  The binding energies of trions ($X^+$, $X^-$) and biexciton (XX) in
self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are very sensitive to the
geometry and chemical composition of the QDs, and are random from dots to dots.
However, in this letter, we show through analytical and numerical methods that
the transition energies of the exciton complexes in self-assembled quantum dots
and rings follow a simple and robust rule, i.e., the sum of exciton and
biexciton transition energies minus the transition energies of trions is always
positive and almost a constant for the same type of quantum dots and rings as a
consequence of a pure Coulomb correlation effect. More interestingly, this
quantity show a sharp transition when the topology change from a dot to a ring.
This {\it hidden} correlation effect, directly measurable in experiments,
offers a useful way to understand the photoluminescence spectra of
self-assembled quantum dots and rings.
