Imagine you bought a beautiful red gemstone that symbolises passion and power. You've been told that it's a Ruby Stone, a genuine and natural Ruby, one of the world's most prized and costly gemstones. This thrills you. But then a tiny seed of suspicion is planted in your head. Is it a natural Ruby? Or is it a fake?
The world of gemstones is a world of beautiful deceptions. As a consumer, you have many options to choose from, and it can be difficult to distinguish between a genuine gemstone and a clever imitation. This guide is your starting point, a series of simple, at-home tests that can help you identify a genuine Ruby from a replica.
Common Fake Ruby Materials Used in the Market
And before we go on to the tests, let's have some idea of what you could be facing. The market is full of copies, and they are not always as easy to spot. A copy of Manik can range from a fake glass to a sophisticated synthetic. These are some of the most widespread materials used to replicate a natural Ruby:
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Glass: This is the most common and least successful imitation. A glass "Ruby" is usually too flawless, with no internal inclusions. It is lighter than a natural Manik or Chuni stone and considerably softer, and therefore scratches easily.
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Spinel: The red spinel is a gemstone in itself, but could be mistaken for a Manik because of its rich colour. Spinel is softer than a Manik, though it is an 8 on the Mohs hardness scale, compared to a Ruby's 9 and does not exhibit the characteristic fluorescence of a genuine Manik.
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Garnet: Red Garnet is a naturally occurring gemstone and is often used as a Manik simulant. Rubies are more durable than Garnets and have a different refractive index, which affects the way light travels through them.
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Composite Rubies: These are especially misleading. The composite Ruby is a lower-grade natural Manik that has been filled with leaded glass so that it is clearer and more attractive. It does contain some real Ruby material, but not as a solid, natural gemstone. Its glass filling makes it much less durable and valuable.
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Lab-Grown Ruby or Synthetic Ruby: This is the most difficult to spot as a fake. A synthetic and a natural Manik stone will both have the same chemical composition and crystal structure. The only variation is that it was produced in a laboratory, not in the ground. A synthetic Manik will be perfect, with no colour defect and no natural inclusions, which is one of the big indications to watch out for.
At-Home Tests for Ruby Purity
Now you hold a Manik stone in your hand. Let's experiment. These easy, non-destructive tests will provide a good indication of whether your stone is a natural Manik or not. Keep in mind, these tests are not absolute, but they are a good starting point for your inquiry.
Scratch Test – Checking Hardness (Mohs 9)
A natural Ruby is a very hard gemstone, nearly a diamond. It has a 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. This is a useful characteristic to consider when attempting to see whether your gemstone is a natural Manik gem.
How to do it:
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Hold onto a glass or a hard object of some kind, such as a coin, but handle the coin carefully.
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Gently attempt to scratch the glass surface with your stone.
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A natural Manik stone will scratch the glass without causing harm to the stone.
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If your stone does not scratch the glass, it is probably not an actual stone.
Word of Caution: Never scratch another stone with your Ruby, as you may scratch a valuable stone.
The scratch test is a quick yet efficient method of eliminating imitations that are produced by more flexible materials such as glass or garnet.
Water Drop Test – Clarity & Refraction
This is a test of how light interacts with your gemstone. A natural Chuni stone has a high refractive index, and it will cause light to bend in a certain manner. This is a straightforward and reliable Ruby test.
How to do it:
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Put one drop of water on the face of your stone.
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Watch the droplet.
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On a genuine Ruby, the drop of water should retain its shape and seem as if it is standing erect on the gem's surface.
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On an imitation Ruby (more specifically, a glass one), the water drop should spread more easily.
This is a good indicator of the stone's surface characteristics, but it must be compared to others to provide a conclusive result.
Breath Fog Test – Heat Dissipation
A natural Manik is also a good heat conductor, meaning that it radiates heat very quickly. This is an incredibly easy and quick test to verify a real Chuni gemstone at home.
How to do it:
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Hold the stone between your forefinger and thumb.
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Blow onto the stone, as if fogging up a mirror.
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Notice how the fog clears.
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On a natural Ruby, the fog will clear extremely fast.
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On a fake Ruby, the fog will linger for a few seconds.
This is a handy test used to differentiate a natural Ruby gemstone from an inferior conductive material such as glass.
Magnifying Glass Test – Inclusions vs Bubbles
This is where you become intimate and close to your gemstone. The internal characteristics of the stone can tell you a great deal about where it is from. This is a primary method of natural Manik stone identification.
How to do it:
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Use a jeweller's loupe or a high-powered magnifying glass (minimum of 10x magnification).
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Look very closely at the inside of the rock.
What to watch for in a natural Ruby:
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Inclusions: Natural Rubies will always contain some internal flaws, or inclusions, from their formation. These may be viewed as small crystals, needle-like structures ("silk"), or small cracks. These are characteristics of a natural, earth-mined gemstone.
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Growth lines: Sometimes you can notice thin, linear lines or bands of colour in the stone. These also indicate a natural crystal.
What to inspect in a synthetic or imitation Ruby:
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Gas bubbles: If you observe completely round, concentric bubbles in the stone, that's a big red flag. This is one of the most typical traits of glass imitations.
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No inclusions: A stone that is totally perfect with absolutely no inclusions also raises suspicion. Although not many natural Rubies are almost perfect, they are extremely rare and costly. A perfect stone is most likely a lab-created Manik.
This is one of the most trustworthy methods of testing for Manik indoors.
UV Light Test – Fluorescence Behavior
A natural Manik exhibits an interesting response to ultraviolet (UV) light. This is a result of the presence of chromium, which causes the Ruby to be red in colour.
How to do it:
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Use a UV light source, or a small blacklight flashlight will work.
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Position the UV light on your stone in a dark area.
What to observe: A natural Ruby will have a bright, vivid, almost fiery red colour under UV light. A simulated Manik will exhibit some other response, or no response.
This test is particularly useful in distinguishing between a natural stone and other red-colored gems like Garnet. But a few synthetic Rubies are also highly fluorescent, so this test needs to be used in combination with others. This can help you know the difference between natural and synthetic gemstones.
Signs Your Ruby Might Be Synthetic
The synthetic Manik is the most challenging to detect as a fake. It shares the same chemical composition as the natural Manik but is not from the same source. These are some of the important indications that your Manik may be lab-grown:
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Too Perfect: If your Manik stone is too perfect, with a uniform, saturated colour and no inclusions that can be seen with a jeweller's loupe, it is a good indicator that it is counterfeit. Perfect natural Rubies are very rare and very expensive.
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Low Price for High Quality: If you are being offered a seemingly flawless, big Ruby that is being offered at what appears to be a ridiculously low price, it likely is. High-quality natural Rubies cost a lot of money.
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Specific Inclusions: A lab-grown Manik may lack the earth-mined stone's inclusions, but it may possess its own specific inclusions, like curved lines or small gas bubbles that are not perfectly round. These are a dead giveaway of the lab-grown process.
Limitations of Home Testing – When to Seek a Gem Lab Report
Those tests we've been discussing are great for a rough estimate of whether or not your stone is the real deal, but they're not definitive. They can help you detect an imitation, but they can't provide you with the kind of scientific certainty that a professional gem lab can.
A gemologist has access to advanced tools like microscopes, refractometers, and spectrometers that can easily measure the stone's exact characteristics and chemical composition. They can also determine conclusively whether treatments like heat treatment or fracture filling have been done, which may affect the price of a Ruby.
If you own a precious gemstone or plan on purchasing one, the most sensible thing to do is to get a professional gem lab report from a well-established gem lab. The report will provide you not just whether or not the Manik is natural, but also where it originated (Burmese, Thai, India, etc.), whether or not it has been treated, and its quality grade.
How to Buy a Certified Natural Ruby Stone
To avoid all the anxiety and doubt of trying to test your stone at home, the best you can do is purchase a certified natural Ruby in the first place and follow the Ruby buying guide.
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Select a Trustworthy Jeweller: Select a jeweller that is reputable and has a track record of selling authentic gemstones. You can ask them where they source their gemstones from and how transparent they are during the process.
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Ask for a Gem Lab Report: A good and genuine seller will always provide you with an original gem lab report for any gemstone. This report is your assurance of quality and genuineness.
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Educate Yourself: Know the 4 Cs of Rubies, that is, Colour, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. This will give you an idea of what you are purchasing and help you make a smart decision.
Final Words
The journey of owning a Manik stone should be one of joy and confidence, not doubt. By learning a little about the ways to tell imitation Manik stone and the basics of its testing, you can ward off typical imitations and enjoy the beautiful stone you own even more. A natural Chuni stone is a treasure and its fiery colour, hardness, and unique inclusions tell a story of millions of years of geological processes. With these methods, you can check the authenticity of the gemstone and be aware of the fake ones in the market.
FAQs
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Is a Ruby hard or soft?
A Manik is among the hardest gems, next only to a diamond. It has a 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. The hardness of the gemstone makes it highly durable and resistant to scratches, making it an excellent gemstone for wearing every day in jewellery such as rings and pendants. -
Does a Ruby glow under UV light?
Yes, a natural Ruby tends to have a bright, red glow when exposed to UV light. The stone is red because of the presence of chromium, which also makes it bright. This UV fluorescence is one of the signs that can be used to determine if a red gemstone is actually a Ruby or not. -
How to identify an original Ruby?
To determine an authentic Ruby, you can conduct some at-home tests. Test its hardness by observing if it can scratch glass. Observe for internal flaws like inclusions and no bubbles using a magnifying glass. A true Manik will also speedily release fog from your breath and will possibly emit a glow under a UV light.
