Like most valuable gemstones, false claims, mispresentations, and fraudulent practices exist for the sale of rubies. Always have your ruby checked by a qualified gemologist-appraiser before closing the sale. Any fine ruby purchased today should have a laboratory report with it. Here are some ruby scams that you should look out for when buying rubies:

1. Filling fractures or cracks in the ruby with filler material in order to hide fractures, or improve clarity or color. This treatment is also not permanent and in fact may hide a stone that is defective structurally.

2. Using red foil on the back of a closed-back jewelry piece in order to intensify the color of a pale or poor-quality ruby. This is more commonly found in antique ruby jewelry.

3. Selling an ruby doublet, which is a composite stone comprised a real ruby top bonded to a colored glass bottom. This is more commonly found in antique jewelry.