Rubies in Washington DC

[timmy!]

Hey all,

I’ve been looking at rubies on and off for a while now. While I’ve read tons on the internet, I find shopping a bit confusing. One place gets me untreated Burmese rubies at 5-10k per carat, but they only can get one or two stones at a time, making shopping frustrating. Another place gets me lots of stones, but when asking for a 1 carat stone in my price range they say nothing can be found that’s untreated.

I really just want to deal with an honest jeweler who can show me 10 or so rubies to choose from that are un-treated, well cut, about a carat, and between 5 and 10 k. Am I asking too much from my jeweler? Should I be looking at treated stones, or is my price range too low?

Does anyone know a great jeweler for colored stones in the Washington DC area? I want to get engaged!...... Any help would be appreciated.

 

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I really just want to deal with an honest jeweler who can show me 10 or so rubies to choose from that are un-treated, well cut, about a carat, and between 5 and 10 k. Am I asking too much from my jeweler?

Hi, Timmy!
Ten or so rubies high quality untreated rubies? My guess is that you are asking too much of your jeweler. If you go to some of the high-end online gem dealers (CherryPicked, National Gemstone, etc) you''ll see they''re pretty rare!

I suspect a good jeweler could call in two or three to look at, but ten? I doubt it.

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[timmy!]

Yeah the guy who had a ton of them too look at was showing me untreated stones. It''s just hard to compare things when there is nothing to compare too. Is my price range fair though?

 

[strmrdr]

That would likely be atleast 50% of them that are avaialble for sale at any given time, its too much to ask.

 

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Author: timmy!
. Is my price range fair though?

A one carat stone costing between 5 and 10K?

Yeah....I think you could get something fabulous. The two unheated Burmas at www.preciousgemstones.com are $5000/ct and $8000/ct, and they have a very nice heated one for $3000/ct.

If this stone at www.cherrypicked.com looks anything like the picture, I''d be all over it. (I love emerald cuts). Apparently it''s got some clarity issues, but oh, my!!

(1.34ct, $2850/ct)

 

[shasavan7]

I am going through the same process, and from my experience your expectations are too high. I asked a local merchant to find me an unheated 1.5 carat Mogok ruby, and he managed to bring in 4 stones. If you''re looking for untreated Mogok rubies with good color and clarity, they are hard to find. CherryPicked and National Gemstone have few Burmas, and good ones are closer to 10k than 5 per carat. If you want anything bigger than about a carat and a half, the proces starts to zoom.

I guess the flip side is when you do find one you like, you know it is a rare, rare bird, and perhaps treasure it even more. And, for what it is worth, I found both Richard Orbach at CherryPicked and Robert Genis at National Gemstone to be excellent folks to speak with.

 

[jackiely]

I have read this forum for a while. The forum is very helpful for requests like yours. Most of the guys were spending months before finding their dreamed stone. Importance is to work with reliable expert people in this domain who have connections with the source (Asia) and are ready to help. Maybe you should contact Gary Dutton or Wink Jones who are also members of PS.

Good luck

 

[timmy!]

Perhaps I''m exadgerating. The one jewlwer showed me 5or six rubies, but they were all treated. When I asked about un-treated stones, I was told they were way outside of my price range.

The second jeweler had stones at my price, but only seemed willing to get one at at time. Bothe were having them shipped in. If I could get 4 stones within my price range all in one place to look at, I would be satisfied.

I''m leary of internet shopping. These stones are too subjective for a newbie like me to appriase over a computer monitor. I dont think any internet jelweres are going to send me multiple stones either.

So I''m still looking for someone in the DC area. And even willing to travel a few hours if the destination is certain to have a reasonable selection.

 

[timmy!]

Exactly what I was looking for. I just sent Gary an email, and will follow up by phone. Here''s hoping I can get this done by labor day. I know thats a stretch, but I can hope

 

[timmy!]

Well in case anyone cares the ball is rolling with Gary. It''s game time, and I''m nervous as hell. I guess if I dig the rock though, and it appraises ok, then I have nothing to worry about.

Buying from a small private dealer like this is a new experience though.

I''m excited! You guys seem to like this sort of thing so I''ll let you know how it goes.

 

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You can bet we care!!!!! This is terribly exciting. I''m a HUGE fan of rubies!

Please keep us updated on your adventure...every detail, and if at all possible, pictures!

.Buying from a small private dealer like this is a new experience though.

I''d love to hear all about it. It would be new for me, too..


And don''t be nervous.....this is FUN!!!!

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[DiamondExpert]

timmy! - please check the name of whom you are dealing with...

...we have no such record...

 

[timmy!]

It''s Bill, I was just confused by some other posts.

What happened to your other post with the link to Bills website

 

[DiamondExpert]

That was my bad -

- it''s against forum rules for one vendor to recommend another, so the post was expunged

by "the man/woman behind the curtain"!

 

[londonblue]

ohh, can''t wait to see the ruby you end up with!

For internet dealers I must say that I highly recommend Richard at cherrypicked. He sent me out 3 untreated sapphires to look at and compare for 2 weeks. I was able to examine them under all sorts of lighting and conditions, photograph them, and take them to a local gem show to compare. There all around the 1 ct range, but being sapphires, not quite as pricey as rubies. But I''m sure Richard would work w/ you to send you rubies of a variety of color to compare with. Shipping is insured by their own private insurer and gets to you the next day. Shipping back is virtually painless. The prices for shipping are listed on their website based on the total value of the gems you are having shipped out - a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the gemstones usually.

So while the stones may be a bit hard to judge by the images, there''s nothing like seeing some of the best of the best in person with Richard there to guide you along and educate you on the differences in what you are seeing. And he was always available whenever I called for assistance.

10 untreated rubies to compare at once seems like a very tall order given how rare and pricey they are, especially in the shapes you might want. But cherrypicked would definitely be the best candidate for letting you compare some excellent gemstones. Not sure how many they''ll be willing to ship out at once though

good luck and post photos of your final ruby!

 

[timmy!]

Cherry Picked looks great, but they dont really have anything I want posted on the site. In fact everything i see looks like it is sold already.

I met a jewler this weekend. He had 3 stones. Two were just over a carat untreated. 1.13 I think. And one was 2 carats and treated. I wish I hadn't seen the two carat stone becuase the rest looked small in comparison. I'm nervous that 1.13 is a little small for an engagement ring. I mean I know lots of people buy diamonds that are under a carat, but I'm not sure. It's close to 10k too which seems like the top of the price range for a ruby. It also has a small knick or "natural" along the bezel. Does this effect price at all? It's hardley noticable.

I'll keep you posted but would love feedback. Maybe I should be looking at more treated stones?

 

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Rats! I just wrote you a long post and lost it!!! Grrr....

I''m sorry this endeavor is proving difficult for you, but I think the quest is SOOOOO worth it! Hang in there!

I happen to think that for an Ering, a heat treated ruby would be absolutely fine. Including them in your search would certainly increase your options, and you might be able to find some bigger stones to consider. It''s the nutso gem collectors (like me) who seem to think lack of heat treatment is important.

I''m not expert, but I suspect a natural at the girdle wouldn''t effect the price too much. Almost 10K for a one carat ruby sounds pretty steep to me...was it absolutely fabulous? I''d love to hear your impressions of it.

Are you still dead set on seeing an assortment of stones in real life before considering one? If not, then you might give Cherrypicked a call to see if they have anything not listed on their site. www.rwwise.com has had some gorgeous treated rubies listed, and www.preciousgemstones is another good source for unheated Burmas.

Oh, and one last thought: If you and your GF would consider an antique, www.nelsonrarities.com has (had?) a couple of Deco ruby rings that I personally would kill for...

Good luck!
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PS: Were the stones you saw from ''Capitol Bill''? How was your visit? Just curious...

 

[timmy!]

it was a really beautiful stone. You could only see inclusions with a microscope. It looked treated. The color was awesome....I really cant see one getting any more perfect. It''s just pushing the outer limits of my price band, and I haven''t even started looking at settings or side stones.

So yeah it was pretty stunning, but I''m iffy. I think I''d be willing to deal with an imperfection or two to get a bit more size. It doesnt have to be so absolutly perfect. From what I''ve read 5-10k/carat is a good price for un-treated?

And I''ll check out your sites thanks.

 

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Well, it must have been exceptional to command such a price!

BTW...if you''re interested comparative pricing at CherryPicked, here''s a trick to finding out what the asking prices were on sold items: put the item in your ''shoppng cart'' and you''ll see what the price was. (In reality, I suspect most of their stones sold for less than their listed prices.)

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[jackiely]

Have you seen this stone from www.diamondexpert.com?
Good luck in your quest.

 

[flutterby]

I had really wanted a not heat treated stone for my ring, but couldnt find any under 10k a carat for the size we were looking for. My heat treated stone is perfect, as long as they dont use chemicals with the treatment. My jeweler was only able to bring in 3 stones, but it was perfect. Definately keep your options open, and make sure to have whatever you buy certified before you buy!!!

Cant wait to see it! Love rubies!

 

[rainbowtrout]

Cherrypicked, and yes, I think maybe you are asking quite a bit for 10 top quality untreated to compare in person.

 

[widget]

Hi, Timmy!....how''s the search going?

I thought I''d jump back in with one other thought. For years I''ve been saying people should consider top gem quality red spinel as an alternative to ruby....

Finally...yesterday...I actually saw some red spinel in real life. I was TRULY impressed. Now I better know what I''ve been talking about!

While the top quality stuff is by no means inexpensive, it''s certainly less than similar quality ruby. Since size seems to be a concern, you might consider spinel if you want to increase your options even more.

Here''s a 2.14ct round from Cherrypicked, graded "exceptional" for about $3780/ct:

 

[jackiely]

Hi Widget, your red spinel idea is great! We made the same decision when we saw that stone and after a research on PS. Here is our vietnamese red spinel we purchased this year but no way at that price asked by CherryPicked

Jackie

 

[timmy!]

Spinel is out. I can afford a ruby, so that''s what i''m going to get. I just want to make an informed decision, and so far you guys have been a great help. Widget I noticed you said the price people paid was probably lower, than the price listed at cherry picked. I had never though of negotiating prices that I''m quoted. Is this common? I''m used to doing it for cars, but I''ve never shopped for jewlery before.

 

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Well, I''ve purchased several stones from CP, and Richard has always brought the stone down a bit for me...but not because I ''negotiated''...it could have been because I was a ''return customer''.

When considering a specific stone, I''d certainly ask if they could come down a bit on their asking price. In fact, I''d do that with any dealer.

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timmy! How's the search going?

I just stumbled into this, and thought of you. There's no mention of heat treatment, or lack thereof, but since it's from Cartier, I bet it's a beautiful stone...

I'm a real sucker for emerald-cut rubies, one doesn't see them often. This one is 2.04cts.

I found it here: www.estatejewels.com

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[timmy!]

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[timmy!]

Check it out. This one is pretty afoardable at just under 7 k for 1.57 carat. Everything about it is perfect, though I think the color is a bit light. It''s not as rich as the stone I saw that was 1.13 carats, and 10k. It''s weird I feel like I''m missing something. These stones dont look all that different, but thier prices flutcuate greatly.

Thoughts?

 

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OMG!!! Is that your new ruby???? It looks gorgeous!

Tell us ALL about it!!!!!

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