Selling a ruby
Sell your ruby without losing a large share to the spread
A ruby sold to the first cash buyer usually fetches well below what an end buyer would pay. Have your ruby's report checked (and, from $10k, the stone itself), sell it to a buyer who has passed KYC, and settle safely through Everystone, for a 0–5% commission when it sells.
What sets the price
What a buyer pays for in a ruby
Five things decide most of the price. A fair offer accounts for all of them; a low one usually prices in doubt about one of them.
Color
Color sets most of the price. Buyers pay for a pure, saturated red; a purple or orange tint costs a little, a dark or brownish tone costs a lot. “Pigeon's blood” is a color term some labs use for a narrow range of red under their own criteria, not a grade every report carries.
Treatment
Most rubies are heated, and the trade accepts it. An unheated ruby with a report that says so sells at a clear premium. A ruby whose fractures are filled with lead glass is a different product, worth a small fraction of either, and a report names it.
Origin
Burma (Myanmar), and Mogok above all, carries the strongest name; Mozambique supplies much of today's fine material; rubies from the Thai–Cambodian border tend to be darker. Origin moves the price only when a lab report states it.
The lab report
A buyer at the top of the market wants a recent report from a laboratory they recognize, stating species, weight, treatment and, if requested, origin. They also need to know the report describes the stone in front of them, not just a stone.
Size
Fine rubies over one carat are very rare, and the price per carat climbs steeply with weight: a 3-carat stone is not priced like three 1-carat stones of the same quality.
Rings and jewelry
Selling a ruby ring
In a ring, the ruby usually carries most of the resale value. Unless the piece is signed by a known jewelry house, the gold and the setting add less than people expect: a buyer prices the metal by weight, and may remount the stone anyway.
A lab can test a ruby while it is set, but the weight is then an estimate and the setting can hide what a gemologist needs to see. For a valuable stone, buyers often ask for it to be unmounted and reported loose. Tell the desk what you have (the ring, any papers, the receipt) and we will say which route makes sense before anything is taken apart.
The spread
Why the first cash offer is below what a buyer would pay
A dealer who buys your ruby for cash is buying risk as well as a stone. They don't know how long it will take to resell, their money is tied up until then, and without a recent lab report they must allow for the chance that the treatment or origin is not what you were told. The discount that covers all of that is the spread.
Auctions are not much kinder. At the major auction houses, as of October 2026, the seller's standard commission is about 10% and the buyer pays a 28% premium on top of the hammer price up to $2 million; what a buyer pays in premium comes out of what they are willing to bid.
Much of the spread is the price of doubt. A stone whose report has been checked against the lab's records, whose treatment is stated plainly, sold to a buyer whose money is held until they confirm, leaves far less room for it.
Selling through Everystone
How your ruby gets from the drawer to a buyer
Everystone does not buy stones. We check the stone and its paperwork, put it in front of buyers and settle the sale safely.
- 01
Tell the desk what you have
The stone, its report if there is one, and where it is now. The desk comes back within one business day with the route that fits its value.
- 02
Check the stone and its paper
The report is cross-checked against the lab's own records. If you want a passport, the stone itself is inspected against the report: $750 once per stone, optional at any price.
- 03
Put it in front of buyers
Privately through the sale-desk, or on the open shop: listed from your cabinet, or through a vetted dealer. Every buyer passes an identity check (KYC), and you are paid only after the buyer confirms the stone.
- 04
Protected payment, then payout
The buyer pays, and the money is held. When they confirm the stone, it is released to you: in full below $10k while we launch, less a 5% commission from $10k.
What it costs
What you pay, and when
A Registry record: free
For an individual owner: the stone's certificate cross-checked against the lab's records, with a QR page. A sensible first step at any value.
Listing it for sale: $20/month
You list the stone from your cabinet and pay the account when you list it; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. A lot is not published without it, and it is hidden again if the month lapses.
A passport, if you want one: $750
Optional at any price, once per stone: the stone inspected against its report, and a passport stating that this paper describes this stone. Order it to sell faster; otherwise a buyer can.
Commission on a sale: 0–5%
None below $10k while we launch: the buyer's premium pays our fee. 5% from $10k, charged only when the stone sells. The buyer pays their own premium (3–7% by deal value) and the settlement fee.
Custody from $30k: 3.5% a year
Optional, after a one-time custody onboarding: a free-zone vault in Bangkok, insurance at documented value, and a sale that never moves the stone.
Questions people ask
What is my ruby worth?
No one can price a ruby from a photo. Color, treatment, origin, size and the report together set the range, and a recent report from a recognized lab is the starting point. You set the asking price; the desk tells you if it looks out of line with the documents.
Can I sell a ruby without a lab report?
You can, but a buyer prices in the doubt, so expect a lower price. If your ruby has no report, getting one is usually the first step; the desk can tell you which kind of report a buyer at your price level will expect.
Does Everystone buy rubies?
No. Everystone holds no stock and buys nothing on its own account. We check the stone and its paperwork, bring buyers and settle the sale safely. If you need cash today, a dealer will pay it, at the spread described on this page.
Can I list it on the shop myself?
Yes. Open the stone in your cabinet, choose "Sell this stone", set your price and pay the $20/month account; the desk confirms the payment and reviews the lot before it goes live. You can also sell through a vetted dealer. Either way the deal settles safely through Everystone.
What does it cost to sell?
Registering a stone is free. To sell it, list it from your cabinet and pay the $20/month account; the lot goes live once the desk confirms the payment and reviews it. The commission is charged only when the stone sells: none below $10k while we launch (the buyer's premium pays our fee), 5% from $10k. A passport is optional at any price: the stone checked against its report, $750 once per stone. The buyer pays their own premium and the settlement fee.
Ready to sell your ruby?
Tell the desk what you have. You'll hear back within one business day with the route, what it costs and what a buyer will ask to see.