Help I inherited these two rings what are they?

[le chateau]

Hi everyone. This is a great forum. I've had so much fun reading through and seeing the pieces. I thought I might post about my two mystery rings.

I just inherited these two rings and I have no idea what they are. I went to my local jewelry store and the sales man sniffed at me and said they were fake stones. He did this with a just a quick glance. They may very well be fake, I don't care if they are. I'm just curious. I think they are lovely just the same.

The red stone ring was my great-grandmother's engagement ring. She died long before I was born, so no one knows anything more about the ring.

The blue stone ring was in my mother's collection. She has passed away as well. I never saw her wear it or ever mention it. She wasn't a big jewelry person. But, sapphire is her birthstone.

Thanks you for your help.

Suzanne

 

[le chateau]

ok I loaded the pix. the last one is smaller. I think I've figured out how to do this picture business. thank you for your patience

 

[le chateau]

my rings

 

[le chateau]

smaller pix I hope

 

[le chateau]

another angle.

 

[widget]

Hi Suzanne....welcome to PS!

Well, I certainly like them....no matter what they are!

It seems to me it shouldn''t be too hard for an expert to identify the stones (in person), and I certainly wouldn''t stop with one distainful opinion of a sales clerk!

I think they''re lovely. I particularly like the red one. Just curious...are either of the rings stamped with karat gold content or other info?

widget

 

[le chateau]

Date: 8/25/2006 11:08:36 AM
Author: widget
Hi Suzanne....welcome to PS!


Well, I certainly like them....no matter what they are!

It seems to me it shouldn't be too hard for an expert to identify the stones (in person), and I certainly wouldn't stop with one distainful opinion of a sales clerk!


I think they're lovely. I particularly like the red one. Just curious...are either of the rings stamped with karat gold content or other info?


widget

Thank you for the welcome and the reply. The blue one is stamped 10k. There isn't a stamp on the red one. There are little diamond chips as side stones on the red one.

Also,the picture didn't capture the brilliance of the red one. It really cathes in the light. The color is a blueish-red.

The blue stone is darker at the top and there is an obvious window right through it. And the color actually looks better in the pix.

 

[MelissaSue]

i dunno what they are.. but take them to some one else.. Sometimes you will find jewlers who are idiots..

Quick story.. One of the first jewelry pieces my husband bought me when we were dating was an amethyst ring. It is 10K white gold.. it was not terribly expensive.. and it was from the mall, but I had picked it out myself, and he bought it for me for christmas.. so I loved it..

So him being a last minute shopper, didn''t leave enough time for it to be sized by the mall store before christmas.. So he called around and found a local jeweler who say they could do it in a day.. Somehow I ended up being with him when he took it to get sized.. he was trying to be secretive.. but I knew what was going on.. So I wait in the car while he goes into the jewelers. but the he comes back out looking kind of mad and he still has the ring.. He says to me.. "They said they can''t size it.. because its silver..".. I FLIP out at this point.. DUH..its not silver.. The jewleler claimed to my husband that he could tell by the feel of it that it was silver.. So I march right back in the store with the ring in my hand.. SHOW HIM the stamp on the ring that says 10K.. The dude still didn''t want to believe me.. and he claims he could not see the stamp when he looked at it.. You''ve GOT to be kidding me. And the sign on the jewlerey store says something like "Fine jewlerey since 1898.." in business 100+ years and they can''t even find a STAMP on ring?! We did have them size the ring, but we never went back there after that..

 

[CaptAubrey]

If the stones in those rings were natural, based on the fine color and clarity, they would be very valuable. However, that doesn''t jibe with the low quality of the settings--10k gold and diamond chips.

I suspect they are indeed either synthetic or simply glass. Constume jewelry like that with synthetic rubies and sapphires was fairly common during the early 20th century. The ruby especially has the orangy-red color characteristic of flame fusion ruby.

Only way to know for sure is to find an appraiser to take a look at them. Making the determination shouldn''t take more than a few minutes.

 

[Barbara]

Date: 8/25/2006 9:35:07 AM
Author:le chateau

The red stone ring was my great-grandmother''s engagement ring. She died long before I was born, so no one knows anything more about the ring. The blue stone ring was in my mother''s collection.

Hi le chateau,

One of the most surprising things for my beginning gemology students to learn is how far back synthetics (before 1910) and simulants (thousands of years) go. When the flame fusion synthetics were new many noted designers used them in fine jewelry along with diamonds and platinum, because they were the new "cool" technology of the day. Seeing a jewelry piece like this always reminds me of the time I stayed overnight on the Queen Mary -- the tour guide pointed out the Formica countertops which were only in the ritziest staterooms.

 

[CaptAubrey]

Date: 8/25/2006 1:12:55 PM
Author: Barbara

Date: 8/25/2006 9:35:07 AM
Author:le chateau

One of the most surprising things for my beginning gemology students to learn is how far back synthetics (before 1910) and simulants (thousands of years) go. When the flame fusion synthetics were new many noted designers used them in fine jewelry along with diamonds and platinum, because they were the new ''cool'' technology of the day. Seeing a jewelry piece like this always reminds me of the time I stayed overnight on the Queen Mary -- the tour guide pointed out the Formica countertops which were only in the ritziest staterooms.

My wife has a very nice emerald ring set in white gold ring with diamonds that she inherited from her grandmother. It''s a beautiful ring that would be appropriate at any fine jewelry counter, even though the emerald is synthetic. I suspect from the quality of the piece that it was one of those kinds of rings, put together shortly after Chatham came out with the first synthetic emeralds, which synthetic or not, were a big deal at the time.

 

[FireGoddess]

Whatever they are, they are gorgeous. I especially love the red one as well.

 

[kcoursolle]

I don''t know what they are, but I wanted to say that they are beautiful. Whatever they are, enjoy them!

 

[strmrdr]

What part of the country are you in?
An appraiser who knows colored stones would be able to help you and a gem id isnt that expensive.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 8/25/2006 1:12:55 PM
Author: Barbara

Date: 8/25/2006 9:35:07 AM
Author:le chateau

When the flame fusion synthetics were new many noted designers used them in fine jewelry along with diamonds and platinum, because they were the new 'cool' technology of the day. Seeing a jewelry piece like this always reminds me of the time I stayed overnight on the Queen Mary -- the tour guide pointed out the Formica countertops which were only in the ritziest staterooms.

Precisely! I have a few pieces like that myself. It amazes me at the level of detail in the some of the settings.

The ring on the right is especially nice with the raised up detail & the heft. Could be just the color of the pic - but it also looked like rose gold.

The blue one is neat as well. Can't really see the detail - perhaps it is worn?

Anyway, on a long shot, you could always have them appraised.

 

[sunflowers]

Hi Barbara:

I was curious what your PhD was in. How did you get into gemology?

sunflowers

 

[Barbara]

Date: 8/25/2006 7:18:57 PM
Author: sunflowers
Hi Barbara:


I was curious what your PhD was in. How did you get into gemology?


sunflowers

Hi sunflowers:

My degree is in Evolutionary Biology. I was a biology and environmental science professor for over twenty years when I discovered gems at age 50. As my obsession has grown over the last 10 years I went from colored stone collector to gemology student to facetor to retail internet marketer and jewelry designer and now culminating in the most rewarding aspect of it all -- teaching gemology. Five years ago I retired from full time biology teaching to finish the GG, and for the last two years my college has let me teach a basic gemology course through the geology department. I have 90 new students to enjoy when the Fall Semester starts on Aug. 28th. How lucky can a person get???

How about you? When and how did your interest happen?

Barbara

 

[innerkitten]

They are both lovely but I guess only a gemstone expert can tell you for sure.

 

[portoar]

I have a very similar ring to the blue one from my mother''s estate, only mine has a red stone like the one in your other ring. I think they are very pretty, and not valuable.