapphires come in the other colors.
4) Mostly red in color (some have pink-reddish silk color to them)
5) Some rubies just glow (like the Burma ones).

Garnets:
1) Less expensive than a garnet
2) Softer than a garnet (so be careful!)
3) Garnets come in all colors. Traditionally, most are dark red with almost a brown tint to it. I love this color of garnet. I had never heard of the other color garnets before I came to PS.

Hope that helps!

[There are exceptions to almost everything that I posted above.]

Some red spinels are mistaken for rubies. Not sure about the Mohs hardness of a spinel. It's something to consider.

 

[txgreeneyes]

I have the flu and can't think.

I meant to say that:
Garnets are less expensive than rubies!

 

[chrono]

There are synthetic (man made) rubies and simulants (dyed glass, synthetic spinel and etc).
I don't think synthetic garnets exist although there are simulants.

Many rubies are treated but the level of treatment matters a lot, not just because of price but how to take care of it. Some composite rubies are more glass than ruby! Highly treated ruby cannot be exposed to acids (cleaning solution) or the high heat of a jeweller's torch.

Sparkle is dependent not only on the refractive index but the clarity and cut of the stone. Unless you have a super fine ruby, it is likely that the garnet will sparkle more. That said, the ruby is more likely to give you a much better red than a garnet, which has a tendency to either black out or turn brownish.

 

[jstarfireb]

When you mention an alternative engagement ring, does that mean you plan to wear it every day? Most people here would say garnets are too fragile to stand up to everyday wear. Typically we recommend only spinel, corundum (ruby and sapphire), and chrysoberyl (including alexandrite) for everyday wear rings. You can find red spinels, but they may be as expensive as a ruby. The advantage is that they might be less included and sparkle more as a result. Alexandrite is also a gorgeous stone that shifts from reddish purple to green, but it's also very expensive and hard to find good ones. If you're not set on a red stone, consider other colors of sapphire or spinel (blue, purple, pink, etc.).

 

[deskjockey]

Do garnets and rubies have alot of sparkle factor?

It depends. Most of the rubies that I've seen in person have more "glow" than sparkle, but a lot of that depends on clarity and cut, and I don't think I've actually seen a really amazing ruby in person, ever. Garnets are interesting to me because the lighter-hued ones really can have amazing sparkle and dispersion. If I had to sum it up, I'd say that if you want rich, beautiful, durable color, look at rubies. If you want sparkle, look at lighter-colored garnets (yellows and oranges, primarily. a good orange spessartite garnet can just look like a ball of fire on your hand). Red garnets are tricky because they can be quite dark. If very well cut you will get lots of sparkle but they don't do all lighting very well. The impression is often 'dark stone with bright flashes' rather than 'omg red!' of a ruby. And of course there are lots of very dark, brownish garnets in there that I'd almost call "dried blood" color. So there's a huge range.

Price wise, unless you're looking for a 3 carat demantoid garnet with ideal color, a good ruby will be more expensive (but also more durable)

If you're interested, here's a ranking for dispersion (aka "fire") of different gemstones:
http://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/dispersion-chart.php

If you can, look at a lot of each to decide what you like better. I like gemfix.com just for looking/getting a feel of what nice stones should look like. I'm a HUGE garnet fan and want all the garnets, but I think a good ruby is sort of in a class by itself - very different character from most garnets. And for something to be worn as an e-ring, I would definitely lean ruby/corundum for durability.

 

[pregcurious]

In general, when one thinks of ruby, one thinks of this:


When one thinks of red garnets, it's usually this color, which is darker in tone (more brown) and slightly extinct (does not reflect light well):


That said, there are beautiful red garnets like anthill garnets (pic from The Gem Trader):


And glass-filled rubies (https://www.pricescope.com/blog/gia-identifies-lead-glass-filled-synthetic-ruby):