Ruby Beads

Frequently asked questions

• Where does the ruby come from?

  Each strand states its origin where the cutter names it: Sri Lanka by name, and Africa where the cutter names the continent rather than the mine. Ruby's main sources are Mozambique, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and India; the African and Sri Lankan material is what reaches the bead trade in volume. Sri Lankan ruby runs lighter and brighter, pink-red to raspberry; African ruby runs deeper and more saturated.
• Are the dyed ruby strands real ruby?

  Yes. The dyed line is corundum, hand-cut in India into irregular faceted rondelles and nuggets on 7-inch to 16-inch strands. Dye evens out the color of lower-grade rough; it is stable in normal wear, and it is stated in every title. Dyed strands are cleaned with mild soap and water and kept out of ultrasonic cleaners; natural and heated ruby tolerate both.
• Why is bead-grade ruby priced below gem-grade ruby?

  Bead-grade ruby is a different category from gem-grade ruby. The transparent, eye-clean ruby cut for fine jewelry is a far rarer material than the opaque-to-translucent rough cut for bead strands. Bead-grade ruby puts corundum into calibrated 2mm to 8mm sizes at per-strand prices that work in production. The two are different products that share a mineral, not one a discount on the other.
• What is the difference between Burmese and Mozambique ruby?

  Burmese (Mogok) ruby is marble-hosted and low in iron, and shows the classic pigeon's blood red with a slight bluish undertone and a strong red glow under UV light. Mozambique (Montepuez) ruby is amphibole-hosted and higher in iron; it tends to a deeper, saturated red, sometimes with a purple or pink undertone, and glows less. Burmese carries the historical-source story and the color register; Mozambique offers comparable material in broader supply.
• How is real ruby told from imitations?

  Weight (ruby is dense; plastic and resin feel light), hardness (Mohs 9, a steel pin will not scratch it), color under different light (ruby holds its color in daylight and incandescent light; some imitations shift), a red glow under longwave UV from the chromium, and the price floor (a ruby strand priced like glass beads usually is glass). Every strand here states its treatment: natural, heated or dyed.