Aquamarine or glass?

[sirbenson]

My grandmother gave me a ring a long time ago that is a blue "stone" set into a silver band. I asked her about it tonight as I was wondering if the stone is actually a stone (its the colour of an aquamarine) or just a piece of glass. She said she didn't know but told me that the ring was about 88 years old and many years ago she noticed that the "stone" was chipped so had it replaced. She said she didn't think she paid much for the repair thus wouldn't be surprised if at the time she replace the original stone with glass.

Is there any easy way to tell what the light blue stone is and if its actually a stone or just a piece of glass?

 

[Arkteia]

As everyone will tell you here, it is impossible to tell what it is even if you have photos posted. However, I have a beautiful antique pendant which my relatives acquired in 1950-es thinking it was aquamarine. It has attractive aqua-blue color, and is mounted in high-carat rose gold.
My appraiser said it was glass. Now I can see the air bubbles, too. The reason I am telling it is that even in old times, there were lots of fakes, some of them in expensive mountings and well-cut.

 

[sirbenson]

Thanks. For the lonest time I was thinking it wasn't glass. But then yesterday I dug it out of a drawer to show my grandmother. When she told me the story of how she replaced the original stone and didn't pay much for the replacement I figured it was just glass. That and the fact that its set in silver (which is really tarnished).

 

[ruffysdad]

You might want to have it checked anyway. There's a lot of pale aqua out there that can be had for pretty cheap and also when the stone was replaced, well, inexpensive then and inexpensive now are two different things. I remember when tsavorite rough could be had for $2-4/ct. I also remember dinosaurs and black and white TV

Pete