The main red gemstones stand out among others of a similar color thanks to the intensity with which they present this tone. Within that exclusive list we can mention ruby, jasper, amber, garnet and spinel.
The iron and magnesium concentration of these red precious and semi-precious stones are the main components that give them the striking hue they have in common. Nevertheless, it is also the concentration of other minerals that differentiate them from each othermaking some look brighter and others duller as we will see below.
Ruby: It is the best known red gemstone, not only for its intense color but also for its high economic value and its mention in the list of the four main gemstones along with diamond, sapphire and emerald.
Contrary to what you might think at first glancewhen the ruby is extracted from nature it is rather opaqueand it is after the carving processes that it achieves that brilliance that makes them so coveted in the world of jewelry.
Amber: this stone has a very particular characteristic in addition to its red color and that is that it floats on water. Precisely this physical quality owes its name, from Arabic.
Amber is found in many colors such as yellow, brown, green, orange or black.. But its presentation in red is one of the most admired and also one of the rarest, since it is only found in the Mexican city of Chiapas.
Spinel: within the red gemstones, this is the most similar to the ruby and that is why they are famous.
Spinel is not only comparable to ruby for its color, but because of its hardness, which is 8 on the Mohs scale, only one digit less than ruby. Given this close resemblance, spinels have often been mistaken, even among jewelers, for rubies. A clear example weighs heavily on the British crown jewels, many of which are made with spinels that were initially confused with rubies.
Garnet: its name comes from the Latin “granatum” which means grain and is given by its similar appearance. Like spinel, garnet bears a strong resemblance to garnet., although it is much easier to distinguish than spinel. For this reason, it is used very frequently as a substitute for ruby, making the value of the final jewels more accessible.
Jasper: unlike the rest of the other red gemstones, jasper is not a brilliant stone but extremely opaque and is in fact a quality that makes it stand out; since the intensity of its color can be appreciated much better.
There are jasper presentations in other colors, but its red version is the most sought after and is known as blood jasper.
Red colored gemstones are highly valued in the world of jewelry. But especially, among the similar ones, it is worth knowing how to identify the differences to be successful in the purchase of any product.