The fiery red of rubies has long intrigued us, evoking passion, dominance and romance. For centuries, natural rubies have traditionally been treasured throughout the gemstone market but with advancements in technology over recent years there has not only been a spike of interest towards untreated products but also synthetic materials such as ruby lab grown stones. The stunning visual appeal of these gems, along with the diverse benefits they offer to modern consumers. This article aims at discussing what lab-created rubies are, how they can be produced and why people prefer these crystals to the solid ones.
Understanding Ruby Lab Grown Gemstones
These stones are also chemically, physically and optically identical with natural rubies. Where the primary difference is that one comes from nature and another is man-made. Rather than developing over millions of years due to the immense heat and pressure in Earth’s crust, synthetic rubies are made in as little as a few weeks with advanced technology.
Methods to make lab-grown rubies are flame fusion and the Czochralski process. Regardless, both of them recreate the conditions in which rubies naturally form to make sure that the resulting product is practically identical with what nature has given.
Advantages of Ruby Lab Grown Gemstones
Jewels of all trade and consumers alike have found plenty to love about lab made stones, there are several reasons as things go.
- Price: Rubies are expensive, especially those with intense color and few inclusions. Lab grown stones like lab created ruby, on the other hand, are much more affordable and can be bought at wholesale prices without any threat to quality or aesthetics.
- Ecological and Moral: One of the reasons why you get to consider ruby lab grown gems is because they are ethical. On the other hand, mining for natural rubies can devastate local environments and lead to human rights abuses. On the flip side, lab-grown rubies are created with little environmental impact and do not support dangerous mining practices.
- Consistent Quality: Lab created sapphires offer uniform quality Natural rubies can contain imperfections and inclusions, but since lab-made gems are prepared under consistent conditions they generally display less of these flaws. Which means, you can buy a lab grown diamond for only a fraction of the cost that still has very few inclusions and is completely clear.
- Availability: Natural rubies are very hard to find, specially the ones with good color and clarity. Of course, availability is no longer a concern when it comes to ruby lab grown stones. Consumers can easily and economically select the ideal ruby with no necessity to go under in quality, dimension just reduced costs.
Science behind Ruby Lab Grown Stones?
There are two main ways that lab-created rubies can be made, as discussed previously:
- Flame Fusion Method: Powdered aluminum oxide is melted using an extremely high temperature flame. The melt is then cooled down to make a crystal. This process produces lab grown rubies the quickest and is generally considerably less expensive than other processes, but tends to produce higher-inclusion stones.
- Czochralski Process: A process where an aluminum oxide is melted in a crucible and then slowly pulled up to create a single crystal using seed. While this method is more laborious and costly, it often yields darker colors with fewer inclusions.
Uses of Ruby Lab Grown Gemstones
Synthetic rubies can be used as gemstones in casting rings, pendants and earrings. Their 9 Mohs hardness and vibrant colors mean that they can be worn every day but with a little bit of class. Luxury watches even use ruby lab grown stones because of their hardness, which makes them ideal for bearings and gears.
Debunking Myths About Ruby Lab Grown Gemstone
Ruby lab grown gemstones are becoming more and more popular, but there still seems to be some confusion surrounding these gems. A myth that is frequently invoked against lab-grown rubies is they are “fake” or unsophisticated compared to natural ones. This is simply not true. That is as authentic a ruby ever more to be called so, by virtue of the fact that they are virtually indistinguishable from their natural rivals.
The biggest myth is that lab-created rubies have no worth in them. Created using the same materials as natural rubies, it is important to note that although they may not carry the same market value as rare gem-quality ruby rough stone created by nature, lab-grown rubies deliver incredible benefits in terms of affordability and quality.
Conclusion
With more and more people interested in buying ethical, sustainable and affordable gemstones the demand for ruby lab grown stones has increased. These look just as beautiful and are wonderfully durable but without the same price tag. Whether you are searching for lovely jewelry or an ethically mined gem, lab-made rubies serve as a high-quality option.