Replacing Grandmothers lost ruby

[D2B]

Hi

I know absolutely nothing about rubies (apart from that they are red) - So my question to the experts is what do I look for in a good ruby, what type of colour, any pitfalls, bad bits, good bits to look for. My grandmother passed on her wedding band to my mum and now to me, it is a yellow gold band with a round brilliant cut .30-40 carat ruby in the middle. The ruby fell out while my mum had it and a cheap colour stone/glass put in as a temperary measure. I would like to replace it with an original.

So any ruby information, online vendors etc to read/look at or share, please let me know.
thanks
D2B

 

[chrono]

Welcome to the crazy and confusing world of coloured gemstones. It's even harder to buy a great ruby than a top notch diamond as there are far more considerations:
Budget, size, treatment, colour, etc.

Here's a good place to start:
http://www.palagems.com/burma_ruby.htm#ruby_buying_guide

As this is a replacement stone, knowing the dimensions of the setting head is more important to be sure the stone will fit.

 

[partgypsy]

Particularly if you are looking for something that would fit a particular setting, I would totally recommend Wink Jones. I had a (grand)mother''s pendant made for my mom, and he sourced a 4 mm ruby for it that is just beautiful!