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Untreated Rubies

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Sarah_ruby

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
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First timer here when it comes to rubies. I want one for my wedding ring, as i am getting married in the summer. I'm looking to buy an unheated, un-glass filled ruby and i've searched pretty much all of Texas for one. They all looked at me like i was crazy for asking for an unheated gem! I found one from the 1920s at a pawn shop/jewelers but it had definite surface damage from being worn through the years and opted not to purchase it. I feel like my best chance is online, but i don't trust sites like ebay, etc. I've thought about gemsny... but i'm still unsure. Where is the best place to find what i am looking for without sacrificing quality? My budget is $1,300, and i'd like above a .5 if possible ... does that seem do-able? :confused:
 
Hi, unheated rubies are quite rare and very expensive.
Heating is actually a common treatment because it helps dissolve the rutile inclusions (known as silk) and makes the ruby clearer.
What you don’t want, correctly, is glass filled rubies.
Glass filled rubies are reasonably easy to identify, they are either called “composite ruby” or looking at the facet surfaces you can see cracks in the surface.
These are not worth buying at any price. These rubies literally disintegrate if exposed to any acid (even lemon juice) or heating (when a jeweller works on the setting).
Then you have beryllium treated rubies, this chemical treatment with heating turns poor colour rubies into a better colour and clearer gem. This treatment should be disclosed, but it isn't always. Such treatment is permanent and reasonable if you are told and pay the appropriate price.
Then you have synthetics, there are a couple of varieties and they are all the same material as real rubies - corundum- but they are created in a lab.
They make satisfactory gems in a ring, but again, their price needs to be low.
And age is no guarantee of a gem being genuine.
Synthetics and glass substitutes have been in use for over 100 years. Buying an antique or vintage ring is almost as likely to contain a gem that isn’t a natural ruby as a modern day ring.
Unless your ruby purchase comes with a GIA coloured gem report you are not guaranteed anything.
There are a few recommended vendors for coloured gems. Your budget will probably not extend to an unheated ruby, however there should be some options available for a heated ruby with no other treatments.
 
And if you like vintage style rings, have a look at “Ivy & Rose” (based in the US) they have a lovely selection of rings at excellent prices and can assist by finding a suitable ruby for their settings. A number of PSers have purchased happily from them. I’ve got my eye on getting one of their rings as well!
 
$1300 is not going to get you an unheated, untreated ruby, even a subcarat one. Even if you did manage to find one at that price, the quality will not be something you would want in a wedding ring (opaque with lots of fissures and brownish red).
 
Bron357 said:
E1D088C4-74CB-4944-BDE5-CEA5581DECAB.jpeg
I wouldnt call that a ruby, it’s too pink to me.
Here are two of mine, I consider these very borderline colour wise.
Click to expand...
I would love a ruby with a deeper color, maybe purplish blue tints within a deep red (but not to the point where it is blackish). Would those be more affordable as they are not lighter/stoplight red?
 
C0E31667-E4FC-4C8C-BBD6-AD82AA4584C4.jpeg I don’t know if the Natural Sapphire Company is rated by any PSers (I’ve never dealt with them) but they have a .90 carat heated Madagascar Ruby for $1,170 US. Have a look at their website.
 
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