***Ruby treatment identification***

[bobby77]

Hi PSer...
I just bought a ruby. The seller said the stone is no treatment at all (no heated).

The stone is equipped with a certificate from a local rock laboratory. 150 dollars for a half carat.

I'm sending a photo of the stone already attached to the ring.

Honestly, I was wary of getting synthetic rubies or glass filled rubies.

Maybe this has been asked many times, but I need your opinion, is the purchase price of the stone comparable to the quality of the treatment ?


TIA

 

[Avondale]

I have questions.

Did you pay 150$ for the entire ring?
What is the metal used? How much does it weigh?
What are the dimensions of the stone in millimetres?
How do you know it's 0.5ct, does the certificate say so?

The reason I'm asking is because half a carat untreated ruby with nice colour wouldn't cost 150$. It would start at about triple that price at the lowest point, from what I've seen. And the entire ring costing 150$ would be even more suspicious.

But what concerns me even more is that the stone in your pictures doesn't look like half a carat. Half a carat would be quite small, tiny. The ring is a men's ring, it's big, and the ruby seems to be more about 1-2ct, if not more. It's difficult to judge without dimensions. And 150$ for even a 1ct untreated ruby is entirely unrealistic.

 

[lovedogs]

I have questions.

Did you pay 150$ for the entire ring?
What is the metal used? How much does it weigh?
What are the dimensions of the stone in millimetres?
How do you know it's 0.5ct, does the certificate say so?

The reason I'm asking is because half a carat untreated ruby with nice colour wouldn't cost 150$. It would start at about triple that price at the lowest point, from what I've seen. And the entire ring costing 150$ would be even more suspicious.

But what concerns me even more is that the stone in your pictures doesn't look like half a carat. Half a carat would be quite small, tiny. The ring is a men's ring, it's big, and the ruby seems to be more about 1-2ct, if not more. It's difficult to judge without dimensions. And 150$ for even a 1ct untreated ruby is entirely unrealistic.

All of this

 

[bobby77]

I have questions.

Did you pay 150$ for the entire ring?
What is the metal used? How much does it weigh?
What are the dimensions of the stone in millimetres?
How do you know it's 0.5ct, does the certificate say so?

The reason I'm asking is because half a carat untreated ruby with nice colour wouldn't cost 150$. It would start at about triple that price at the lowest point, from what I've seen. And the entire ring costing 150$ would be even more suspicious.

But what concerns me even more is that the stone in your pictures doesn't look like half a carat. Half a carat would be quite small, tiny. The ring is a men's ring, it's big, and the ruby seems to be more about 1-2ct, if not more. It's difficult to judge without dimensions. And 150$ for even a 1ct untreated ruby is entirely unrealistic.

150 dollars just for the stone, the ring is made of silver, and the ornaments like the diamonds on the ring are zircons.

The size of the stone is actually 0.72 carat anyway. Its dimensions are 5.9x5.10x2.65mm

The photo zoom effect seems to increase the approximate size of the stone.

If you look at the results of my stone photos, are there any indications of treatment?

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

150 dollars just for the stone, the ring is made of silver, and the ornaments like the diamonds on the ring are zircons.

The size of the stone is actually 0.72 carat anyway. Its dimensions are 5.9x5.10x2.65mm

The photo zoom effect seems to increase the approximate size of the stone.

If you look at the results of my stone photos, are there any indications of treatment?

You couldn't possibly tell that from a photo. It needs to be tested by a reputable lab. Usually without labs I always assume it's treated to the hilt, or they'd have certs at the ready. Value is predicated on lack of treatments. Low heat is acceptable, but it isn't as valuable as unheated/treated. If it's a highly treated (BE, oiled filled, coated), it's value is minimal.

 

[LilAlex]

I don't know how anyone could make money (or leave so much money on the table) selling or re-selling 0.72 ct untreated appealing-looking rubies for $150 unless they were stolen or misrepresented. Outside these two exceptions, there are no "bargains" in colored stones.

It does not matter what we think from the pictures. If you bought this from a "gem vendor," say, and not from the fire sale next door, they know way more about what they are selling than you do about what you are buying.

 

[Avondale]

150 dollars just for the stone, the ring is made of silver, and the ornaments like the diamonds on the ring are zircons.

The size of the stone is actually 0.72 carat anyway. Its dimensions are 5.9x5.10x2.65mm

The photo zoom effect seems to increase the approximate size of the stone.

If you look at the results of my stone photos, are there any indications of treatment?

ItsMainelyYou is entirely correct, you can't tell that from a photo. An unheated stone will look the same as a heated stone, and both will look the same as a glass-filled stone to the naked eye. To see more you need a trained eye and a microscope, for starters. Labs have more advanced equipment and can perform all kinds of tests, but still a competent gemologist can see a lot with a microscope alone.

To be honest, it's unlikely that the ruby is natural and untreated. Technically not impossible, there are rubies of that size being sold for such prices, but those rubies have obvious flaws and imperfections justifying the lower price - like prominent and distracting inclusions, less desirable colour and poor cut (wonky, windowed and so on). And in your case the price remains suspiciously low.

The thing is, this is a known way to deceive buyers. Offer them a precious stone at a price that's too good to be true. Charm them with sweet talk about how valuable and high quality the stone is. At the same time, sell them a synthetic or a highly treated stone which only costs a fraction of the asking price. The buyer believes they're getting a good deal while in reality they're overpaying by a lot.

And the certificates that come with these stones? Fake. You were smart to go for a certified stone but if you don't have the knowledge to verify the certificate you can still be deceived.

As a side note, the reason I asked about the metal used for the making of the ring is because that is often indicative. When you have a rare, valuable stone you usually want to keep it safe. And silver is a softer metal, less secure. This is one of the main reasons gold and platinum are preferred to hold valuable gemstones - they're stronger and more durable. They just go hand in hand, expensive stones and expensive settings.

Of course, all of this is speculation based on limited information. Depending on your location and access to labs, you can submit the ring to have the stone tested or contact a gemologist who can look at it for you. Or you can decide to not care and just wear and enjoy the ring you have. After all, that's what all these shinies are for - to bring us joy by looking pretty.

 

[E H]

Agree w/ all posts above. It might be glass filled. Which local lab test ur stone? Judging from the style of the ring, u r from east or south east asia right? There r several pretty legit local labs

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Agree w/ all posts above. It might be glass filled. Which local lab test ur stone? Judging from the style of the ring, u r from east or south east asia right? There r several pretty legit local labs

Could you pretty please advise which local labs are legit?

There are so many of them I never know where to start!

Thank you!

 

[E H]

Could you pretty please advise which local labs are legit?

There are so many of them I never know where to start!

Thank you!

Middle tier:
Lotus
Aigs

Lower tier (only for vry cheap gem):
Nan yang (ngi)
Raffles gem lab
Git
Guild
Agl thai
My gemlab
Agl paramita
Gri

I have some experience with almost all lower tier labs. They usually miss some less common treatment such as oiled ruby, oiled tourmaline. However they r able to sucessfully identify the more common treatment. That's why i recommend them only for cheap gems <500usd

The higher tier ofc the world famous: Gubelin, AGL, GRS, SSEF.

Only grs and gub has present in asia, but the others usually do have some off site testing event.

 

[Avondale]

@E H I’ll contribute to the threadjack here (sorry!) but do you happen to know anything about GFCO? Their reports keep popping up while I’m window shopping on Etsy and it’s made me curious whether they’re reliable.

 

[Autumn in New England]

@E H I’ll contribute to the threadjack here (sorry!) but do you happen to know anything about GFCO? Their reports keep popping up while I’m window shopping on Etsy and it’s made me curious whether they’re reliable.

I have experience with this lab, Avondale. Do you know the etsy seller GemDeposit? They have some pretty nice stones... super ncie folks too. Anyway, I bought a couple of large rubellites from them last year that came with GFCO reports (which look strikingly similar to GRS reports). Anyway, I asked the seller about the lab... he said it is a very trusted local lab in Bangkok. They claim to be a Swiss lab, but I don't know the extent of their affiliations. The seller made it clear that this lab is well-equipped to identify gems and certain basic treatments. He encouraged me to have the gems recertified stateside to confirm the results, which, of course, is exactly what I did. HTH!

 

[E H]

@E H I’ll contribute to the threadjack here (sorry!) but do you happen to know anything about GFCO? Their reports keep popping up while I’m window shopping on Etsy and it’s made me curious whether they’re reliable.

Unfortunately, dont have any experience with them so far.

Btw i forgot abt ICA on my previous post. Cant edit it tho. I would place ICA in the same tier ad lotus and aigs.

 

[Avondale]

I have experience with this lab, Avondale. Do you know the etsy seller GemDeposit? They have some pretty nice stones... super ncie folks too. Anyway, I bought a couple of large rubellites from them last year that came with GFCO reports (which look strikingly similar to GRS reports). Anyway, I asked the seller about the lab... he said it is a very trusted local lab in Bangkok. They claim to be a Swiss lab, but I don't know the extent of their affiliations. The seller made it clear that this lab is well-equipped to identify gems and certain basic treatments. He encouraged me to have the gems recertified stateside to confirm the results, which, of course, is exactly what I did. HTH!

I do know them! Remember that opal with the slight crazing that I was eyeing but ultimately decided to pass on? It’s from them. They have such beautiful stones, I love browsing their store just to enjoy the pretties.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I do know them! Remember that opal with the slight crazing that I was eyeing but ultimately decided to pass on? It’s from them. They have such beautiful stones, I love browsing their store just to enjoy the pretties.

Yes! Ahhh I didn't realize that was them!! Have you seen that insane 15ct. lavender spinel? I've been drooling over it for months. The clarity is just so-so, luckily, or that stone would be dancing along with the sugar plums in my head. But the size and color are...

It seems some of the more well-known Thai vendors like to have these local labs they can trust just to confirm composition and perhaps readily detectable treatments. That way they can sell with relative confidence. Most of these labs use basic gemological equipment, so we're talking a refractometer, hydrostatic balance, microscope, spectroscope, etc. But as we both know, only a few of the major labs have advanced LIBS/FTIR capabilities. I like to think of these types of reports as a promising start, you know? Then we recertify.

 

[Avondale]

Yes! Ahhh I didn't realize that was them!! Have you seen that insane 15ct. lavender spinel? I've been drooling over it for months. The clarity is just so-so, luckily, or that stone would be dancing along with the sugar plums in my head. But the size and color are...

It seems some of the more well-known Thai vendors like to have these local labs they can trust just to confirm composition and perhaps readily detectable treatments. That way they can sell with relative confidence. Most of these labs use basic gemological equipment, so we're talking a refractometer, hydrostatic balance, microscope, spectroscope, etc. But as we both know, only a few of the major labs have advanced LIBS/FTIR capabilities. I like to think of these types of reports as a promising start, you know? Then we recertify.

It's impossible to not see it, with the huge picture thrown in your face the moment you open their home page. Not for me, this pretty. In my world there is such a thing as too big.

I'll stop the threadjacking at this post, although I hope the information about labs has been useful to OP. Sure was to me, as I don't really have the option to verify locally after purchase, I need a stone to come with the report already.

 

[bobby77]

Agree w/ all posts above. It might be glass filled. Which local lab test ur stone? Judging from the style of the ring, u r from east or south east asia right? There r several pretty legit local labs

I am from Bali. I just took a photo using the cellphone camera. 5x magnification, taken without using flash in the afternoon sun, and I found quite different color spots. Is the whitish one a glass material?

 

[E H]

I am from Bali. I just took a photo using the cellphone camera. 5x magnification, taken without using flash in the afternoon sun, and I found quite different color spots. Is the whitish one a glass material?

Hexagonal inclusion! Defo a natural. However cant be sure of the treatment.

 

[VividRed]

i think it is natural, but clarity and color are not top which could explain the price

 

[JSG2185]

It’s really best to let a trained gemologist look at the stone. They can tell you so much more than a cell phone camera will. That’s my best advice!