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Real vs manmade sapphire

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Cocobean22

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 1, 2014
Messages
20
I am sure everyone is sick of this question, but I have to ask. I am newly engaged and helped with the ring buying process. I was intrigued by all that goes into finding a diamond and learned so much. I am just waiting for the ring to be resized to be able to flaunt it. Now, since the ring buying has peaked my interest in diamonds and stones I am interested in learning about a sapphire ring I have. My grandmother passed almost 2 years ago and I found a sapphire ring in her jewelry box that I was told I could keep. My aunt brushed it off as if it weren't real because she had never seen my grandmother wearing it. It is set in 14k yellow gold with 10 small accent diamonds (also don't know if they are real) Anyways I do intend on taking it to a jeweler, but I am planning on getting it resized and possibly having it set in platinum or white gold (if that's possible) I want to wear it at my wedding (something old and blue ) and in memory of my grandma. I honestly don't care if it's man made, just want to know what kind of value it may have if I ever wish to pass it down

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Another photo

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You need to take it to a gemmologist
 
I agree with treasure hunter, you're going to have to send it to a lab. Real or not though it's quite pretty. It'll look fabulous on you wedding day I'm sure. :))
 
That's a very pretty ring. Without a lab's looking at it, there's no way to tell -- but I'd wear it happily anyhow. Perfect for your wedding.
 
If you want to see it in a white metal, you can get it rhodium plated. It won,t be a durable finish, but it is okay for occasional wear.

I would sent this to AGL for a GemBrief. They are the gold standard, and an independent appraiser is often more expensive. If you need an appraisal for insurance, an appraiser can do that as AGL will not.
 
you have received good advice on how to obtain accurate monetary value on the ring [which a jeweler is not going to be able to do].

however, I would posit that should you decide to pass this ring on to someone later that the EMOTIONAL value of your grandmother's ring is priceless. you value this ring and want to wear it at your wedding because of her. hopefully, another family member will feel the same.
 
Thank you all for your responses. :) how do I go about sending it to AGL? What kind of fee is associated with that? Sorry, all of this is foreign to me. Is there any risk to the stone with the testing they have to perform? Thanks for your time everyone.

Is there a possibility it could be tanzanite or another stone completely, or is it safe to say it's either a lab created or natural sapphire? This is also important to me because it's Grandma's birthstone, so it's just perfect if it's a sapph! appl:
 
Movie zombie. Absolutely! As I said, the monetary value and finding out what it is is more for my curiosity just because none of us ever saw her wearing it. Therefore I know nothing about the history, how she obtained it, etc. and with her no longer here to tell me, I'm just curious.

Real or not it's her's and that is more than enough for me :)
 
If it's just for curiosity's sake and not for valuation purposes, what about shining a UV light on the ring? If one or more of the halo stones has blue fluorescence, I'd guess they're diamonds -- at least, that's a technique I used a little while ago deciding whether or not to buy a $20 thrift store ring. :) No fluorescence doesn't mean anything one way or another, just, I think the only diamond-like stones that have blue fluorescence are diamonds, right? Any actual gemologists who could confirm/deny?
 
You can find the prices for AGL services and their address here:
http://aglgemlab.com/pricelist/

You will probably have more questions as you go through this, and I can refer you to this thread, which is sticked at the top of this forum:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

Within that thread, you will find a thread just about sapphires. To understand what AGL offers for the different reports, it will be important to understand sapphires in general (especially treatments):
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-a-blue-sapphire-start-here.185711/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/looking-for-a-blue-sapphire-start-here.185711/[/URL]

Here is a recent thread with personal opinions when it is appropriate to get a gem report:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/do-you-have-a-set-criteria-on-when-you-get-lab-reports.197729/#post-3600987#p3600987']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/do-you-have-a-set-criteria-on-when-you-get-lab-reports.197729/#post-3600987#p3600987[/URL]

This thread has personal opinions on when to get a GemBrief versus a Prestige Report. You can ask AGL to call you after they determine if it is natural/synthetic, and if it is treated/enhanced if is natural (information you get from a GemBrief). At that time you can decide if you want to go further to a Prestige Report. With the different levels of Prestige Report, you can get the level of enhancement, more detailed description of the appearance of the stone, and origin:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/agl-gem-brief-v-prestige-report-whats-your-preference.197964/#post-3604973#p3604973']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/agl-gem-brief-v-prestige-report-whats-your-preference.197964/#post-3604973#p3604973[/URL]

The best case scenario is if your stone is natural with no enhancements. Then I would personally stop at the GemBrief. You will also stop at the GemBrief if it is synthetic. If the stone is natural and enhanced in any way, then it costs more to determine the enhancements.

By the way, I think your ring is beautiful no matter what the sapphire is. It is irreplaceable.
 
Thank you pregcurious!
 
You're very welcome. The alternative to sending it registered mail by USPS is to drop it off in person. iLander and I wrote our impressions of that here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sapphire-good-news-from-agl.192991/#post-3513844?hilit=metal%20agl#p3513844']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sapphire-good-news-from-agl.192991/#post-3513844?hilit=metal%20agl#p3513844[/URL]

You can also call AGL; they are very friendly, but will use technical terms, so it's best to read up on treatments.
 
So the band is stamped with B.H. Is that BH multi com? -now known as effy- I am looking at similar rings in their Royal Gemma line. They are beautiful! Anyone know if effy is known for using real or synthetic sapphire and diamonds?
 
Coco, even well respected jewelers and gem vendors have been fooled into thinking color stones are real [not synthetic] and untreated [when they were treated]. the only way to know for sure definitively 100% is to have it tested. yes, you are excited and are looking for clues but clues remain clues until verified by a reliable source. can you send the ring tomorrow? I think the sooner you find out the happier you will be....I know I would if I were you!
 
Some show that they are treated and diffused, but others don't say that either.
 
Movie zombie. I know, I know ;)
 
The other thing to keep in mind is that since you don't know the history of the ring, it may be that at some point or other, the stone was replaced. So looking at hallmarks may be misleading either way - that is, your Grandmum might have replaced a synthetic with a real stone, or someone before her might have taken out a real stone and replaced with synthetic...

It must feel like an inconvenience to send it off to a lab like AGL, but its really the only way to know - unless you happen along a colored stone specialist who has plenty of testing equipment (in other words, exceedingly unlikely). Good luck and how special to make it your something blue.
 
Maybe before you send it off to AGL you can take the ring to a jeweler who should be able to tell you whether the diamonds are real. If they are not real diamonds I probably wouldn't bother sending the ring to AGL to test the sapphire.
 
Carmen1...I was actually JUST going to post something about that. I was going to ask if I send it into AGL they probably won't include the diamonds since I am just interested in the sapphire. I will consider taking it in to a jeweler to look at the diamonds like you mentioned. Are you implying that they wouldn't set a natural sapphire with synthetic diamonds and vice versa?

Also would they set fake diamonds in a 14k gold band?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
Cocobean22|1391362010|3606484 said:
So the band is stamped with B.H. Is that BH multi com? -now known as effy- I am looking at similar rings in their Royal Gemma line. They are beautiful! Anyone know if effy is known for using real or synthetic sapphire and diamonds?
Click to expand...
The sapphire is very likely to be heavily treated. BH Multi was one of GemsTV's major suppliers, and the unsecured creditor owed the most money (nearly $3 million) when GemsTV filed for bankruptcy in April 2010:
http://idexonline.com/portal_FullNews.asp?id=33886

Shortly thereafter, BH Multi figured prominently -- and not in a good way -- in this 2010 exposé of Macy's gemstone jewelry:
http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2010-07/macys-sells-rubies-filled-with-glass
The class action lawsuit continues to drag on:
http://brandilawblog.com/category/macys-fake-gem-lawsuit/

Effy is presently selling what looks to be a similar ring for $1500 (25% discount after you add it to the shopping cart there), with no information provided, other than carat weight
http://www.effyjewelry.com/gemma-royalty-blue-sapphire-and-diamond-ring-2-29-tcw.html
Zales Outlet is listing another similar Effy sapphire-diamond ring in 18K white gold for $1087; they say its diamonds are H-I in color & I1 - I2 in clarity.

ETA: if you click through to Macy's Gemstone Care pointers that are posted with all their sapphire rings, including the Effy ones, it cautions you to avoid, e.g., re-polishing or re-cutting their sapphires & that the sapphires' "Color may fade in light or with heat." Although you have no plans to sell the ring, think a AGL report would be a good idea so the person who re-sets the stone for you knows what they are working with.
 
I've seen many different versions of rings; real stones with cz melees, synthetic stones with diamond melees and everything in-between so it is difficult to eliminate guesses based on what you suggested. In addition to the natural vs synthetic, there is also the matter of treatment when it comes to natural sapphires, which affect the dollar value and care of the gemstone. I can tell that the ring has strong emotional value to you regardless of the result and I hope you'll be able to find out more about it.
 
Cocobean22 said:
I am sure everyone is sick of this question, but I have to ask. I am newly engaged and helped with the ring buying process. I was intrigued by all that goes into finding a diamond and learned so much. I am just waiting for the ring to be resized to be able to flaunt it. Now, since the ring buying has peaked my interest in diamonds and stones I am interested in learning about a sapphire ring I have. My grandmother passed almost 2 years ago and I found a sapphire ring in her jewelry box that I was told I could keep. My aunt brushed it off as if it weren't real because she had never seen my grandmother wearing it. It is set in 14k yellow gold with 10 small accent diamonds (also don't know if they are real) Anyways I do intend on taking it to a jeweler, but I am planning on getting it resized and possibly having it set in platinum or white gold (if that's possible) I want to wear it at my wedding (something old and blue ) and in memory of my grandma. I honestly don't care if it's man made, just want to know what kind of value it may have if I ever wish to pass it down

_14437.jpg
Click to expand...
That is an awesome sentiment and what a lovely pc of jewelry to have as something blue. It is a wonderful color and the ring is lovely. This is an old post but I thought others might have a this same question.
Im no expert but I have done my research and I do know a thing or 2 abt stones
When it comes to almost all gemstones or at least the popular ones they come in 3 forms synthetic, Natural and Lab created
1.synthetic is a stone produced in a myriad of processes which create a product that "looks like" what it emulates. For example, cubic zirconia "looks like" a diamond, a purple crystal "looks like" and amythest.
2. Natural is a stone that was mined from the earth somewhere in the world, cleaned, polished and cut.
-sometimes natural is heat treated to increase the clarity of a stone or enhance the color.
most times natural stones, because they form over many many years in a natural environment can include naturally occurring imperfections that can be seen either by looking at it normally or by looking under magnification, they can be rutillite or thread like looking things and others. These imperfections are affected by heat at much lower temps than the overall stone so by heating it, the imperfections can be reduced while improving the look of the stone and maintaining the stones integrity. Some stones change color or increase color saturation with heat and are heated for those reasons.
3. Lab created stones are stones created in a lab which has developed a means to emulate all of the processes that happen in nature using all the same chemical components that make up the actual stone found in nature. The lab is able to recreate the stone in much less time but the end product will be identical to the natural stone-minus the imperfections. The lab created stone will have all the same properties as its natural counterpart and should react to the environment in the exact same way. So a lab created sapphire is a sapphire. For obvious reasons, lab created stones are not as prized or expensive as natural stones but they are equally as beautiful
-one caveat
sometimes I see things referred to as "created" I think it is unsafe to assume the manufacturer means lab created. If something says "created" additional questions need to be asked about its origin.
I hope this helps
oh! natural stones are also sometimes" glass filled" where there is an imperfection or fracture and it is filled with glass. These stones usually start falling into the price category of lab created gemstones.
 
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Take or send it to AGL or a really good valuer that deals with gems that knows what they are looking at. That will be the best way to find out exactly what it is.
 
HI:

I wonder what happened to the OP and if she found out--this thread is (of) 2014.

cheers--Sharon
 
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