Rubies and their look alikes

Rubies are the birthstone of July and can exhibit an incredible lustre and red colour. Historically different gemstones such as Rubellite,Garnet and Spinel have been mistaken for Rubies with their similar colour hue. Whilst Red Spinel has the same Mohs hardness as a Ruby and coloured by Chromium also it is a different crystal structure entirely. Garnet and Rubellite have a lower luster than Ruby and lower hardness, but can make wonderful substitutes for a Ruby Ring.

Take a look at a few of our stock as examples:

Ruby 305910 1.38cts 

Ruby 118406 3.69cts

Spinel KBBA13 1.38cts

Red Tourmaline GOBA43 3.41cts

Rhodolite EEBA99 5.00cts

Posted: Monday 14 July 2025