Is my ruby cut too deep & too dark? Should I recut?

[noodle84]

Hi guys! Need an expert's opinion here. This is the ruby I bought for my wife's e-ring. I know they're hard to photograph but here it is in a few different light sources from different angles. Is it too dark? Are there excessive extinctions? It's a deep sparkly maroon in bright direct light but in indirect light it can look dull and almost black as you can see in the last 2 pics. It is cut a bit deep- it's 1.17ct and the measurements are 5.71mm in diameter by 4.19mm deep which gives it a width to depth ratio of about 73%. I've read a few articles that say the sweet spot for rubies and sapphires is generally a range from around 60% or 65% all the way up to 80% but I've also seen a couple people post on this forum that the ideal range is really more like 60%-70%. So I was wondering if it was worth taking it to a gem cutter and having them just make it a bit shallower. Would that brighten it up or is it not worth it? Honestly if you guys think the color and light performance are fine I don't want to mess with it. Thank you!!
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[Bron357]

Hi, a recut will cause it to lose carat weight ie reduce to under 1 carat and that will affect its value. All the facets have to be adjusted, not just a few.
I don’t know if a recut will brighten it up enough to offset the loss of size / carat weight. No harm in enquiring though.
The ruby will also darken more once set, it may mean it looks almost black nearly all of the time. I don’t know what your “setting plans” are but I think a halo of diamonds in white gold / platinum will help frame the ruby.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

I have ZERO experience having any gems recut so take this for what it's worth. But my GUESS is a recut wouldn't result in the significant change in color like you are inquiring about. The material is very saturated (nothing wrong with that) and the profile of the stone looks gorgeous to my eye. So my vote is to not recut this stone.

 

[noodle84]

Yea I really don't mind it loosing weight/value if the color and light performance improve. But I guess I'm just not an expert on what ideal color and light performance should look like and under what lighting conditions it should be judged under. Here are a couple pics of it in it's original setting (it's loose right now because the setting is being altered). These were taken in direct sunlight and so they show the gem at its brightest. (Most of the time it looks darker, like it does the 5th and 6th pics in the original post).

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I don't know squat about rubbies but to me that's a very ruby red
What does your lady think of the colours?

And congratulations on your engagement

 

[prs]

The stone is definitely on the dark side. You have nothing to loose by inquiring with an experience lapidary. There's a recent thread here on re-cutting that will give you some idea of the process. LINK

 

[noodle84]

Ok thanks guys! She says she loves it but of course she would never tell me if she didn't. The stone is loose at the moment so I just figured if there were ever a time to get it tweaked it's now. Maybe I'll shoot an email to the gem cutters in that link.

 

[Polyhex]

The photo of your stone in in profile is too dark to tell if the bottom is step cut or brilliant. I believe it's step cut on the pavilion because of the bulging belly. The performance would probably improve if the bulge was eliminated. It would probably only need to be recut on the pavilion, not the crown. My guess is a recut would run 100-200 USD and of course the stone would lose some weight but on the lower side of weight loss. Whether this is a good idea or not is highly personal no right or wrong answer.

 

[noodle84]

The photo of your stone in in profile is too dark to tell if the bottom is step cut or brilliant. I believe it's step cut on the pavilion because of the bulging belly. The performance would probably improve if the bulge was eliminated. It would probably only need to be recut on the pavilion, not the crown. My guess is a recut would run 100-200 USD and of course the stone would lose some weight but on the lower side of weight loss. Whether this is a good idea or not is highly personal no right or wrong answer.

Thanks Polyhex, yea it's step cut. Below is a closer pic of the pavilion. I contacted Mr. Newman and said he would work on the pavilion to see what he can do. But yea I wonder if having him eliminate the step cuts completely and cut the pavilion like a brilliant cut diamond would be the best way to maximize brilliance and lighten its color. Obviously he'll tell me what he thinks is best when he gets the stone but I'm just thinkin out loud. As I understand it, rubies have bulging step cut pavilions to retain weight and deepen color but I guess my question is- does this come at the expense of brilliance? Along those lines, I'm also just curious if anyone happens to know what the optimal pavilion facet angle for ruby would be. I know for diamonds it's around 40.8 degrees but I can't seem to find it anywhere for corundum which of course has a different RI.

 

[737liz]

I don't own any good rubies, so shouldn't be commenting here. BUT I think it is a beautiful deep, if somewhat flat, color. Would you be upset if it leant more purple, pink, or even rusty orange after a recut? I would probably gamble on a recut since something about it is bothering you in it's current state, and it does look quite dark. But I would also be prepared to get back a very different looking stone. And be ok with that.

 

[voce]

I think in this case the crystal itself looks overly saturated and not the ideal transparency to reflect light. My guess (as someone who owns various rubies of various sizes and colors) is that a recut won't solve the problem of the gem appearing dark.

Maybe you could suggest the idea to your significant other you're thinking about returning the ruby and swapping the ruby with another one, see what she says?

 

[mrs-b]

Were it mine, I'd go for a light recut, if that's possiblel. But mostly, I'd do a re-set. A diamond halo tends to give a stark contrast to any colored stone, so any color it has will be highlighted.

On the other hand, if it's going back into the original setting and the ruby is currently removed, I'd take that opportunity and reshape those prongs to give it a more elegant look.

Good luck!