Is this ruby too dark?

[Arkteia]

Unheated rubies are trickier to buy because they are more shifty in color. However, in many cases, heating rubies can make the color nicer and more stable in most cases (less shifty) but the trasparency less. Ruby I think, you have to see in person before buying to be safe if you are paying big bucks. You don't know what you'll get in different lighting conditions.

Here are examples of rubies reacting to different lighting conditions.

These are unheated Mozambique rubies (except for the modified cushion which is an AIGS orangy pink sapphire but too dark to be a pad). Note that the numerous rubies in the box are commercial quality (not fine quality) and I'm going to compare it with a fine unheated GRS pigeon's blood ruby (not the purplish red but more on the purer red side) on how they color shift in different lights.

I personally define a fine ruby to have great transparency and to hold a nice color in all lighting conditions even if it shifts from red to purplish red, to orangy red - as long as the color remains nice and doesn't bleed out.

The pigeon's blood I didn't mind the window (most rubies are flattish and I think a deeper pavilion would have darkened the stone) as I like the color, big face up size (stone is only 1.05 carats) and the crisp transparency.

Rubies are hard to photograph so I can't capture the pure red hue of the pigeon's blood. Also, in strong artificial light, the commercial quality rubies are mostly a purer red but as you will see, will darken in low light.

So when buying a ruby especially unheated ones, it is safe to assume that internet photos are the best color of the ruby because they are in strong, controlled light.

All photos taken with an iPad. No color adjustments.

Here are the stones in incandescent light.


Under a fluorescent lamp. Also in the photo is an unheated pinkish red heart Mozambique ruby though it appears more pink in the photos than IRL (very bright stone!).



Here are the stones in low diffused light.


The stones in outdoor daylight.



The pigeon's blood in direct sunlight.

Rubies are horrible to photograph. My 3.22 unheated Mozambique looks very clean, and has this velvety quality to it that the rubies I like have (I always remember red rose petals when I look at them). Yet nothing gets translated into an indoor picture.

 

[minousbijoux]

I saw a nice one the other day, let me try to find it...
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p367/1.54_ct_Unheated_Ruby.html

May be a little too pink for you....

Wow, if that is an accurate photo of what it looks like IRL, then hubba, hubba!!

 

[whitewave]

That is perfect! I only wish it was 2ct. What kind of price difference can I expect for a gem like that except 2ct?

You want to look at mm sizes, not weight with colored stones...

 

[T L]

Rubies are horrible to photograph. My 3.22 unheated Mozambique looks very clean, and has this velvety quality to it that the rubies I like have (I always remember red rose petals when I look at them). Yet nothing gets translated into an indoor picture.

You can still tell that's a very nice ruby, even with the limitations of photography.

 

[T L]

You want to look at mm sizes, not weight with colored stones...

To be honest, you need to evaluate both. A two carat fine ruby is exponentially much more expensive than a smaller stone, but the face up size should be decent for its weight.

 

[Corbes55]

So how much does the price jump after you hit 2ct? From what I've been seeing it looks like I could get a top quality unheated ruby of around 1.5 for 7500-10000. How much does that increase at 2ct?

 

[Arkteia]

You can still tell that's a very nice ruby, even with the limitations of photography.

Thank you, TL! It is bright. Not what they call "pigeon blood" (I now know what pigeon blood means). The cut is not great. But it is bright and cheerful and certified unheated. And the main thing - I enjoy it.

TL, what do you think about heat only rubies? I looked at some of them, they are so beautiful. Personally, I would forgive heat for top color.

 

[T L]

Thank you, TL! It is bright. Not what they call "pigeon blood" (I now know what pigeon blood means). The cut is not great. But it is bright and cheerful and certified unheated. And the main thing - I enjoy it.

TL, what do you think about heat only rubies? I looked at some of them, they are so beautiful. Personally, I would forgive heat for top color.

Be careful of the pigeon blood designation. Some of these "pigeon blood" described rubies ought to be named "week old blood on a bandage." Lol! Yours is nice, so you're lucky, although I've never actually seen a pigeon's blood!!

Heat only is fine with me as long as you're aware of all the other possible treatments that come with heating, and you're paying an appropriate price. I would completely avoid diffusion or lead glass filled of course. Rubies are rarely heat only.

 

[T L]

So how much does the price jump after you hit 2ct? From what I've been seeing it looks like I could get a top quality unheated ruby of around 1.5 for 7500-10000. How much does that increase at 2ct?

It could be at least 30k for a top color 2 ct untreated Burma ruby.

 

[sapphiredream]

8500 is overpriced - the stone is not pretty - like a garnet I would never buy to...

Heeey!!
What do you mean "not pretty -like a garnet"??

I just got a very pretty sparkly garnet at home and for those of us who look good in deeper colors (as opposed to bright and yelly) - a garnet can be gorgeous!

But yes - a ruby should look a brighter red. What bothers me is the flatness/dullness of the stone.
At that price, it's a definite no.

 

[Arkteia]

Be careful of the pigeon blood designation. Some of these "pigeon blood" described rubies ought to be named "week old blood on a bandage." Lol! Yours is nice, so you're lucky, although I've never actually seen a pigeon's blood!!

Heat only is fine with me as long as you're aware of all the other possible treatments that come with heating, and you're paying an appropriate price. I would completely avoid diffusion or lead glass filled of course. Rubies are rarely heat only.

Thank you!

I always thought that Sarah, the Duchess of York's ruby was pigeon blood. It glowed on all photos.

Interesting about rarely heat only, I never thought about it this way...

 

[Nosean]

@sapphiresream

You are absolutely right - "garnets" are one of my favorites gem group - I collect them...

A ruby ( red spinel too) should not look like a cheaper brownish red garnet...

Or should be much much cheaper..

 

[Seaglow]

Be careful of the pigeon blood designation. Some of these "pigeon blood" described rubies ought to be named "week old blood on a bandage." Lol! Yours is nice, so you're lucky, although I've never actually seen a pigeon's blood!!

Heat only is fine with me as long as you're aware of all the other possible treatments that come with heating, and you're paying an appropriate price. I would completely avoid diffusion or lead glass filled of course. Rubies are rarely heat only.

Most pigeon's blood as designated by major labs are not nice IMHO so don't even bother. Lol. But many people also buy the paper. But not only the paper. There is a strong preference in many parts of Asia for the darker color (exception is Japan who prefers the pinkish modifier in rubies, and why not? The pinkish stones are the ones who remain bright in most lights).

Here's a tray in outdoor daylight post noon.

All are unheated stones except for the 3rd to the left in first row which is a heated AIGS pigeon's blood Thai ruby and the 3 stones in the last row, they are heated Burmese rubies.

The GRS pigeon's blood I posted earlier is beside the AIGS pigeon's blood. Quite a difference! Lol. Many GRS pigeon's blood though are closer to the color of the AIGS pigeon's blood. Looks garnety in some lights. The others that appear garnety are mostly defined as red (except for the cushion on 2nd row which is a purple sapphire for reference). The ones with pinkish tones remain brighter.



However, under LED lamp, this is the "garnety" AIGS pigeon's blood.

Thank you!

I always thought that Sarah, the Duchess of York's ruby was pigeon blood. It glowed on all photos.

Interesting about rarely heat only, I never thought about it this way...

It can also look a bit dark in some light but can be a pigeon's blood - in some lights it looks like it has a bit of purplish modifier, a very nice red, regardless.

 

[Seaglow]

On treatment, it is standard in ruby mining and manufacturing countries to cook the stones with borax. This will fill/heal the fissures. This is not to be confused with glass-filled. Fissure-filled is not the same as glass-filled and a stone that is clean cooked in borax may appear heat only in the lab report if there is no fissure for the borax to seep in. So mind that if the stone is sold as standard heating (in case of rubies), it may not just be heat only but heated with borax.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@Seaglow my mum bought a ruby from malaysia (she told me it was at a jewelry store) that looked fine but after one wash in detergent (just normal dishwashing liquid that I scrub mine with) it developed all these scratches all over it and looks awful now.

Was that even ruby or glass filled ruby?

 

[Seaglow]

@Seaglow my mum bought a ruby from malaysia (she told me it was at a jewelry store) that looked fine but after one wash in detergent (just normal dishwashing liquid that I scrub mine with) it developed all these scratches all over it and looks awful now.

Was that even ruby or glass filled ruby?

Glass-filled and flux-filled do not react to detergent. If fact, they can make a crumbling stone more durable. There must be another filler on it. Wax, resin, or oils could react to detergent.

 

[T L]

Thank you!

I always thought that Sarah, the Duchess of York's ruby was pigeon blood. It glowed on all photos.

Interesting about rarely heat only, I never thought about it this way...

I don't think I've ever seen a heated ruby on this forum that didn't have some form of clarity treatment on its lab report. I have seen untreated rubies more often, especially African material.

 

[T L]

@Seaglow my mum bought a ruby from malaysia (she told me it was at a jewelry store) that looked fine but after one wash in detergent (just normal dishwashing liquid that I scrub mine with) it developed all these scratches all over it and looks awful now.

Was that even ruby or glass filled ruby?

Pribably lead glass filled. They can be affected by ammonia, which is in some dishwashing liquid.

 

[Seaglow]

Yes, ammonia, bleach and solvents can affect glass-filled rubies.

 

[T L]

Thank you!

I always thought that Sarah, the Duchess of York's ruby was pigeon blood. It glowed on all photos.

Interesting about rarely heat only, I never thought about it this way...

Her ruby is gorgeous, definitely strong saturation of color there. I haven't seen her wear it after her divorce. A pity!!!