Any Aussies here who have sent a gem for a coloured gem report?

[Bron357]

Hi fellow Aussies,
Just trying to work out where and how I can get a couple of my gems verified. I have a couple of rubies that need origin and treatment reports.
Has anyone sent their gems overseas? How does it work with customs bringing them back to Australia? Or who have you used here in Australia?
I intend selling some of these gems (to fund the setting of those I keep) so it needs to be a report that a possible overseas buyer will accept as legitimate.
Many thanks, for any advice as I’ve never sold a gem before so this is a new adventure!

 

[LoveRed]

Hi fellow Aussies,
Just trying to work out where and how I can get a couple of my gems verified. I have a couple of rubies that need origin and treatment reports.
Has anyone sent their gems overseas? How does it work with customs bringing them back to Australia? Or who have you used here in Australia?
I intend selling some of these gems (to fund the setting of those I keep) so it needs to be a report that a possible overseas buyer will accept as legitimate.
Many thanks, for any advice as I’ve never sold a gem before so this is a new adventure!

Hello Bron, so whatever happened with the rubies from the auction lot??? Especially the 6.19????

 

[Bron357]

Hello Bron, so whatever happened with the rubies from the auction lot??? Especially the 6.19????

I still haven’t got around to going in and seeing Doug. A part of me, now I’m studying Gemology, wants to be able to identify it as yes or no myself rather than go in and look foolish.
Heaps of people think their substantial ruby, sapphire or Alexandrite is a fabulous natural gem, but in 999 out of a 1,000 times it is a synthetic.
Synthetic Alex’s and sapphires are much easier to ID, rubies are harder as I’m discovering.
So far I’ve been “no way, maybe, yes I think, maybe I think, maybe”.
I’ve bought extra microscope lenses, device for darkfield illumination, led lighting, UV light and dichoscope. I have a spectroscope and refractometer on order.
Though, as I’m discovering, because synthetic rubies are identical to natural rubies so basically no “test” can separate them. It comes down to the inclusions and/or the presence / absence of curved striae and gas bubbles. I have no curved striae and no gas bubbles I can see but I have feather inclusions. So either I have a very good quality synthetic or a ruby.

 

[LoveRed]

So you and I are in the same boat. I have that large ruby pendant, sold to me as a ruby after seller had it looked at by a local jewelry who I’m sure would have no idea about inclusions that would identify source of stone. I’m seeing all the right inclusions but with only 15x having a tough time with silk, etc. definitely s natural something! Lol. I was hoping you’d have found out. There are awesome videos on YouTube with microscopic inclusions identified. Seems like you made a great score. I need Gemology course too. Have many years of accumulating stones if I got them cheaply. Good luck with your rubies!!

 

[LoveRed]

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[minousbijoux]

You know Bron, it occurs to me that AGL must face this on a regular basis - that is, folks from Australia wanting to send stones - so they may be in a position to help out if you were to call them? Just a thought. I'm glad you thought of the customs issue, as it never would have crossed my mind, until I was unfairly walloped by duties!

 

[GliderPoss]

How about sending them to Sydney: http://www.gemstudieslaboratory.com.au/

This is the official Aussie lab recommended by the Gemmological Association of Australia.

 

[voce]

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My goodness, LoveRed, I had seen how many lovely jewelry pieces you had in the other thread--enough to fill a room! I didn't think you'd have collected so many loose stones, too...

Yeah, it would be best if you could become a gemologist yourself, instead of hauling these babies overseas for certification. If you're escorting them to a lab, you need to individually document hundreds of them just to be certain the lab is returning them all!

 

[LoveRed]

My goodness, LoveRed, I had seen how many lovely jewelry pieces you had in the other thread--enough to fill a room! I didn't think you'd have collected so many loose stones, too...

Yeah, it would be best if you could become a gemologist yourself, instead of hauling these babies overseas for certification. If you're escorting them to a lab, you need to individually document hundreds of them just to be certain the lab is returning them all!

voce, just pick up stones here and there over the years, the black box is all tourmaline from a lady whose mother was a jeweler, came with small rubies, emerald, diamonds. Not really useful to me except for the occasional stone replacement. I’m in Florida so jewelers abound but I want to know myself. I came to this site to talk Ruby talk and met Bron who knows a lot. Now I have Aussie friends!!

 

[arkieb1]

There is an excellent gem lab in the same building Doug is in, I think it's the same one linked above, (not entirely sure I will have to dig out the address of the one I have used as they are the best one in Australia) they will write a report for you and will be able to identify if the ruby is heated not heated and if it's synthetic or filled with glass they are really lovely and will charge you a minimum for looking at the stone without writing a report.

For a full origin report the best two places are Richard Hughes's Lotus Lab in Thailand and AGL in the US. I have known all of the labs here to mislabel origin of sapphires and other stones, they are the only two places that I believe consistently get it correct and are the best IMHO for rubies, sapphires and spinels. You will probably have to be a registered business to navigate sending the stones overseas and getting them back again unless you do not want them back into Australia. If you need help let me know.