When it comes to colored gemstones, color is king. Today, many customers prioritize color and are less concerned with the actual gemstone variety. As long as the stone is durable enough for its purpose, people prefer it.
However, it is also very difficult to locate gems by color. It’s because gemstone dealers prefer to list their accessibility by gem form or gem range instead of gems by color. Although. ruby is normally the first red gemstone to come to mind when most people think that a red gemstone is available. Even though there are many other red gemstones today, ruby has its place.
Several red gemstones have not made this list, mostly because of rareness, or may otherwise be ‘red.’ Strawberry quartz, for example, is colorless quartz with red lepidocrocite, hematite, or goethite inclusions. But, since it is not actually a red gemstone, we have not mentioned this. In our opinion, this guide should list only that type of gem.
Table of Contents
List of Top 7 Red Gemstones
1. Red Almandine Garnet Gemstones
Almandine Granate is part of the red gemstones grenade family. The grenade group comprises a broad range of red gemstones; a family of complex, chemically variable silicates, with similar crystal structures. Almandine, or almandite, is the most popular of all grenades, and is also known as the “classic red grenade.” While almandine grenades are very red, they are often dark brownish-red to orange-red and pure rot. It’s because they are seldom found in pure form, norms of other granny forms like spessartine or grossularite. Almandine Garnets are not often found with pure red colour.
2. Red Apatite Gemstones
Apatite is an unusual and iconic gem, highly sought after for its many vibrant colors, including dynamic red, blue and green. Red apatite is one of the rarer or lesser recognized shades. But still, it will show a bright red similar to that of the fine ruby if you are fortunate enough to find one. Apatite is surprisingly made of the same substance as our teeth and bones; the phosphate of calcium. While somewhat soft in comparison to many others, its hardness resembles turquoise lapis lazuli and opal. These are all most frequently used in jewelry designs, including rings, 5 on a Mohs scale of mineral hardiness.
Apatite is usually untreated and uncommon, apatite gems can also show the chatoyancy of a cat’s eyes. While apatite prices remain affordable, large clean red gemstones can demand hundreds of dollars a carat. Particularly, specimens with an outstanding saturation weighing 5 to 10 carats.
Also Read:- Top 15 Pink Gemstones for Jewelry | Jewelry Guide
3. Red Bixbite Gemstones
Though green emeralds have always been the most common in the Beryl family, red beryl is rare. In the trade, red beryl is known as bix-bite and is somewhat unheard of by the public because of its rareness. Though emerald is part of the ‘precious 4 gemstones’ elite, red beryl is one of the world’s most rare red gemstones. It is one of the most expensive gemstones. Many bixbite specimens have sold ten thousand dollars per carat, but weighing more than 1 carat is uncommon. A bixbite of 2 to 3 carats would be treated as enormous and clean; good cuts would easily warrant high costs.
Bixbite is mainly mined in south-western Utah by the United States Gemstone Mining Company. It produces between 5,000 to 7,000 carats a year and is known to market the rare red beryl as a red springboard. Some gems sold as red beryls are pezzottaites, rare red gemstones, however, pezzottaites are not so valuable as red bixbite beryls. They are very valuable.
4. Red Coral Gemstones
Red coral, due to its intense coloration and luster, is particularly common and a sought-after gemstone. It is a member of the community of organic gemstones, including pearl, amber, and ammolite. Also, it is grown since time immemorial for decorative use. The majority of red coral gemstones are coral rubrum types, very unique rose to rooted coral varieties. Often called “noble coral,” Corallium rubrum is considered the most desirable coral in jewelry. Also included in this noble coral is the famous ‘angel coral,’ a precious coral pink to salmon.
Often called “noble coral,” Corallium rubrum is considered the most desirable coral in jewelry. Also included in this noble coral is the famous ‘angel coral,’ a precious coral pink to salmon. Coral gemstones are particularly rare and valuable because coral takes millions of years to form. Today, the majority of red corals are dyed or pictorial stones. A traditional term, used as a red garnet cabochon, which was a symbol of friendship, may also be traded as “carbuncles.” Red coral is also an essential gem of Jyotish; referred to in astrology in the Vedic language. Jyotish is an ancient discipline combining mineralogy, planetary scientists from Hinduism, and Asia.
5. Red Cinnabar Gemstones
Not only is Red Cinnabar a vivid mineral, but there are also certain peculiar gemological characteristics. Since time immemorial, Cinnabar has been identified and used as both a pigment and a source of mercury by ancient Romans. It has also been used for decorative purposes in South America and China. Generally, it can be found and faced as a vein-filling mineral on rare occasions.
However, it is not always used for gems but is used as a collector’s pier because it is particularly soft (2 to 2.5 in the Mohs scale). Indeed, it appears on the bucket list of each gemstone and mineral collector due to its rare and very uncommon properties. Cinnabar has a high and exceptionally dense refractive index. Its particular gravity rate is 8.1; very few minerals are denser than cinnabar.
6. Red Jasper Gemstones
Jasper, which takes its name from the Greek “spotted stone,” is another well-known gemstone member of the vast and diverse quartz family. Jasper gemstones, including red, brown, orange, yellow, and green, can be found in a wide range of patterns and colours. In fact, unicolored jasper is unusual because it often consists of up to 20% foreign content. As a result, almost all jasper gemstones are multicolored and feature streaks, spots, or flame-like patterns.
Jasper generally is a variety of chalcedony, but it is graded and divided into its own distinct quartz category. This is because of its special grain structure. Jasper stones have many trade names that are similar to those of the agates in many places, but that have distinctive patterns or colors. But none of the trade names are formally recognized, so only the most avid gem collectors use them mostly.
7. Red Spessartite Garnet Gemstones
The big, different groups of grenade gemstones belong to Spessartite garnet. While a number of different grenades, including color-changing grenades and Malaya granates (or Malayas), belong to the spessartine species, the actual gemstone is known as ‘spartite’ usually refers to the fiery orange grenade. A bright red-orange, also referenced in the trade as ‘mandarin orange,’ is the most common color in the spessartite grid. Bright orange-red spessartite is one of the most common garnets thanks to its extremely good hardness and brilliance (7.5 on Mohs scale); the product of the high refractive index.
Spessartite granates are also used but the samples are eye-clean. It is the inclusions that always make the design of colorful jewelry more interesting. Since spessartite granny was very unusual and almost unexpectedly for use in commercial gems before the recent discovery in Namibia. Its meaning, ‘spessartite,’ comes from former events in the “Spessartine” forest in Germany. In the past, garnets were used as amicable gems and were often exchanged as a sign of love for mates.
Wrapping Up The Reds
Well, now that you know there is more to reds than rubies, do be on the lookout for other gems!
FAQs
Is Red apatite rare?
Although Apatite is an abundant mineral found in many countries, gem-quality crystals are very rare and plagued by erratic production. Red Apatite was discovered approximately three years ago from a hidden Brazilian site, yet to be revealed.
Is apatite a gemstone?
As a gemstone, apatite is seldom used. Clean colored transparent stones and cabochon-cut specimens were covered. Cat’s-eye apatite is a known name for chatoyant stones; asparagus stone is a clear, greenstone, white stone was called moroxite.
