Young picker finds ruby ring, need help!

[young_buck]

Hi all, im an 18 year old flea market, auction, estate sale frequenter and i usually pick up anything that catches my eye. There was a lot of jewelry for sale and i got a lot for pretty cheap and this 14k Burmese ruby ring was in it. It looks real, but i am no expert, thats why i am here! i hope someone here can help me because i would like to sell it one day or just hold onto it for a while. I just dont want to sell someone a fake ring or if its real i do not want to get burned. I just want to say thank you in advance for anyone who can give me some insightful information on this ring.

YB

*I apologize for the phone camera pictures, if they are not good enough i will try and get better ones.*

 

[young_buck]

More pics. Thanks again!

 

[young_buck]

some better pictures.

 

[LD]

Congrats on looking for bargains and taking risks! A friend of mine does this regularly and turned up a very valuable piece of Clarice Cliff! Anyway, back to your ring .............. a few things for you to know:-

1. Just because it has a label saying it's a "Burmese Ruby", that doesn't mean it is!
2. The Ruby looks highly included so that suggests it's not an expensive stone.
3. The colour is quite pink BUT that could be your photos.
4. Rubies can be dyed, filled, treated to become something they're not etc etc etc.
5. There are lots and lots of synthetics and simulants on the market that you can't necessarily tell just by looking.

Please read the sticky at the top of this forum re buying coloured gemstones. That'll give you an idea what you need to know.

However, in the meantime, the only way to get a true indication of what you have is to send the ring to a lab (AGL) to determine (a) if it's a ruby and (b) if it is, what treatments may have been applied. That will give you a better indication of looking for it's value.

I suspect this is a lower quality ruby and the type you see on shopping channels so probably highly treated (sorry). I hope I'm wrong! At the end of the day, if the ring has hallmarks then you've probably got a gold ring and there is a market for it but buying/selling preloved jewellery very rarely turns a profit. If you bought this for a very small amount then you may be able to get your money back and a bit more.

 

[distracts]

Just judging by the photos, I would say it's likely glass-filled. The striations in the second picture in particular look similar to what I've seen on known filled rubies.

 

[chrono]

Maybe it's real, maybe it's not. My gut feel says it is likely to be real but also very highly treated, which devalues it greatly. Treatment on rubies run the gamut from lead glass filling to diffusion and more.

 

[young_buck]

Thank you so much for the replies! I really do not have a lot into it, i would make profit off of the 14k gold alone! I am looking into the AGL services, and i will have to go read the pinned thread about colored gems. Are there any areas of the ring/gem that would help you guys determine value/authenticity? I know it is going to be a vague question because the unknown treatments, etc. but could someone give me the lowest if it is a poor quality, treated ruby? up to the high end? i would just like to know both ends of the spectrum of what i am dealing with. I hope i am not asking too much from the community being a noob here. I just want to say i really appreciate the help i have already received and any more help i get!

Thank you,

YB

 

[distracts]

On the low end, selling for scrap, if the ruby is as treated as we all suppose, the ring would be worth just the scrap metal price. Could possibly sell it for $150-$200 on ebay. Without a lab report saying the stone was not as treated as we think, I certainly wouldn't buy it for any more than that.

 

[FrekeChild]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

 

[chrono]

Unless the ring has hallmarks other than the 14K stamp, very few will pay more than a few hundred on the secondhand market (depending on the clarity of the accent diamonds). For those who know more, they will shy away from the ruby unless they accept it as heavily treated and thus, pay the appropriate price for it (very little).

 

[LD]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

Freke - it's a hollow ring with a bumpy texture on the inside - see the last photo. It looks very much like a mass produced ring.

 

[FrekeChild]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

Freke - it's a hollow ring with a bumpy texture on the inside - see the last photo. It looks very much like a mass produced ring.

I know.

I'm just trying to give him areas to look at for clues of the quality of the piece.

 

[LD]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

Freke - it's a hollow ring with a bumpy texture on the inside - see the last photo. It looks very much like a mass produced ring.

I know.

I'm just trying to give him areas to look at for clues of the quality of the piece.

Oooops sorry!

 

[FrekeChild]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

Freke - it's a hollow ring with a bumpy texture on the inside - see the last photo. It looks very much like a mass produced ring.

I know.

I'm just trying to give him areas to look at for clues of the quality of the piece.

Oooops sorry!

It's ok. You made me giggle.

 

[LD]

Does the ring have any other hallmarks besides the 14k on the inside of the band?

What kind of quality diamonds are you looking at? Are they clear? Black spots? White spots? Cloudy? Do they sparkle?

Any idea how much the ring weighs? Does it feel hefty or light?

What does the finish look like on the ring? Has it been highly polished? Does it look bumpy or textured inside the ring under the stones?

The answers to these questions would be of great help.

Freke - it's a hollow ring with a bumpy texture on the inside - see the last photo. It looks very much like a mass produced ring.

I know.

I'm just trying to give him areas to look at for clues of the quality of the piece.

Oooops sorry!

It's ok. You made me giggle.

Well it's not like you to miss detail so I thought perhaps the festive "drinks" may be fogging your vision! I'm all egg-nogged out at this end and everything's looking beautiful, just beautiful!