Natural Star Ruby Help

[chictomato]

Hi there! Please tell me your view if this is consider a good collector specimen. And if its a worthy buy? Its selling at $299 (EDITED-sorry for the error!) with certification from NGI Singapore. Thanks

Color: Purplish-RED
Dimension: App 8.3 x 7 x 6.8mm
Weight: 3.91ct
Cut: Oval Cab
Clarity: Semi-Transparent (High Quality)
Hardness: 9
Treatment: None at all
Luster: Excellent Six Ray Star Effect!
Origin: Sri-Lanka

 

[chictomato]

 

[chictomato]

 

[chictomato]

 

[Indylady]

Its beautiful but over-priced in my opinion. All of those pictures are taken with a very direct light source, and while 3 cts is big, it is not "so" large as a cabachon and is actually a pretty normal size. I do think that its pretty, but $600 is just when I''ve seen star sapphires for under $100 or $200 too much IMHO. A quality star with six fully formed rays, and centered, is expensive, but the one you''ve posted looks similar to others I''ve seen for less.

Perhaps others will chime in? Arcadian has a nice star sapphire from srilankamall that is very pretty. Here''s a 3ct ruby cab from Barry for $100 link to Barry but without a star.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 3/24/2010 12:13:58 AM
Author: IndyLady
Its beautiful but over-priced in my opinion. All of those pictures are taken with a very direct light source, and while 3 cts is big, it is not ''so'' large as a cabachon and is actually a pretty normal size. I do think that its pretty, but $600 is just when I''ve seen star sapphires for under $100 or $200 too much IMHO. A quality star with six fully formed rays, and centered, is expensive, but the one you''ve posted looks similar to others I''ve seen for less.


Perhaps others will chime in? Arcadian has a nice star sapphire from srilankamall that is very pretty. Here''s a 3ct ruby cab from Barry for $100 link to Barry but without a star.

Hi Indylady thanks for the reply! I apologize for the error it is $299 include report, not 699! I think Barry''s ruby is opaque. He mentioned that this is semi-transparent (which caught my eyes), but the star is not as sharp as I would like it to be,do you think its a worthy buy?

 

[VapidLapid]

I really love these stones I love star phenomena and moonstone, that amazing color flash you get from finnish spectrolite...I always have my eye out for them but I''ve never taken one home. Are these photos from the vendor or did you already get it on approval? if you have it can we see it with diffuse light and no star? It looks weak in both asterism and color. If a sapphire of this color were clean and faceted it would be hard to find someone who would call it a ruby. Semi-transparent seems to me no different than semi-opaque. You can get way better for your money. you can get way better for less money. especially if this is just a collector specimen which then could be fine at 1.5 carat, and if not so deep (there''s no worry of windowing) may face up as much the same footprint. If you have it on approval it would be great if you could share some vendor photos AND your photos for comparison. I am always tempted to buy one of these from some far away land of no recourse but keep stopping myself.

 

[VapidLapid]

what do you think of this?

http://www.starruby.in/store/burmese-star-rubies/1-86-carat-pinkish-red-burmese-star-ruby-with-sharp-6-ray-star

 

[Indylady]

$299 sounds much better

. I still hope that someone else will chime in, but I think $299 is reasonable. However, I''d still want to know that there is a return policy/etc and ask for pictures in other light sources.

 

[Michael_E]

FWIW, stars and catseyes all REQUIRE a single, direct light source to see their phenomenal properties at their best. When viewed in diffuse light they will only show a slight hazy reflection, kind of like those old shimmery buttons in grandma's botton tin. If someone is showing stars and eyes in these stones under diffuse light, then they've Photoshopped the effect. Also multiple lights will show multiple stars and this can be used to trick you into thinking that you've really found something special, (when it'nothing unusual). As for determining good quality stones, it's imperative that you be shown the sides and bottom of the stone to determine the translucency and extent of any fractures as well as how deeply cut the stone is. Many of these types of stones are cut with backs so round that the stone looks more like a ball than a cab. The more information and views you can get the better. This applies to all gems and these sorts of stones are no exception. I've attached a picture of a natural, very dark blue star sapphire which has been backlit to easily show the large fracture running through it, (not visible in normal lighting). It would be nice to know this if a person was buying a stone at some expense.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:15:54 AM
Author: Michael_E
FWIW, stars and catseyes all REQUIRE a single, direct light source to see their phenomenal properties at their best. When viewed in diffuse light they will only show a slight hazy reflection, kind of like those old shimmery buttons in grandma''s botton tin. If someone is showing stars and eyes in these stones under diffuse light, then they''ve Photoshopped the effect. Also multiple lights will show multiple stars and this can be used to trick you into thinking that you''ve really found something special, (when it''nothing unusual). As for determining good quality stones, it''s imperative that you be shown the sides and bottom of the stone to determine the translucency and extent of any fractures as well as how deeply cut the stone is. Many of these types of stones are cut with backs so round that the stone looks more like a ball than a cab. The more information and views you can get the better. This applies to all gems and these sorts of stones are no exception. I''ve attached a picture of a natural, very dark blue star sapphire which has been backlit to easily show the large fracture running through it, (not visible in normal lighting). It would be nice to know this if a person was buying a stone at some expense.

Hi there thanks to all the input! I was wondering if a uneven back like this white sapphire is acceptable, or does it bring down the value? there is no fracture.

 

[chictomato]

Back lit

 

[chrono]

Chic,
It is a decent stone if you really like it. The colour is not particularly outstanding and the star isn’t very strong. I also wonder about the side and bottom of the stone; to see the shape, the clarity and translucency.

Indy,
My guess with the direct light source is to show off the star? But you do bring up a good point; there are times when the star will not be seen and it’s good to see what it’ll look like then as well.

 

[movie zombie]

again, Michael E, a great post! i''ll remember this one!

mz

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 3/24/2010 2:29:27 AM
Author: chictomato
Hi there thanks to all the input! I was wondering if a uneven back like this white sapphire is acceptable, or does it bring down the value? there is no fracture.

An uneven back can make setting the stone more difficult, but doesn''t really affect value. A dramatically bulging, rounded back can make setting a nightmare as keeping it in place is almost impossible without recutting the back. A very round back also adds a huge amount of weight to the stone without an increase in size, so can make a stone very expensive for it''s face up size, since stone are sold by weight and not by their dimensions. Small fractures on the backs are almost a given and not a big deal unless they are large enough to be seen from the front or they affect the stones durability. That''s a very nice white sapphire chictomato.

Fractures and small pits are the most common types of inclusions in sapphires like this and they often have orange colored staining from iron oxide inclusions. Sellers of course want to downplay these types of inclusions and so will try sort of hide them in the pictures they take. When looking at pictures it helps to see if you can notice a distinct orangy color change in localized areas which might indicate a noticeable stained fracture. This is also a good thing to look for in faceted sapphires. I''ve seen a number of pictures showing pink sapphires which have, to me, obvious stained internal fractures that the seller was trying to downplay or in the worst case, attempting to pass off as orange dichroism in the stone, (dichroism is even and follows crystal axes, fractures are localized to one area of the stone).

 

[StonieGrl]

Hi Chic:

The 6-ray star ruby I bought at Tucson was 7+ ct and $16/ct.

I don''t know if that info will be of assistance, but there you have it.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 3/24/2010 1:06:38 PM
Author: StonieGrl
Hi Chic:


The 6-ray star ruby I bought at Tucson was 7+ ct and $16/ct.


I don't know if that info will be of assistance, but there you have it.

Hi there! Thanks to all the replies!

Michael E- thank you for those detailed info!
StonieGrl-Wow 7 carats sounds BIG I could not find the thread though, will you be able to provide a link? TIA

Btw I would appreciate a little help to choose a Cateye

 

[StonieGrl]

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/burma-6-star-ruby.137077/

Here ya go, Chic.

I have not set this yet, I look at it about once a day and smile Going to go with 18kt yellow gold, hopefully in a lotus ring as a nod to this stone''s origins, plus I love Sally''s lotus rings.