Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July and the world’s most popular red gem. Rubies range in color from orangy-red, to red, to slightly purplish-red. The most desirable and valuable colors are pure red and slightly purplish red. Natural rubies have historically been expensive gems, but recent discoveries in Africa bring many attractive natural rubies into the market at affordable prices.

Lab-grown ruby is very common in jewelry stores in the United States. Lab-grown rubies have been in the United States jewelry market since the early 1900s. Today, if you go to a mall jewelry store such as Zales or Kay Jewelers, you will encounter a case with a large assortment of ruby jewelry items for sale. Many of them will likely be synthetic or lab-grown ruby. If you spend time studying them, you might note that the synthetic gems usually have better clarity and better color than natural gems of similar price. Many people are happy to pay the higher price for natural gems because they treasure gems that formed naturally within the Earth. Others are happy with the great appearance and lower price of lab-created gems.