I bought a $65 ruby for fun. What do you think?

[georgecostanza]

I came across this highly included 1.17 ct ruby on Gem Rock Auctions for $65. I figured it would be glass filled or otherwise horrible in some way, but the seller was upfront about the inclusions and had GFCO certification. Multiple of the seller's more expensive stones also had GFCO certs and were Mozambican, so it seemed like they bought a batch of gems and sent them in for certification in bulk. They shipped it with Thailand Post, and it arrived 5 weeks later. GFCO claims it's unheated, pinkish-red, and Mozambican. It has every inclusion you can name, but the thing has some clarity and fluoresces an intense neon red-pink in the right conditions. It's not the most valuable stone I own, but I'm pretty happy with it for the price. Am I missing something that would make it worth only $65? Is it a dud? I'm kicking myself for not also buying the seller's other slightly larger rubies, which someone else beat me to.

 

[Avondale]

Am I missing something that would make it worth only $65?

I don't think so. When the clarity reaches a certain level of poor, the price plummets. But for the enthusiast who wants the opportunity to observe "every inclusion you can name" this can actually be a silver lining. You could examine it more closely to see whether any of the inclusions present a threat to the structural integrity of the stone - talking about surface reaching fissures or larger fractures. Things like this make a gem unsafe to set in jewellery, thus significantly lower its desirability, which in turn impacts the price.

I'm kicking myself for not also buying the seller's other slightly larger rubies

Why? Be glad instead you have this one.

 

[georgecostanza]

I don't think so. When the clarity reaches a certain level of poor, the price plummets. But for the enthusiast who wants the opportunity to observe "every inclusion you can name" this can actually be a silver lining. You could examine it more closely to see whether any of the inclusions present a threat to the structural integrity of the stone - talking about surface reaching fissures or larger fractures. Things like this make a gem unsafe to set in jewellery, thus significantly lower its desirability, which in turn impacts the price.



Why? Be glad instead you have this one.

You're probably right that it's the inclusions that make it less valuable. I am a bit of an inclusion connoisseur haha. I'm pretty surprised that the stone remains brilliant given the amount of inclusions, and it's definitely not opaque. The silk is oddly attractive and seems to be helping to bounce around some light. I don't see anything surface reaching, but there are a couple of fingerprints and a couple of darker (maybe graphite?) inclusions that aren't as easy to spot with the eye.

I am so greedy. The seller had 3 more, and the others were larger. I bought this one to see if it matched up with the seller's photos before buying them all, but I wanted them all

 

[Avondale]

I am so greedy. The seller had 3 more, and the others were larger. I bought this one to see if it matched up with the seller's photos before buying them all, but I wanted them all

Don't regret it. Hindsight is 20/20 but you did the correct thing at the time with the information you had available. Knowing when and how much of a risk to take is far more valuable than 3 other bigger but still heavily included rubies. Next time the vendor will have manipulated the photos and you will receive an actual dud, and the loss would hurt a lot less if there wasn't a significant amount of money involved.

 

[georgecostanza]

All true. The process matters

 

[Karl_K]

It sounds like a fun stone and the price seems reasonable given the market these days.

I also love stones with neat inclusions.
I have spent hours looking at stones with a loupe to find neat looking inclusions.

 

[Autumn in New England]

What a fun purchase! I mean, could you go wrong for the price?! And if it is indeed untreated and just the way mother earth made it, then that is an added bonus.

 

[glitterata]

Love it!

 

[Gloria27]

Score!
Pretty Ruby, I'd wear that!

 

[georgecostanza]

What a fun purchase! I mean, could you go wrong for the price?! And if it is indeed untreated and just the way mother earth made it, then that is an added bonus.

It was really fun to buy such a low pressure gem! I'm tempted to send it in for a better certification.

More pics:

 

[LightBright]

It’s pretty! Nice find.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

if it was mine i would spend days just looking at it through my loope
its very lolly like


i cant wait to see what it might become