Heated 1ct. Burma ruby prices

[mastercut]

Hello,
could you advise me please how much would cost a fine quality heated 1ct. burmese ruby?
Thanks to everyone!

 

[T L]

If only heat, I would think anywhere from $7K to $10K. That is if its the fine color and decent clarity. The last I checked was over a year ago however.

 

[mastercut]

If only heat, I would think anywhere from $7K to $10K. That is if its the fine color and decent clarity. The last I checked was over a year ago however.

Thank you very much! Wow... that´s really expensive... So a fine quality burmese ruby with a conventional heat treatment wouldn´t cost below 5K?..

 

[T L]

If only heat, I would think anywhere from $7K to $10K. That is if its the fine color and decent clarity. The last I checked was over a year ago however.

Thank you very much! Wow... that´s really expensive... So a fine quality burmese ruby with a conventional heat treatment wouldn´t cost below 5K?..

To truly determine the quality, I would send it to the American Gemological Lab in NYC for a comprehensive quality report, or Prestige report, which specifies the overall qualityof the stone in regards to saturation, hue, tone, clarity and the origin. I would say that a stone that is defined as "Red" hued, Burmese origin ruby in "Very Good to Excellent" overall rating, with only heat treatment and no filling, would be worth in the $7 to $10K range, from what I've seen. You also need to determine all possible treatment on it, as rubies are quite frequently lead glass filled, rendering them very low in value.

If you're really lucky, you might get one for lower than that, but not by much, unless you found the most unknowledgable seller ever, and they had no idea what they were selling. Most sellers of rubies know what they're selling, so if you see a very fine ruby, with minimal heat treatment, going for very little, I would proceed with great caution. Never ever ever buy a ruby, or any expensive stone, without getting it's lab work done.

 

[Pandora II]

There are many, many variables at play here that will determine the price, but I would think it definitely possible to do under $5k.

I looked on a UK site where I have seen the stones in person and know that the quality is high - they also specialise in unheated. There's a very nice 1.06ct heated stone here for just under $2k (the price also includes the 20% sales tax we pay, so the price for the USA would actually be more like $1,600) http://www.topgem.co.uk/acatalog/Ruby_1014146.html

Here's one from Richard W Wise - 0.80ct for $1600 http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1288.. Might be worth having a chat with him to see if he's got other goodies not on the website.

Burmese goods are becoming scarce - Richard was there last year and IIRC found little to nothing even available. Other dealers I know have also reported not much coming out at present. I'm presuming that you are also in the USA so there is also the issue that your government has a ridiculous ban on importing Burmese rubies (okay to import spinels that are found in the exact same localities though ).

I had a quick check on Palagems but they don't have any Burmese rubies in your size range - they were all Thai.

Good luck in the hunt - I think you are wise to include heated stones in your criteria as it really ups the chance of finding the right stone. Please do be very careful and avoid anything that looks too good to be true - there are vast quantities of lead-glass filled rubies on the market which are often more glass than ruby. It's an easy job for an expert to spot with nothing more than a loupe, but if you don't know what to look for then they are very, very pretty and convincing to look at.

 

[minousbijoux]

I would love to have a beautiful, glowing ruby, but I keep thinking if the U.S., with the artifical ban on the import of Burma rubies, has impacted the availability and therefore the price, that I should just wait, cause sooner or later the embargo will be lifted. But maybe the production is already diminishing?

 

[Pandora II]

I would love to have a beautiful, glowing ruby, but I keep thinking if the U.S., with the artifical ban on the import of Burma rubies, has impacted the availability and therefore the price, that I should just wait, cause sooner or later the embargo will be lifted. But maybe the production is already diminishing?

I'm afraid that the US ban doesn't actually count for much - other than stopping you guys from buying rubies!

The big boys in the market these days are countries like China, not the USA.

The prices will only keep on going up due not only to the increased desire and demand worldwide but also because there just isn't the quality or quantity coming out of the ground.

 

[minousbijoux]

I'm afraid that the US ban doesn't actually count for much - other than stopping you guys from buying rubies!

The big boys in the market these days are countries like China, not the USA.

The prices will only keep on going up due not only to the increased desire and demand worldwide but also because there just isn't the quality or quantity coming out of the ground.

Sigh. That is what I was afraid of. I guess I'll have to start saving my pennies and then start shopping at gem shows to see a bunch of them IRL...

 

[Imdanny]

The big boys in the market these days are countries like China, not the USA.

US total economic activity is only slightly less than the Euro zone. I'd say that makes the US a pretty significant market. The US has a huge GDP and as often as I read about China's new billionaires, I remember how many US billionaires there were in the mid-80's, less than 20. Now if you read Forbes' list, by the time you get to the 400th place, you aren't at 250 million; you're at over a billion. The US economy as a whole isn't in good shape, but there is plenty of money available for people who can afford them to buy luxuries.

I'm curious, never having seen the two in front of me for a comparison, what are the visual differences between a heated ruby and one that isn't, all other things being equal? In other words, is the lack of heating a "mind clean" issue or is there actually a large perceptible difference between a ruby that has been heated vs one that has not?

I have the same question about sapphires.

 

[Pandora II]

The big boys in the market these days are countries like China, not the USA.

US total economic activity is only slightly less than the Euro zone. I'd say that makes the US a pretty significant market. The US has a huge GDP and as often as I read about China's new billionaires, I remember how many US billionaires there were in the mid-80's, less than 20. Now if you read Forbes' list, by the time you get to the 400th place, you aren't at 250 million; you're at over a billion. The US economy as a whole isn't in good shape, but there is plenty of money available for people who can afford them to buy luxuries.

I'm curious, never having seen the two in front of me for a comparison, what are the visual differences between a heated ruby and one that isn't, all other things being equal? In other words, is the lack of heating a "mind clean" issue or is there actually a large perceptible difference between a ruby that has been heated vs one that has not?

I have the same question about sapphires.

I'm talking in terms of buying gemstones - the chinese buyers are literally sweeping the board as demand is growing so much in their country with the rise of the middle-classes, not general economics.

There is no visual difference whatsoever between a heated and unheated stone - until you get it under a microscope. Even then it can be tricky in many cases to be absolutely sure. It's very much a mind-clean thing. About 95% of all sapphires and rubies have been heat-treated.

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

You could also check out rubies from other locations. Afghanistan has some great pieces, they are as close to Burma as I have seen. Plus the prices are not as high usually.

 

[minousbijoux]

So Jim, when are you going to come home and load up your website with your great Afghani finds? Wasn't it you who said you had found some big ruby crystals? I'd be interested in chatting with you about them....

 

[Barrett]

China and India be sweepin' the rug out from under the market..Pandora you are correct..

I hear it from most everyone now these days..especially since the big Hong Kong show just ended