ruby engagement ring (antique)

[sweetniti515]

I have been reading everything about diamonds for my e-ring for a long time now. My heart was all set on a radiant diamond with a 1:1.3 in platinum. But I just love the antique rings from movies I watched as a child. With the radiant I thought a simple band was gorgeous and an antinque setting would be cluttered or gaudy. I finally decided perhaps what I really want is a ruby center stone with diamonds around it or on the side. I think it would also make a sentimental thing to pass down to future children. However, now with everything I read about diamonds, I know nothing about rubies or where to start. I have a gf who is going to Burma and can pick me up any ruby but how do we even begin to know if it's a quality ruby and is there such a thing as a "clear" or "sparkly" ruby??? I already know my setter (another gf's mother who works in the diamond district in NYC who do great work), she told me to definately save myself the money and get a quality ruby from Burma. I feel pretty lucky to have these friends, but now where do I go from here???

PS. Does anyone else feel a little pressure about having a "non" traditional e-ring? Some ppl have already commented how it would seem "cheap" or "not the way e-rings" are supposed to be.

 

[valeria101]

Going to "the source" to buy such things is usually regarded as a fallacy - simply because US is the largest jewelry retail market, not Burma. So it is very likely that the better Burmese stones would pass via the US before ending in jewelry anywhere. Not that it is impossible to find a good ruby in Burma - sounds hilarious, right

but with mostly professional buyers (and not very informed tourists) getting their merchandise there... it would be a safer deal on the mainland.

On the other hand, it would be great to have a trustworthy connection at the source - but that would need to be a professional, not just a very good intentioned but not knowledgeable person. I hope this does not sound bad - I am just trying a firm warning.

On Pricescope, you will find the company of at least one local gemologist (avatar Mogok)

... and my long amateur's posts, for better or worse. The idea of a ruby engagement ring sounds lovely to me, by all means. And of course there are clean and brilliant ones - just not as many as diamonds.

 

[katbadness]

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On 7/6/2004 5:05:12 PM sweetniti515 wrote:

PS. Does anyone else feel a little pressure about having a 'non' traditional e-ring? Some ppl have already commented how it would seem 'cheap' or 'not the way e-rings' are supposed to be.----------------

BTW, a fine quality ruby can be more expensive than diamond (and harder to find!), so 'cheap' it certainly is not

!! However, it may appear so to those who don't know.

And certainly, a ruby will make for a more unusual center stone for an e-ring. This is where your preference (and in some sense, your perception of the gemstone hierarchy - for lack of a better word) comes into play. The traditional stone of choice is diamond, but even some royalties chose rubies or sapphires for their engagement ring.

People may pressure (talk, etc. etc. etc.) about the non-traditional choice, sure. The question is, do you feel pressured?

So at the end of the day, it all depends on one's preference. Having a ruby e-ring will definitely make your e-ring non-traditional, do you mind having something that is 'different' from the norm?

Imagine this, some of us (like me!

) would actually prefer being given a ruby than a diamond!

 

[valeria101]

radiant ruby ? I guess that is also possible. And you might like the old rings on display at THIS antique shop ( as a side note, it is their reputation for Faberge objects, not the provenance of all the stock that brought the silly name)...

 

[innerkitten]

It's okay to be "non traditional" I kind of wanted a ruby or sapphire for my engagement ring but instead I got an old european cut diamond. I'm planning to set a sapphire for a right hand ring though.
I've seen a few gemstone engagement rings on pricescope, in fact there is an emerald engagement ring in the show me the ring section right now.

 

[innerkitten]

I was looking at the site Val posted. Saw this really pretty ruby ring with diamonds around it.

http://www.alvr.com/item.html?sku=2373

 

[valeria101]

It seems that the ruby in the respective antique ring is priced at about 10k/ct

Well... thanks guys for keeping the legend alive, but I bet a nice one can be had at a more reasonable price - especially given the size below 2cts.

The pics below were shown to me as "plans for a ring"... while asked for an opinion (much like things go on PS). And one is supposed to exercise restraint

Anyway, it looked to good to keep on the HD.

And some of the well known engangement ring makers do hold permanent lines of colored stone rings to make things easier. Such as THESE, and THIS

 

[valeria101]

As for : "PS. Does anyone else feel a little pressure about having a "non" traditional e-ring? Some ppl have already commented how it would seem "cheap" or "not the way e-rings" are supposed to be."


Well... you can send whoever in need to me for rehab

I am not a big fan for a rather common practice to give "diamond equivalent" prices for colored gems, but sometimes it helps with public relations

So, let's say I would expect good looking ruby to be priced starting at around G-VS diamond prices, with no upper limit, since ruby is allegedly the most expensive gem material (ruby, natural emerald and diamond are mentioned for this title, depending on whom you ask and what you measure). Keeping weight below 3cts - the top transaction price I know of is 35k/ct: you can cite that too. Above that line, no idea - I should be dealing with these to know, and unfortunately this is far from reality these days.

The good news? There are definitely not enough decent ruby in every town's mall to expect every passer by to evaluate your stone right on target. So you can forgive whatever confusion might occur

 

[bar01]

I know what you mean about the pressure to buy a pure Diamond E - Ring. I am considering a three stone ring with a Saphhire as a center stone and diamonds as side stones. Honestly, I think the whole diamond market is controlled and overpriced. Saphhires and rubies are more rare and you get a better value. Colored stones for E- rings are becoming more popular. Often you hear about the British Royal family and their choices of rubies or sapphires for E-Rings. I think it is great to stand out.

 

[chialea]

There are all sorts of beauty, it's nice to have a choice. This emerald e-ring someone GLudlow posted recently is a stunner!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/picture-of-e-ring.16516/

 

[mogok]

Hello Sweetniti515,
Well, an engagement ring with a ruby can be for sure a good idea, to buy the ruby in Burma can also be interesting but its not as easy at it seems. In fact the best place to buy a ruby is probably in Bangkok, it is the place in which you have the larger choice.
The questions you will have to ask yourself is first:

1) For which reason do you want to buy the stone?
2) Do you have any problem with a stone that was heat treated?
3) Do you have any restriction regarding to the origin of the stone?
4) And of course how much can you spend on this gem?

I will try to help you dealing with that:
1) If you want to have a stone for an engagement ring the first questions are what is the size of the stone you want? What color (Red is not enough as the human eye can see more than 1000 different variation in red) and then you want to go for brilliancy, or for color? In the last question the underlying thing is do you accept your stone to have some inlcusions or not?
And finally what are your limit regarding to the symetry of the stone? If you want a round or a heart shape ruby: Things can can become more complicated as these shapes are not that usual...
Well that's quite a lot... but if you want a 3 carats perfectly red ruby with an excellent brilliancy and a good cut then the stone will be probably more expensive than a diamond...

2) Most of the rubies in the market are heated in order to remove a purplish overcast or to improve the brilliance of the stone dissolving some inlcusions like silk. But some people prefer gemstone as natural as possible just cut and polished. Question of taste and of price.

3) If you read a book about gems you will see all the time dealing with rubies the words: Burma, Mogok... These stone can be beautiful and some would love to have a gemstone coming from this famous origin. Beauty should not be linked to origin as you have beautiful Vietnamese or Afghan rubies... but romance?

4) regarding to what you are ready to compromise with, you will be able to find that you will possibly find what you are searching for this price or not... but anyway rubies are not diamonds: It is not that easy to find the stone of your dreams.

But whatever if you are ready to spend the price for a fine 3 carat over ruby, you should take the time to study and to decide exactly what fit to your need, because at the end you have to be happy with your gem.

Anyway I can possibly help you on this topic as rubies and sapphire from Burma are my favorite domain of interest along with spinels.
Fell confortable to contact me, I would be happy to help you.

All the best,