Beautiful Rubies

Watch this video and compare a cut ruby with a polished cabochon. Do you see a a beautiful star in the cabochon?

Red Glow

There is something about the fiery red glow of ruby that attracts people today, just as it has others in the past. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy Bear Essentials

Rough Ruby

Rough ruby is often flat and tabular, so the stones cut from this rough might be shallow. - Photo by Vincent Pardieu/GIA

Oval and Cushion Shapes

Rubies are commonly cut into oval and cushion shapes. This ruby crystal lies in white calcite the color of snow. This sample is more valuable as a crystal than cut for jewelry. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, crystal gift of William F. Larson, right oval cut stone courtesy Edward Boehm

More Ruby Shapes

Ruby can be cut into many different shapes. - Photo by Elizabeth Schrader/GIA

Marble Deposits

Rubies found in marble deposits often have a bright red glow.

The Star Effect

Long mineral inclusions that intersect or cross each other can create the star effect known as asterism. The star is seen when stones are cut as cabochons. Asterism is rare and only happens in very few stones. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy Hussain Rezayee, Rare Gems & Minerals

Rubies from Myanmar

These rubies were all mined in the country of Myanmar. They are very bright.

Untreated and Heat-Treated Rubies

These untreated and heat-treated rubies show a range of darker and brighter red colors. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA

Orangy Red

A new source at Winza, in Tanzania, produced rubies with a very rich, slightly orangy color which a few gem traders call fire engine red. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy The Collector Fine Jewelry, Fallbrook, California

Sugar Loaf

Cabochon cuts are popular for ruby. This shape is referred to as a sugar loaf cut. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy Lewis Allen