Jewelry

[chickenbutt]

I agree that a real, natural, ruby is pretty easy to detect. One thing that is troubling I saw on JTV a while back. They inject heavily included rubies with some sort of gel or something to disperse the inclusions, in an effort to make them look more clear or something. The result, IMO, is that they just look weird.

I love rubies and am fortunate to have some lovely ones from Burma, as well as some others, but the Burmese ones are my favorites. Good rubies will cost, but they are getting big prices for junky rubies on QVC these days. It pays to do your homework.

I cannot even believe they have the guts to sell completely opaque rubies on a lot of pieces. Granted they are usually (not always) costume jewelry either set in silver or something plated, but I'm surprised that sort of thing even sells.

[depglass]

I happily buy filled rubies since I will never be able to own a "real" one. Chuck Clemency is my "supplier" (I liken him to a drug dealer) and my two rings from him are both under $100.00. One is rather opaque and leans towards purple, the other is clearer and leans towards red. Both are combos of smaller stones, only one stone is above one carat. No, I'm not testing them in any sort of solution. I was disappointed with QVC's ruby offerings on Gem Day.

[NC Bandwagon]

Wow! How will people know if they're getting the real thing then?

[luvingit]

Even " from the vault", some one saved for 20 yrs hoarding them? It looks clear and pink!

[Carolm]

No one can tell the difference between a great and a not so great ruby -- not even a certified gemologist, without the appropriate equipment. This is true for almost all colored gemstones. A reputable gemstone seller will provide a certificate from the AGL -- in Europe it might be from the GRS or AGIS. The certificate will verify what the buyer is getting. It is not an appraisal -- it talks about whether or not the stone is synthetic or natural, its size, where it came from if it can be determined and the color may be graded. And it will talk about any treatments to the stone, such as filling, irradiation, dying, oiling, or coating. Many types of stones are misrepresented so its best to always deal with a reputable gemstone seller, which is not your local jeweler or big box store. Diamonds and gemstones are two different animals and unless the diamond dealer is also a certified gemologist he or she will not be knowledgeable about colored stones.

There's a wealth of information available on the internet for anyone who is interested. Happy shopping!

[gailcoco]

The Liquidation channel usually tells the audience if the ruby is fissure filled. I like that they are upfront about it.

[Gabby1_1]

I think JTV calls them Mihaleo Rubies. I'm pretty sure they are the same type of rubies sold in the department stores. They explain that they're fissure filled but not with what. If they are going to sell them as ff, then they need to tell their customers not to put it in cleaning solution or they'll be even more worthless.

[SANNA]

I love rubies and very glad that I bought some years ago from Shopnbc. Yes, they are of course heat treated, but absolutely natural Burmese. Too bad I did not buy more.

[moonstone dunes]

On 7/28/2014 Carolm said:

No one can tell the difference between a great and a not so great ruby -- not even a certified gemologist, without the appropriate equipment. This is true for almost all colored gemstones. A reputable gemstone seller will provide a certificate from the AGL -- in Europe it might be from the GRS or AGIS. The certificate will verify what the buyer is getting. It is not an appraisal -- it talks about whether or not the stone is synthetic or natural, its size, where it came from if it can be determined and the color may be graded. And it will talk about any treatments to the stone, such as filling, irradiation, dying, oiling, or coating. Many types of stones are misrepresented so its best to always deal with a reputable gemstone seller, which is not your local jeweler or big box store. Diamonds and gemstones are two different animals and unless the diamond dealer is also a certified gemologist he or she will not be knowledgeable about colored stones.

There's a wealth of information available on the internet for anyone who is interested. Happy shopping!

These are common, known and accepted treatments by the jewelry industry to gemstones and are all listed on each shopping channel's websites. In fact, SHOPHQ does periodically run this type of disclaimer throughout their broadcasts as does HSN. It is available as well on QVC's website. I checked during their gemstones show when they aired the $10K ruby, sold as a loose stone. Fissure-filling of ruby material is a common and acceptable practice. Because gem treatments are acceptable practices the channels do not always provide full disclosure on-air - but they must include the verbiage somewhere in their internet content.

[Lucky Charm]

I have an emerald- cut emerald that has a definite line going through it and is full of inclusion. I don't have any certification on it, so perhaps it's considered sub par.

I love it though and wear it with pride. Unfortunately people always ask me if it's jade.

My ruby does have paperwork as does a loose sapphire, however they are GIA certified even though they were bought outside the country.

And if the ruby is fake, most likely the same for the customer ahead of us, Tiger Woods.