Education
Ruby and Sapphire: Same Mineral, Two Colours
Ruby and sapphire are the same mineral — corundum — separated only by colour. Red corundum is ruby; every other colour is sapphire.
Why that matters
Both score 9 on the Mohs scale, second only to diamond among common gemstones. That makes them the toughest coloured stones available for daily-wear rings, which is why engagement rings set with sapphire or ruby survive decades of use.
Ruby
Valued for a pure, saturated red with no brown or purple modifier. Natural ruby is almost always included; lab-grown ruby delivers the same deep red eye-clean, which is why it works so well in precision settings.
Sapphire
Royal blue is the classic, but sapphire also occurs in pink, yellow, green, purple and colourless. Blue is judged on saturation and evenness: too dark and the stone looks black indoors, too light and it reads pale.
Choosing between them
- Ruby for warmth and drama, paired with yellow or rose gold
- Blue sapphire for cool elegance, paired with white gold or platinum
- Both are hard enough for any setting, including bezels and channel lines
Written By
Holycome Team
Gemologists and setters at our own workshop. We have been cutting moissanite and lab grown stones since 2013.
