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Is it normal if unheated ruby looks cloudy?

M

Maria L

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 8, 2023
Messages
74
Screenshot_20231107_223003_Facebook.jpg

Hi all I am a newbie here.

Really interested in this blood pigeon Mozambique ruby about 1ct. It's been GRC certified although I am not sure how good GRC is. My only concern is the stone looks a bit cloudy to me (not eye-clean) , compared to other pigeon blood rubies which have much better clarity. The seller told me all certified pigeon blood rubies have met the requirements and could hold their value in long term. Any opinions please?Screenshot_20231107_223003_Facebook.jpg
 
I am not an expert, however, very clear Rubies do exist, however, they would be very expensive, especially if they are unheated.

"Silk" as in tiny needle-like inclusions can make gemstones cloudy, like Rubies and Sapphires.

DK :))
 
dk168 said:
I am not an expert, however, very clear Rubies do exist, however, they would be very expensive, especially if they are unheated.

"Silk" as in tiny needle-like inclusions can make gemstones cloudy, like Rubies and Sapphires.

DK :))
Click to expand...

But the silk also makes them glow in the sunlight. So there are pluses and minuses :)
 
Thanks. This ring is around £1850. The seller also showed me other unheated rubies (stones only) with nice clarity and GRC reports, £2900 per carat .
 
GRC is not a lab that I am familiar with, however, as I have already mentioned, I am not an expert.

Hopefully the experts will chime in soon.

DK :))
 
Rfisher said:
Slippery slope to what degree of importance in this comment,
to make decisions on a purchase,
coming from a vendor.
Click to expand...

Do you think it's a good quality ruby though by looking at the photo?
 
Maria L said:
Do you think it's a good quality ruby though by looking at the photo?
Click to expand...

Have you seen this ring in person?
The color of it to the naked eye is of most importance - as well as seeing where it teeters between overly silky/sleepy to how translucent (as opposed to transparent) and if there’s any areas of semi opaqueness. Or pits/fissures.
Are the surrounding stones diamonds or lab grown or something else?

Maria L said:
This ring is around £1850
Click to expand...

This raises more questions (imo) than answers.
If you aren’t just buying a pretty bauble (which is fine!!!!)
But trying to put stock into lab report stats and future values in a purchase -
This would give me great pause, personally.
 
Rfisher said:
Slippery slope to what degree of importance in this comment,
to make decisions on a purchase,
coming from a vendor.
Click to expand...

+ 1.

DK :roll2:
 
Looking at just the Ruby stone on its own, it is not for me as I prefer pink-reds to orange-reds.

However, that's my personal preference.

DK :))
 
I'm no expert either but honestly I'm afraid in person this stone would be overly dark or have brownish tones on top of it possibly being too silky... The price is suspiciously low for the ring and stone if it is even close to be considered "fine" quality. There aren't many bargains these days for rubies. I've heard of GRC but also don't know how reputable they are, but keep in mind many smaller labs in Asia (and even big ones nowadays) will grade anything as "pigeons blood" and that trade name has lost its prestigiousness. As for the vendor claiming it will hold value because of that.... Personally it's a red flag
 
GRC is a Bangkok lab. I just had a ring arrive a couple of days ago with a certificate from them. Judging by their definition of royal blue compared to what my eyes see, I wouldn't trust their pigeon blood red. But aside from that, I bought from a trusted vendor who apparently uses them, so I guess they're probably okay for determining basic things like natural/lab and known treatments.

The ruby looks pretty on my screen, but definitely sleepy. Yes, an untreated ruby can be included, and that will usually come with a reduced price tag. Clarity matters a lot, learned that from experience.

Here are my gripes with the whole situation. First, the vendor is luring you in with trade names for colours and talk of holding value over time. That's very common, people fall for that, it's a solid business strategy to sell gems, but you're posting here because you want to know better and you should know that's a whole lot of sweet talking with no real value behind it.

You're buying a stone to wear and enjoy, not to invest. If you decide to sell on the second hand market down the line, you're likely to do so at a loss. Furthermore, your eyes know a lot better about colour and what looks good than any lab or trade name.

A sleepy stone like this one, especially if it doesn't have good fluorescence, is likely to suffer in low light. Don't know if you're buying in person or online. If it's the second, beware that vendors will show you the absolute best photos in the absolute perfect conditions. You, however, won't have the perfect conditions at your disposal at all times.

Ruby on a budget is a tricky business. Not impossible, but tricky. Vendors will over-exaggerate the quality of their stock in an attempt to lure you into a purchase. It's easy to get mislead. So make sure you consider what compromises you're willing to make in order to get the price down to your comfort levels. And then stick to your boundaries.
 
If buying online, make sure there is a good return policy, and check to confirm who is responsible for return shipping etc. before committing to buy.

If you are importing from abroad into UK, you will need to pay custom and import charges which are usually not reclaimable should one decides to return the goods.

DK :))
 
Agree it looks sleepy -- to the point where I can not even see the pavilion down through the crown.

A little silk is nice for the coveted "glow" but this is more bug than feature at this point. Could look great under high overhead sun near the equator! Kind of a limited "use case," though. I like the hue and tone.

But: so hard to judge these from a couple of random photos. I am pretty confident that it will not look better in person than the photos in this case.
 
As others have said, gemstones aren’t investments. You should buy what you love and will wear and hope that you can recoup 50% - 75% of your initial outlay should you need to sell.
Nearly everyone calls their rubies Colour “pigeon blood red” because that’s considered the “top” colour, other aspects like treatment, origin and clarity actually matter more.
This ruby is a nice colour but the clarity is very poor. For the price it’s ok but for a good Ruby you’ll need more $$$$.
 
For that price I would be extremely wary. Its not going to be "pigeon blood red" at that price point, and gems aren't ever good investments
 
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