Cheap lab created ruby earrings are not exactly what you think. They’re often a richer color and have better clarity than the genuine stones of lesser quality that are used in more expensive ruby jewelry for sale online. So, in order to answer the question if it’s worth buying the cheap earrings or are there better options, we must first take a look at what the price differences actually are and then you must decide how much value you place on having a stone that was mined versus one that was created.
If you shop at places like Angara, you can get genuine ruby earrings that have been heat treated for about $70 when on sale. And regular items that cost between $100 and $300, which are genuine but have been enhanced, offer great value, however the lab created items are also about the same price, are also set in gold and are even richer colors, in some cases they even look more real than the real ones. The dilemma is this: when you want a piece of jewelry that’s affordable, that costs less than a few hundred dollars, that’s not really an investment, that’s mostly an item of good quality but takes the place of costume jewelry, it doesn’t really matter if you choose a real stone or a created one. Why? Because in terms of monetary value they’re both worth about the same, although, surprisingly some created gems may be worth more. Let’s look at the facts.
If a pair of lab created earrings set in gold costs $100, let’s say they’re a pair of simple hoops or studs, you need to look at what a similar design costs in the same gold design but without any gems. You’ll be surprised to notice that it’s hard to find a simple pair of solid gold earrings that cost under $100. Now add rubies and see how the price changes. If the price goes up by $10 or $20 for a genuine heat treated or enhanced stone, you know how much that gem is worth. Almost nothing. What you’re paying for is the gold not the ruby….you only start to pay for a quality gemstone when the prices is in the hundreds. When a pair of hoops with 4 or 5 rubies costs $600, and a pair of gold hoops costs $100, you know that your gems are worth around $500. Then if you look at a lab created version and it costs $350 for something similar you know how much the value of the stone is rated.
The best advice I can give you about buying low quality and cheap gemstone jewelry versus lab created (and this applies to rubies as well as every other possible stone that’s made by man) is that the manufactured jewelry for sale online that is mass produced using low quality enhanced gems. This is no better or worse than the lab created gems. And since they have no investment value, the decision regarding what to buy and what is good value depends entirely on what you want in terms of color, shape and design. The only other advice is that you should buy gold (white or yellow) because that’s the only part of the jewelry that has value. If you choose to buy silver earrings instead of gold, you will find that they won’t hold their value.