Worth it to reuse these rubies from a diamond/ruby "leafy lump" ring?

[Polyhex]

I bought this mid-20th century cluster / cocktail ring for the pear-cut diamonds, intending to reuse in one or more new rings around a colored stone -- there are 14 of them, and 13 are matching in size, 4.5-5mm x 3-3.5mm.

So far I am still intending to take it apart, although I feel a bit guilty.. it's clear that some tiny old lady loved this ring. She modified it to add a 14k finger-fit shank to the platinum top, and it's a size 3 although with sizing beads it fits more like a 3.75-4 on me.

It's a strange kind of asymmetrical leafy lump design, looks beautiful from the top but I hate the ballerina undercarriage.






The ring has 11 pear-cut rubies, similar in size to the diamonds, and mostly matching or at a minimum making pairs. They are a deep purplish red color with hot pink or red sparks, and have sleepy inclusions. I do not yet know for certain that they are natural, but suspect they are based on appearance and the value of the diamonds in the ring. The rubies that are more exposed in the setting have abrasions so if I reuse them I think I would have to get about half or more of them repolished if I was going to reset them.

I don't know anything about rubies, or whether or not this color is desirable. Ultimately I have to decide based on what I like, but I'm curious, what would you do? Does anyone have thoughts on their color?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tartansparkles]

I love the leafy lump design. Would it be possible to just remove the under carriage? (I'm thinking more from a practical and cost point of view; I would have no qualms with dismantling but in this case I do think the design offers some unusual finger presence).

 

[Musia]

Love the color of these rubies. A very interesting ring.

 

[lilmosun]

I would totally wear the ring as is but have (much) larger fingers.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love this ring
I would totally wear it and im not a big red person
if you really want to harvest the rubbies please put something else back into it
That view of the gallary is intoxicating to me

 

[Yelena]

The colour of the rubies looks lovely to me but the main question is do you like the colour of the rubies? It doesn’t really matter about how desirable they are to other people, your feelings about them is important as you are considering wearing them.

I quite like the finger coverage and the unusual design, but I understand that a number of people wouldn’t necessarily like it. I tend to like the unusual vintage pieces where there is colour contrast so I live in that pigeon hole happily.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do with it.

 

[Skyjems]

You are breaking my heart by breaking that ring!!!

The rubies are beautiful and seem quite clean.

If I had to guess, they are Mong Hsu from Burma and the sleepy inclusions you are describing is the Flux filling.

Please don't break that ring, it's exquisite!

 

[Big Fat Facets]

it is such a pretty ring!! i think of cherries in the snow when i look at your beautiful unique ring. if it were my ring, i wouldn't break it up.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I want to wear it sooooooo bad !

 

[Bron357]

It’s a very beautiful and intriguing, albeit chunky, ring. It isn’t to everyone’s taste and if you don’t think you’ll wear it as it is AND have other projects to complete using either the diamonds or rubies, why not?
If you don’t have any concrete plans at present I’d say wear her and enjoy her until you do,
These cocktail style rings were all the rage in the 50s - 70s and the original owner obviously splashed out some decent dollars for this statement ring.
It’s the bigger and more beautiful sister to my cocktail chunk of loveliness.

 

[Ionysis]

That ring is utterly stunning and a period piece. It’s sacrilege to break her up IMO. If you don’t want to keep it I’m sure someone would be happy to help fund your purchase of the stones you need by snapping it up!

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I love the ring as is BUT if you’re not going to wear it I don’t think it does anyone any good just lying in a jewelry box! So in that case, you should pull it apart and use the pieces - the rubies are lovely!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

It’s a very beautiful and intriguing, albeit chunky, ring. It isn’t to everyone’s taste and if you don’t think you’ll wear it as it is AND have other projects to complete using either the diamonds or rubies, why not?
If you don’t have any concrete plans at present I’d say wear her and enjoy her until you do,
These cocktail style rings were all the rage in the 50s - 70s and the original owner obviously splashed out some decent dollars for this statement ring.
It’s the bigger and more beautiful sister to my cocktail chunk of loveliness.

Drooling

 

[Ionysis]

I’d be interested if you were looking for someone to take her off your hands...

 

[Sibsgirl]

What a stunning ring! As a lover of all things pear, this is gorgeous.

 

[Polyhex]

Thank you soooo much everyone for the information and thoughts!!

This was a lucky win from a live/art auction. For what I paid, I could not replace even half of the diamonds. Now that it is here I feel both conflicted and guilty, I am a sucker for clearly beloved jewelry because for me it's a testament to the life of the woman who wore them. This was clearly in an estate auction with a number of similarly bold, blinged-out vintage rings in tiny sizes with comfort-fit shanks.

I love the leafy lump design. Would it be possible to just remove the under carriage? (I'm thinking more from a practical and cost point of view; I would have no qualms with dismantling but in this case I do think the design offers some unusual finger presence).

I have been looking at that, it cannot be completely removed without major rework because some of the diamonds jut down at a lower level. I think that some of the very busy prong extensions could be removed and I could likely do the work myself with my amateur bench. So I am thinking about that.

I love this ring
I would totally wear it and im not a big red person
if you really want to harvest the rubbies please put something else back into it

Wow, I don't know why I didn't think of that!! The factor which drew me to the ring -- the pear diamonds are all around the same dimensions, means if I harvest them, I could replace with pear-cut colored stones like blue or yellow zircons. Hmmm!

I quite like the finger coverage and the unusual design, but I understand that a number of people wouldn’t necessarily like it. I tend to like the unusual vintage pieces where there is colour contrast so I live in that pigeon hole happily.

I love color contrast too, especially in large and bold designs. So in that respect I am drawn to it.

If I had to guess, they are Mong Hsu from Burma and the sleepy inclusions you are describing is the Flux filling.

Please don't break that ring, it's exquisite!

Thank you so much! It is growing on me, it makes me think of an exquisite tiny lady with elegant wrinkles and diamonds and perfect gray hair. I will seriously consider leaving it as is, or replacing the diamonds with new stones.

it is such a pretty ring!! i think of cherries in the snow when i look at your beautiful unique ring. if it were my ring, i wouldn't break it up.

I love that, cherries in the snow! Such an elegant visual!

If you don’t have any concrete plans at present I’d say wear her and enjoy her until you do,
These cocktail style rings were all the rage in the 50s - 70s and the original owner obviously splashed out some decent dollars for this statement ring.
It’s the bigger and more beautiful sister to my cocktail chunk of loveliness.

That's a great idea, I will wear her for at least a month before I decide. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your gorgeous emerald and diamond ring! Those colors!! I always prefer to wear jewelry that can be seen from across the room!

That ring is utterly stunning and a period piece. It’s sacrilege to break her up IMO. If you don’t want to keep it I’m sure someone would be happy to help fund your purchase of the stones you need by snapping it up!

Thank you so much. I went looking last night at what it would cost me to buy similar color/clarity/carat pear cuts and for the price I would only be able to buy 1/3 - 1/2 of them, not counting the rubies. So I am torn, but I will take my time and not make a hasty decision.

I’d be interested if you were looking for someone to take her off your hands...

Thank you so much! I will definitely post here again if I decide to sell her. I will wear her for at least a month before I make a decision.

 

[Ionysis]

That sounds like a good plan.

 

[Polyhex]

These were a few more of her colored stone rings, which I did not get. Now that I have seen how high quality this ring is, I regret not bidding on more of them. The photography was quite poor for an auction house, these rubies were purple in their photos and they did not clean the ring so I could not tell if the diamonds were included or not! (They are quite clean and at least F in color.) I love getting a glimpse into lives through estate sales.

 

[Austina]

I think it’s gorgeous, and I’m really not a ruby person. You can see the quality ooze out of it. I know it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think that makes it even more special.

 

[LightBright]

You are breaking my heart by breaking that ring!!!

The rubies are beautiful and seem quite clean.

If I had to guess, they are Mong Hsu from Burma and the sleepy inclusions you are describing is the Flux filling.

Please don't break that ring, it's exquisite!

I agree, I would not want to see this ring broken apart, it looks so beautiful on OP’s hand. Very very special ring! OP, would you consider wearing as is for a while until you get a feel for whether you like it as is or not? It looks fabulous.

Being a novice, I would love for Skyjems to elaborate on the type of rubies and the flux filling (which I’m assuming is a certain kind of treatment). Skyjems, please tell us more of your observations? Was this type of ruby typically used in jewelry during a certainn time frame? Thank you!

 

[Polyhex]

I agree, I would not want to see this ring broken apart, it looks so beautiful on OP’s hand. Very very special ring! OP, would you consider wearing as is for a while until you get a feel for whether you like it as is or not? It looks fabulous.

Being a novice, I would love for Skyjems to elaborate on the type of rubies and the flux filling (which I’m assuming is a certain kind of treatment). Skyjems, please tell us more of your observations? Was this type of ruby typically used in jewelry during a certainn time frame? Thank you!

Yes I will wear it for at least a month before I decide what to do with it. Thank you so much!

I did some research after @Skyjems post and I think they are talking about flux-healing of rubies? http://www.palagems.com/flux-healin...u ruby treatment actually improves a... More

I think this ring would have had to be made a bit later than I thought, in the 1980s or later, for the rubies to be flux-healed based on when this treatment was developed. Since I have not had it examined yet that is of course possible and does not bother me.

 

[Tartansparkles]

These were a few more of her colored stone rings, which I did not get. Now that I have seen how high quality this ring is, I regret not bidding on more of them. The photography was quite poor for an auction house, these rubies were purple in their photos and they did not clean the ring so I could not tell if the diamonds were included or not! (They are quite clean and at least F in color.) I love getting a glimpse into lives through estate sales.

The emerald and the opal . Where are such auctions to be found...eBay in the UK has very little delicious-ness to offer, as far as I can see.

 

[voce]

The emerald and the opal . Where are such auctions to be found...eBay in the UK has very little delicious-ness to offer, as far as I can see.

I see a lot of bling on 1st Dibs from UK sellers. Perhaps they just prefer other sales channels, but there is plenty of deliciousness to be had for the right price!

 

[bright&shiny]

These were a few more of her colored stone rings, which I did not get. Now that I have seen how high quality this ring is, I regret not bidding on more of them. The photography was quite poor for an auction house, these rubies were purple in their photos and they did not clean the ring so I could not tell if the diamonds were included or not! (They are quite clean and at least F in color.) I love getting a glimpse into lives through estate sales.

Oh my goodness - what auction house had these beauties?? They are lovely

 

[Roselina]

Wow! This is an amazing ring! Steals everyone’s show I bet. I know the feeling - buy things for the stones sake and then grow to love the pieces.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I love the idea of replacing all of the stones with pretty but less expensive ones, and then if you don’t love the setting, let it go to someone who is really into that style.

The stones are gorgeous!

 

[Polyhex]

The emerald and the opal . Where are such auctions to be found...eBay in the UK has very little delicious-ness to offer, as far as I can see.

Also answering @bright&shiny

Traditional live auctions.. limited descriptions and no returns or remediation for misdescribed items. High risk and high reward. Aggregated online via live auction platforms.

In the UK, the major platform is The Saleroom: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb

In the US, the largest platform is Live Auctioneers: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/

Many of the dealers in vintage jewelry that folks follow here are getting their inventory from these kinds of auctions. I've seen pieces at auction and then show up with an instagram dealer a month later.

 

[Polyhex]

Wow! This is an amazing ring! Steals everyone’s show I bet. I know the feeling - buy things for the stones sake and then grow to love the pieces.

An enjoyable (but a bit expensive) "mistake!" Thank you!

 

[Big Fat Facets]

@Polyhex

i must say, you are so resourceful! thank you for sharing

im glad you are going to live with your rubies in the snow ring for awhile. get to know it and how you like it before possibly taking it apart. it looks so at home on your beautiful hand. may i ask what nail color you have on??

that emerald ring with the window is really lovely

 

[Polyhex]

@Polyhex

i must say, you are so resourceful! thank you for sharing

im glad you are going to live with your rubies in the snow ring for awhile. get to know it and how you like it before possibly taking it apart. it looks so at home on your beautiful hand. may i ask what nail color you have on??

Thank you so much, happy to share! (The live auctions can be a dangerous addiction though, so beware! ) The nails are not polish, they are a manicure in a box aka glue-on nails: https://staticnails.com/products/sexyredround

My best pandemic beauty find.