hows this unheated ruby?

[Agnesg]

There is this 2 carats, unheated slight purplish red ruby. Upon close look u can see some swirly inclusions. Cannot see at arm length. Seems redder in real. Priced at $2k. Can I know what do u think? thanks

 

[T L]

There is this 2 carats, unheated slight purplish red ruby. Upon close look u can see some swirly inclusions. Cannot see at arm length. Seems redder in real. Priced at $2k. Can I know what do u think? thanks

Rubies are a tricky thing. If you can't afford the best, 99% of them look meh, and are rather expensive.

1) Does it have a lab report, and if so, from what lab, can you show it?
2) It looks kind of brownish in the last photo, is it IRL?
3) There are many purplish red stones that are less expensive.

 

[minousbijoux]

First, I love the color in the first two photos. But like TL, it seems muddy and not as bright and clean in the last pic, so my question would be which is more true to life for color and does it hold its color in different lightings (as it appears in may not based on the last picture). Also, maybe its not there irl life but in the photos it looks to have that half n half, light/dark thing that ovals seem to have. For that much money, I would want to be able to look down and see a gorgeous stone all the time

 

[LD]

I've just come back from a trade show and can honestly tell you that I saw tons of rubies some being sold as natural and unheated and others as treated. Nearly all I saw were pinky red (similar to the colour in the photos on my monitor of yours). Hardly any were a real rich red which was a disappointment but not a surprise. If the gem doesn't come with a lab report I would say walk away. I saw a 6ct treated pear shape ruby for £50 (about $80) - and looking at it, you wouldn't have known it was treated. It was very pretty and if somebody wanted a treated gem (or wasn't concerned about treatments) would have been a real find!

 

[Agnesg]

Hello all! Actually all photos are not too close to real. It is alot my red in real, just very slight purple in white light. I cAn say in sunlight and yellow light there is no purple but red. Certainly no percentage of brown at all. Color holds in all light, only thing is if allow light to shine from side of pavilion,it kind of illuminate the swirly inclusions, it looks like a feather in the middle( does not touch the surface, looks like crack but not) should I be concern? Also, one small chip like a natural on the girdle(cannot see without loupe). Look down from the back there are 1-2dark spots at the sides, cannot see from face down. Cert is from Git, no heat.

 

[Agnesg]

Frankly no pink not even a tinge in real. What should I do go capture the real color? Thanks

 

[Pandora II]

For an unheated 2ct ruby that is redder than it looks in the pictures $2k is IMHO an incredible price and I would wonder what is off with it...

 

[Indylady]

I like it. I actually like it a lot, and if it is more 'red' than pictures show (I've had the same problem before when trying to capture a ruby), then the pricing is certainly very competitive in my opinion. Unheated rubies, especially around the 2ct mark, are hard to find and expensive as well. As a general rule, it is easy to criticize a gem, but it is hard to find a gem that will fit the critiques and the parameters wanted (ie treatment, size, color) for the price one wants. The 'ideal' red and the 'ideal' ruby will vary from person to person, and throwing photography/monitor settings into the mix makes the topic even more complicated. You need to figure out what you like best. Was it Richard Sherwood that is a bit of an expert on rubies? I don't recall exactly but you may consider contacting him for an evaluation. I don't like orange tones in my rubies, and I prefer a little purple. That's me. Others imagine their ideal ruby differently. You can refer to AGBF's ruby thread if you want to read a discussion on the color red. The search for 'the ruby' is generally a long and hard one, but it may be nearly impossible if you're trying to find an unheated 2ct ruby without any draw-backs for 2k. If you don't feel comfortable making a decision without further guidance, try asking a friend or two to come over to help with photography, and consider taking the ruby to an independent gemologist, and definitely make sure that it is tested by a reputable lab, and in the meantime, you can also consider opening a thread like AGBF's to ask for rec's. John at Simply Sapphires has a few larger rubies, and I believe I listed some of the details in AGBF's thread. If you like any of those, consider shooting him an email as well.

 

[T L]

Is it an African ruby? Just curious. I think $1K/ct is a good price if it's redder than the photos suggest, especially if it's untreated. Does it have fluorescence? That would indicate the lack of iron in the stone. Iron tends to make rubies kind of muddy.

 

[Agnesg]

It fluorescence! Very brightly under uv light. What does that indicate? It is 1.99 to be exact. Usd 2.4k tks for the uv testing idea, the red fluorescence is so captivating, hope it's a good sign!

 

[T L]

It fluorescence! Very brightly under uv light. What does that indicate? It is 1.99 to be exact. Usd 2.4k

Red spinels and rubies that fluoresce indicates they lack iron, which tends to muddy the color in these gems. The fluorescence also tends to amp the color up a notch in sunlight for these stones. UV fluor in rubies and red spinels is a good think IMO.

 

[Agnesg]

GlAd is a good sign that explain the red red I saw in yellow and daylight!

 

[Agnesg]

Should I be concern about the feather inclusion? And it can be seem at close range

 

[T L]

Should I be concern about the feather inclusion? And it can be seem at close range

Does it penetrate to the surface. Normally, the only thing that disturbs me with feathers is that if they're submerged in ultrasonic cleaners,the feather can grow. I would tend to avoid cleaning it, and also mention this to any jeweler that is setting it, as some jewelers are "ultrasonic cleaner happy." Rubies always have inclusions, like emeralds. If they don't, suspect a synthetic or simulant. Otherwise, if the color looks good to you, and the lab report seems to match the measurements of the stone, then I would be happy. I would also make sure that an independent gemologist with good experience in rubies does a double take on it. I'm anal that way when it comes to rubies. There are so many treated ones being sold as untreated, even with forged lab reports. You have to be really careful. I don't know where you got it from, but if you did get it off ebay, make sure you check toolhaus.org for feedback.

 

[Agnesg]

Thank you all! The seller said the chip on the girdle is a natural. So what's the diff with natural and chip? I got this from an online seller, she made my Xmas unheated blue sapphire ring last year at a good quality and price so I went back to her. She is to refund all money if I bring it to any independent lab for retest and the result differ from her git report.

 

[T L]

Thank you all! The seller said the chip on the girdle is a natural. So what's the diff with natural and chip? I got this from an online seller, she made my Xmas unheated blue sapphire ring last year at a good quality and price so I went back to her. She is to refund all money if I bring it to any independent lab for retest and the result differ from her git report.

If she has a GIT memo with it, I suspect she got it from a Thai seller (most probably an ebay dealer), or some online Thai seller.

I think it's a good idea to retest.

A natural is a an unpolished part of a cut stone, and usually left on the girdle in order to save weight. With rubies, it's rare to find a well cut one. Good material, in particular unheated good material, is very hard to come by, and it is mostly cut for weight rather than beauty, so you will find imperfections.

 

[Agnesg]

thank u for all replies!

 

[Pandora II]

Or it could mean that there was an inclusion there and when it was cut a tiny cavity was left at that point rather than the stone having been accidently chipped.

 

[Fly Girl]

Ed Bristol of Wildfishgems has written a piece about gemstones on photo. www.wildfishgems.com/gemstones_on_photo

Just over half way down is the section on rubies. He talks about how the photos of the best rubies will separate purple from red in the picture, although that is not what you see in person. That is what I am seeing in your pictures.

I think you have a beautiful stone. It all depends on how it looks to you in different lighting.

 

[Agnesg]

thank u for ll replies..i did not buy it..and i am kinda feeling a loss..in a way.