The red ruby is a precious stone which has a lot of astrological usage. It is available in three different types like imitation, synthetic and natural. For astrological purposes, you should always go for the natural variety only. Do not settle for the other two qualities because they will not serve your purpose. But it is important to identify the original stone before making the purchase. To buy ruby stone online it is essential to recognise between the authentic and fake variety. 

Natural, imitation and synthetic

Any natural stone is formed with the help of a geological process over the ages. You will need to extract the same through a stringent mining process. A natural ruby is formed by conundrum which also creates sapphires. A red sapphire is also called a ruby and is much sought-after. 

The synthetic rubies, on the other hand, are actually man-made. They are not fake because they have the same composition as the natural ones, the only difference being that they are made in labs by humans. Natural Ruby take takes ages to be made while the synthetic ones are made in labs by humans. These are made in a tight and environment using a particular formula which is the same as that of the original rubies. It is not that they are fake or ineffective. So, they can be used for astrological purposes as well. 

The last category is the imitation Ruby. The imitation ones are physically as well as chemically different from the natural Ruby. It is of course less than the price of ruby stone and less durable. This information is important for shopping for gemstones so that you do not end up buying the fake ones. 

How to tell if your Ruby is true

Telling the difference between all the three types of rubies takes a lot of practice and expertise. Professional gemologists can identify the nature of the stone and its usefulness. You can always buy the stone from well-known jewellers so that you get an authenticity certificate for the stone that you are purchasing. 

Actually, natural Rubies will have a lot of inclusions and imperfections which will be visible under the microscope. The Ruby is created under dangerous and erratic conditions under the Earth surface so it is quite natural that it will contain degrees and inclusions. However, the flaws are so tiny that they will be visible under the microscope to the eye of a trained gemologist only. Synthetic rubies are completely flawless and contain no inclusions as present in the original ones. It is also impossible to replicate the original infusions and make a perfect fake.

An original Ruby will pass the scratch test which means that if you scratch its surface using another stone or diamond then there will be no scratches at all. But if you find any scratch on the surface then it is a fake stone. 

Ruby that are naturally made are expensive. If you are buying a synthetic Ruby then expect the price to be at least around 20% less than the price of ruby stone. But if it is a fake then the price will be dirt cheap.