RUBIES

Good-quality rubies are more valuable, rubies are more rare and hold their value and market demand better than diamonds or other gemstones. For purchase, there are several different factors to consider:

- the place of birth. The world's best rubies come from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), specifically the region around the town of Mogok.

- Color: a deep and vivid red color is the mark of the best-quality ruby.

- Natural stones, of course, are more valuable than artificial stones, but the difference is not really clear to an untrained buyer or the naked eye.

Don’t forget:

Brilliance –look for a minimum rating of 95 percent. “Brilliance” represents the precision of the cut, so that the maximum amount of light reflects back to the eye. Stones with lower than 50 or 70 percent brilliance lose light through the sides of the stone due to imperfections of the stone’s angles.

Weight –look for a minimum of one carat. “. When it comes to investment quality rubies, heavy stones hold value more consistently than lighter stones.

Certification – Examine the certification agency and look for a score certified by the AGL. The AGL has standardised international guidelines to describe stone quality. Stones graded without a standardised grading certificate might have undisclosed flaws or might not match third party grading systems.

So buy the best stones you can find and try to buy below retail prices , with all these criteria

If you want security, buy Treasury Bonds.

Over the long-term, gems have been an excellent store of value, in that they have provided a valid hedge against inflation and currency fluctuation. But that doesn’t mean that all gems are a good investment –The major sources for rubies are Afghanistan, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma. The best come from Burma.,

So you should buy rubies but how? The cheapest place to buy gems is from merchants in producer areas, such as Thailand. For me the best and safest way to invest in gems is to buy vintage jewellery, the average price of which has risen by about 4% a year in the past 18 years, according to London-based Art Market Research. With vintage jewellery, you can usually be pretty sure that a gem has not been treated and you should also end up paying a fair price for it.

Ok not for me don’t want long term investment…