In love with this Ring! Please Help!!!!

[tenyearanniversary]

Be diffused really is going to be the way forward. You can get red garnets but they won't look anything like a ruby and in a 4ct size will be very dark.

Please be careful if you start looking at rubies - there are many on the market that look great, but they are lead-glass filled (sometimes a lot more glass than ruby) and the minute a jeweller tries to set them they will run into problems - torches will melt them, pickling solution will eat away at the glass (even lemon juice is damaging).

Top rubies are the most expensive stones bar natural coloured diamonds. Top rubies, sapphires and emeralds will blow the price of a similar size white diamond out of the water - they are by no means a cheap alternative.

Just for information, synthetic emeralds are not cheap as the production process is very long - I've bought natural emerald sidestones for less than the cost of synthetics!

Thank you so much for letting me know that about synthetic emeralds and lead-glass filled rubies. How will I know if a ruby is lead glass-filled? Only if it is certified natural? Any test I can do?

 

[tenyearanniversary]

ERD makes a similar setting...
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/vintage-platinum-ring-pid-1055-44.html

Wow, that is very similar! The knowledge you guys have is unbelievable! Thanks!

 

[tenyearanniversary]

Sooo.......the question I have is do BE diffused stones look different than untreated colored stones? How do they look different? Under a loupe or even to the eye? How does one find a BE diffused stone?

 

[Pandora II]

Beryllium diffusion involves heating corundum to just below melting point along with beryllium - at this temperature, it is possible for the beryllium atoms to diffuse into the lattice structure and change the colour of the stone.

The 'look' is the same as a natural sapphire/ruby - they are just too good to be true! There is absolutely nothing wrong with a Be treated stone as long as they are disclosed. All these treatments allow people who couldn't afford a natural stone to have something beautiful and affordable.

The downside is that they don't really hold any value.

Under a loupe there will be a lack of natural inclusions, but maybe some that indicate Be treatment.

With lead-glass, there are ways to tell, but you would need experience to do it. The big give away is the price. Fine rubies are $$$$. If it looks too good to be true then it is.

Gemselect has Be treated stones and is reputable.

 

[chrono]

A lead glass filled ruby is still considered a natural ruby. There are tell tale signs that one can look for but really, only an experienced person will be able to recognize them.

Most BE diffused stones are drop dead gorgeous. The infusion of the mineral beryllium gives the sapphire excellent saturation. It is essentially a dye that is infused evenly and deeply into the gemstone. It is a permanent treatment and will not wash out, fade or scratch out. To the naked eye, they still look like regular gemstones other than the "too good to be true" colour. Even under the loupe, they sometimes still show inclusions. Signs of the diffusion treatment can sometimes be spotted via microscopic examination by a skilled person.

 

[pregcurious]

If you're concerned about a ruby being lead-glass filled, you can send it to AGL to get a "Gem Brief" report for $55. To test for BE-diffusion is much more expensive:
http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/Rates.aspx

 

[T L]

If you're concerned about a ruby being lead-glass filled, you can send it to AGL to get a "Gem Brief" report for $55. To test for BE-diffusion is much more expensive:
http://www.aglgemlab.com/services/Rates.aspx

It can be if you cannot diagnostically test for it, which is sometimes the case. It cost me only $55 for the gem brief (+ S&H back and forth in the mail), to test one sapphire for beryllium, and around $200 for another sapphire's testing including S&H. Always assume the higher amount though. If you're lucky, then you don't have to pay the extra $100 for the more expensive testing.