setting to brighten a ruby

[fnewton]

Hi all, I have this gia certified unheated/untreated natural 2ct cushion cut ruby. It is extremely clean, cleaner than any ruby I've seen, transparent, and RED, but a very dense(yet still transparent) red. It is set in a white gold 6 prong on an 18k gold band. I really wanted it to be as simple as possible, but I'm afraid that the setting I've picked doesn't let enough light in. Outdoors, this stone is really beautiful, but inside, it just looks very dark, black at times. Before, it was set in a vintage platinum ring (pic below) which was way too fancy for my taste. So we pulled it out and simplified it a whole lot. Recently, I've been doubting the setting that I picked. Any advice? I'm thinking of having it re-set in something that compliments the gem more.

Thank you

 

[chrono]

I am afraid there's not much more you can do to help it look lighter.

 

[arkieb1]

An open style setting like a split prong in the 4 corners and having it set up a bit higher will make it marginally less dark. You can't undo what is already a dark stone, but I own a unheated untreated dark ruby that was given to me as a gift, and it's currently unfortunately set in a bezel and it's really dark unless sunlight hits it or it is in the right lighting and then it's such a beautiful red. A three stone that is relatively open, ie, one that allows light in at the sides of the stone also might be another option for it if you want a larger sized ring. Again I stress it won't magically make it transform colour but it will make what you already have generally more pleasant and less dark for some of the time to look at.

 

[lambskin]

A two carat unheated ruby that is transparent is amazing. If it is too dark, could it be re-cut to allow more light in? I know you would lose weight but if it improves the stone's appearance isn't it worth it?

 

[motownmama]

Contact Jerry Newman at Gemart. The sapphires in my 3-stone were/are dark. I took them out of the bezels and had Jerry recut them and they look better. The recuttting not expensive at all and he seemed VERY interested in helping me.

 

[index_finger]

Nice ruby.

 

[fnewton]

Thank you,

I was given a (very dark) cushion cut sapphire ring that is set in a 5 prong pt basket(I will also have these re-set sometime) and I really loved how the six prong framed and elongated the gem. It's common sense, but I never thought about how having more prongs stops light from entering.

For this ring, we did look at a four prong, but I liked the way that the six prong elongated this squarish cushion more, like it did for the sapphire ring. But maybe this ruby does need a four prong although I really do not like the look. I know that this gem will do whatever I tell it to do, but it will not speak for itself like that... I am feeling like l I have compromised its beauty a bit by insisting on this setting. Perhaps it's more important to 'listen' to the stone and what it needs to be the most beautiful.

The jeweler chose a medium setting instead of a high one, but I am now wondering how a high setting would look. I don't know much about jewelry, except when looking at color, which is why I chose the white gold prong instead of yellow.

I briefly considered side diamonds, but am happy with the size and simplicity of this ruby by itself, since that's what I wanted (2ct)...but I know it's not all about ct weight since I've seen a few bottom heavy gems. *I also don't really care for diamonds.

Lambskin, I thought that it was too good to be true in the beginning. This gem is CLEAN. But it has a cert and from a reputable business who probably wouldn't risk their reputation for one ring. I am thinking about re-cutting although my fiance is opposed to this. He loves the gem as it is. I suspect it has a window too although my eye is not trained...maybe that is just the transparency?

Motownmama, I looked up Jerry and his work looks very nice, but I don't know a thing about gem cutting. I think I will have one or both of my blue sapphires recut first and then see if I trust somebody with the job of recutting.

 

[chrono]

There are pros and cons with each setting style.

High setting
More light can get in
More prone to being top heavy - will spin, get caught in pockets, purses, etc, and might scratch others.

More prongs
More protective, not necessarily more enclosed because the prongs are smaller

Fewer prongs
Prongs tend to be bulkier but it is a standard setting.

The ruby looks to be cut to try to lighten it and also to save weight, hence a flatter crown and most likely that window. I've worked with Jerry and cannot recommend him more highly. He will be honest with you whether it is a good candidate for a recut or not, and how much ct weight and physical dimension will be lost.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I am wondering if your ruby would look livelier with a yellow gold head/prongs. It has a strong purple undertone (at least that's how it looks on my monitor) and the yellow gold would help emphasis the red. If you look at the various pictures you've posted you can see the difference in how it looks next to yellow gold compared to the white metals.

For example - I have a Mali garnet that is a sparkly pale green. I opted to put it in an unplated 18kt palladium white gold ring and it looked like a different stone. It just died in that setting. My stone screams for yellow or rose gold.

 

[arkieb1]

I'm going to be the odd one out and say unless you can get away with losing as little weight as possible, a unheated untreated ruby will possibly be worth more according to weight, because it's already a shallow cut if you lost a lot of weight in a recut it might not be worth it. Having said that if really bugs you which clearly it does, sending to to someone to assess if they can make it more lively for you isn't a bad idea.

I think it looks pretty in the 6 prong, if you like it and it makes some difference, then why mess with it. A lot of untreated rubies are dark like this, and no amount of recutting will greatly fix it.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I'm going to be the odd one out and say unless you can get away with losing as little weight as possible, a unheated untreated ruby will possibly be worth more according to weight, because it's already a shallow cut if you lost a lot of weight in a recut it might not be worth it. Having said that if really bugs you which clearly it does, sending to to someone to assess if they can make it more lively for you isn't a bad idea.

I think it looks pretty in the 6 prong, if you like it and it makes some difference, then why mess with it. A lot of untreated rubies are dark like this, and no amount of recutting will greatly fix it.

I agree with arkieb1, I wouldn't re-cut it either. It is a beautiful ruby as is even if it is on the darker side. I would say just embrace the colour. You have a 2 carat unheated ruby - that's pretty special!

 

[fnewton]

Hm...Thinking I might try a higher setting before enquiring about a recut.

I understand that a higher ct weight can be more valuable/desirable, but this is my ring and I'm not going to sell it or get rid of it. So long as the top dimensions can stay the same, I think I'd be okay with cutting, if the color could improve.
I love the six prong. The four prong just makes it look heavy.

I had no idea that gems could be recut like that and look totally different. Definitely going to send my sapphires.

How does one go about sending valuable jewelry? Nervous about that since I don't have insurance on this yet, but our jeweler really tried to push for it. (Also not sure if that's worth doing or not..) Perhaps it would just be better to venture off to CA (or wherever) and do things in person. Haha, I'm a total newbie to all of this. And I just love rubies and all of their variations.

Thanks all

 

[qubitasaurus]

I understand that a higher ct weight can be more valuable/desirable, but this is my ring and I'm not going to sell it or get rid of it. So long as the top dimensions can stay the same, I think I'd be okay with cutting, if the color could improve.
I love the six prong. The four prong just makes it look heavy.

I had no idea that gems could be recut like that and look totally different. Definitely going to send my sapphires.

Actually I think this might be exactly what the above comments mean when they say it has a flat crown and was cut to preserve weight. i.e. the L×W×D ratio is off such that L,W are too large given the current depth (which in turn could cause a window because the angles in the pavilion are too shallow for internal refraction of the light.). If this is the case then a recut would decrease L and W. I think it is pretty as is .

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I think a setting with high polish white gold would look very nice for your ruby. I concur with others that it would not hurt to have someone like Jerry evaluate for a re-cut of your gem. With that said- usually more facets darken a stone and a window actually may help lighten the stone by allowing more light into the stone. Just a consideration when talking re-cut.

 

[fnewton]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to keep it as is since it is cut shallow-that makes sense. Also, thank you for recommending Jerry. I have contacted him and am definitely going to send him my sapphires sometime.

Wishing everyone well