Looking for advice on ruby ring

[voce]

Hi Voce,

I suppose pricing will depend on the vendor and the market you’re in. I have seen 30-35% discount to unheated for low heat only (no flux, no fillers), you may know otherwise.

On color I said 4 because while it probably is a 3.5 in terms of spectral purity (but who knows without equipment), the overall appeal is affected by the inclusions and I think AGL factors that in to some extent in the color grade. I might be wrong though.
Regardless, 4 is a very good score so I didn’t mean to diminish its beauty.

In cases where I've seen 30-35% discount only, I've just considered that overpriced. Even without taking color and quality into consideration, there's many times more heat only Burmese rubies available.

 

[icy_jade]

@CircularBrilliant you can also consider rubellite.

I compared my rubellite (in ring) to a ruby and couldn’t quite justify the price to buy the ruby after that:


uv effect for ruby:


Oh ya and spinel:

 

[CircularBrilliant]

@CircularBrilliant you can also consider rubellite.

I compared my rubellite (in ring) to a ruby and couldn’t quite justify the price to buy the ruby after that:


uv effect for ruby:


Oh ya and spinel:

Thanks! That's a lovely color on your rubellite--I always thought rubellites were more pink, but yours seems quite true red. Very pretty spinel, too! Can rubellites glow in sunlight, or is that only possible with ruby or spinel?

 

[icy_jade]

Can rubellites glow in sunlight, or is that only possible with ruby or spinel?

Red is possible for rubellite. But I think is rare? And no unfortunately they don’t glow but if they did I suppose they wouldn’t be priced so much less than a ruby.

The Burmese spinel is graded red by GIA.

Ultimately rubies are expensive - I enjoy my rubellite and spinel for what they are and wouldn’t think about passing them off as rubies. Personally I enjoy their size and color.

 

[JewelledEscalators]

CircularBrilliant

I am definitely going to explore my options with spinel if this goes back (which is the direction I am leaning now). Good luck in your hunt for a lab ruby with the look you want! If you wind up finding it, please share lots of pictures

Will do. If you decide to keep the natural ruby and find that you're still not sure about it later on, I can always swap it with you for my future lab ruby

But seriously, I hope you find the right stone whatever that might be - if it's a ruby or a red spinel, a good one for a good price will probably hold its value or even go up.

Do share pics of any future stones you buy - I'm a sucker for red stones!

 

[JewelledEscalators]

@CircularBrilliant you can also consider rubellite.

I compared my rubellite (in ring) to a ruby and couldn’t quite justify the price to buy the ruby after that:


uv effect for ruby:


Oh ya and spinel:

Lovely rubellite - looks so similar to a ruby too in the photo. I don't have a rubellite yet but it's on my ever-growing bucket list. Inclusions can make them interesting too, I heard.

 

[JewelledEscalators]

By the way, is your handle name CircularBrilliant because you love diamonds? Just wondered.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

By the way, is your handle name CircularBrilliant because you love diamonds? Just wondered.

It's a tribute to my e-ring, which is an OEC that GIA termed a "circular brilliant"

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Hello, I wanted to report back in case anyone is wondering what I decided. I am usually pretty decisive about what I love and what I do not, so my struggle with this one surprised me. As I got to spend more time with the ring, I began to really appreciate the ruby -- the color is so beautiful, and it has such a rich deep glow that truly outshines my lab ruby (beautiful though the lab is!). Although I wouldn't say she sparkled, she was lively in her own way (as if there were layers of glow that appeared as the stone moved). I had a really hard time thinking about sending her back, but also wasn't quite ready to fully commit to her at the cost of locking up my jewelry budget for the foreseeable future. It was my hesitance on the latter point that decided it for me. I'm really thankful to everyone who weighed in, and for all of the advice I got. At the end of the day, this isn't the one for me, but I have a much deeper appreciation for fine natural rubies now, and I am firmly committed to the hunt!

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

I had a really hard time thinking about sending her back, but also wasn't quite ready to fully commit to her at the cost of locking up my jewelry budget for the foreseeable future. It was my hesitance on the latter point that decided it for me.

This is such a good point. My DH once asked me if I bought item A and then item B came along but I had no $ for it, would I regret having spent my money on A? Since then, I've used that as a gauge of how badly I want something, and whether it was the "right" piece for me at that time.

 

[Mreader]

Hello, I wanted to report back in case anyone is wondering what I decided. I am usually pretty decisive about what I love and what I do not, so my struggle with this one surprised me. As I got to spend more time with the ring, I began to really appreciate the ruby -- the color is so beautiful, and it has such a rich deep glow that truly outshines my lab ruby (beautiful though the lab is!). Although I wouldn't say she sparkled, she was lively in her own way (as if there were layers of glow that appeared as the stone moved). I had a really hard time thinking about sending her back, but also wasn't quite ready to fully commit to her at the cost of locking up my jewelry budget for the foreseeable future. It was my hesitance on the latter point that decided it for me. I'm really thankful to everyone who weighed in, and for all of the advice I got. At the end of the day, this isn't the one for me, but I have a much deeper appreciation for fine natural rubies now, and I am firmly committed to the hunt!

I came back to this thread because I wonder what you decided! You made the right decision- you have to be 100%

 

[Mreader]

I came back to this thread because I wonder what you decided! You made the right decision- you have to be 100%

I was also going to ask if you would mind sharing the Etsy seller you got your lab from? I’m always on the lookout for good Etsy vintage sellers.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

I was also going to ask if you would mind sharing the Etsy seller you got your lab from? I’m always on the lookout for good Etsy vintage sellers.

To be honest, despite how much I love the ring, I would not be comfortable recommending the seller. He represented the prongs as secure, but the stone was audibly rattling around in the setting. When I contacted him about it, he accused me of damaging the ring and exaggerating the risks of the stone being loose. Etsy did intervene after I took it to a local jeweler for repair, but the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Mreader]

To be honest, despite how much I love the ring, I would not be comfortable recommending the seller. He represented the prongs as secure, but the stone was audibly rattling around in the setting. When I contacted him about it, he accused me of damaging the ring and exaggerating the risks of the stone being loose. Etsy did intervene after I took it to a local jeweler for repair, but the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

Oh wow goodness thanks for the head's up - and how frustrating!!

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Oh wow goodness thanks for the head's up - and how frustrating!!

At least Etsy's customer service was helpful

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Hello all, I am reporting back after having continued forth with my ruby journey. Thank you again to everyone who weighed in on this thread -- I have learned so much from PS, and am so appreciative of this community.

Earlier this year, I worked with Inken on a ruby eternity that I absolutely love and wear all the time. Now she has helped me find a gorgeous larger ruby (2.13ct). This one is a different flavor than the rubies in my eternity ring--winza (rather than burmese) and slightly pinkish red (rather than truly red red). But different does not mean worse! The way she lights up in the sun is just breathtaking, and AGL gave her a 3/75-80 on color and a TQI rating of excellent Inken called her a "jedi" ruby -- she has the richness and depth of a ruby, but glows like a jedi spinel (and sparkles too!). I didn't have much sunlight to work with before sending her back to Inken for setting, but I did manage one short video to show her glow:

And here are a couple of videos from Inken:

Enhoerning Jewelry on Instagram: "Fun with fluorescence ⚡️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Rare and special 'Jedi ruby' from Tanzania – 2+ ct. Reserved. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ www.enhoerning-jewelry.com⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ."

238 likes, 12 comments - enhoerningjewelry on October 28, 2022: "Fun with fluorescence ⚡️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Rare and special 'Jedi ruby' from Tanzania – 2+ ct. Reserved. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ www.enhoerning-jewelry.com⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .".

www.instagram.com

Enhoerning Jewelry on Instagram: "Sometimes dubbed 'Jedi ruby' in the gem trade, this highly saturated, strongly fluorescent neon-pink-red shade of ruby is reminiscent of top quality 'Jedi spinel' ❤️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ 2+ ct unheated ruby, from Tanzania. Eye cle

145 likes, 9 comments - enhoerningjewelry on April 20, 2022: "Sometimes dubbed 'Jedi ruby' in the gem trade, this highly saturated, strongly fluorescent neon-pink-red shade of ruby is reminiscent of top quality 'Jedi spinel' ❤️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ 2+ ct unheated ruby, from Tanzania. Eye clean, fine quality...

www.instagram.com

What I learned from my hunt is that it is possible to have a lively, sparkly ruby -- it just requires that the ruby have high crystal quality. While not easy to find, they are out there.

 

[Cerulean]

Hello all, I am reporting back after having continued forth with my ruby journey. Thank you again to everyone who weighed in on this thread -- I have learned so much from PS, and am so appreciative of this community.

Earlier this year, I worked with Inken on a ruby eternity that I absolutely love and wear all the time. Now she has helped me find a gorgeous larger ruby (2.13ct). This one is a different flavor than the rubies in my eternity ring--winza (rather than burmese) and slightly pinkish red (rather than truly red red). But different does not mean worse! The way she lights up in the sun is just breathtaking, and AGL gave her a 3/75-80 on color and a TQI rating of excellent Inken called her a "jedi" ruby -- she has the richness and depth of a ruby, but glows like a jedi spinel (and sparkles too!). I didn't have much sunlight to work with before sending her back to Inken for setting, but I did manage one short video to show her glow:

And here are a couple of videos from Inken:

Enhoerning Jewelry on Instagram: "Fun with fluorescence ⚡️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Rare and special 'Jedi ruby' from Tanzania – 2+ ct. Reserved. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ www.enhoerning-jewelry.com⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ."

238 likes, 12 comments - enhoerningjewelry on October 28, 2022: "Fun with fluorescence ⚡️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Rare and special 'Jedi ruby' from Tanzania – 2+ ct. Reserved. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ www.enhoerning-jewelry.com⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .".

www.instagram.com

Enhoerning Jewelry on Instagram: "Sometimes dubbed 'Jedi ruby' in the gem trade, this highly saturated, strongly fluorescent neon-pink-red shade of ruby is reminiscent of top quality 'Jedi spinel' ❤️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ 2+ ct unheated ruby, from Tanzania. Eye cle

145 likes, 9 comments - enhoerningjewelry on April 20, 2022: "Sometimes dubbed 'Jedi ruby' in the gem trade, this highly saturated, strongly fluorescent neon-pink-red shade of ruby is reminiscent of top quality 'Jedi spinel' ❤️⁠ .⁠ .⁠ 2+ ct unheated ruby, from Tanzania. Eye clean, fine quality...

www.instagram.com

What I learned from my hunt is that it is possible to have a lively, sparkly ruby -- it just requires that the ruby have high crystal quality. While not easy to find, they are out there.

Absolutely stunning - I was drooling over this on IG! I love a pinkish red color, the glow + sparkle on this stone is leaving me weak at the knees!

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Absolutely stunning - I was drooling over this on IG! I love a pinkish red color, the glow + sparkle on this stone is leaving me weak at the knees!

Thank you! When Inken first posted her, I thought she was pretty, but was skeptical of the pinkishness. But then I had a chance to see a small winza ruby in person, and realized how amazing they can be. I'm so glad no one had snapped this one up in the meantime!

 

[maru8888777]

what an absolutely gorgeous stone! And the fluorescence!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Yes!
This is what we want, a stone that makes a heart sing. You found a beautiful and unique stone and it will bring you continued joy. I am excited to see what piece you decide to showcase this stone in, it's going to be spectacular.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I'm one of those people who usually turns her nose up at pinkish rubies... welp, you're changing my mind. She's just alive with color!! And so clean, which is incredible. I also tend to like a touch of silk in my rubies, but the sparkle from this crystal must be insane in person. Plus, it's untreated and has strong fluor (which are both a must in my book). I'm not surprised Inken nailed it. You did really well, and just in time for xmas!! Big congrats!! P.S. Also love your eternity band.

 

[CircularBrilliant]

what an absolutely gorgeous stone! And the fluorescence!

Thank you!

Yes!
This is what we want, a stone that makes a heart sing. You found a beautiful and unique stone and it will bring you continued joy. I am excited to see what piece you decide to showcase this stone in, it's going to be spectacular.

Thank you! I'm so happy I found her

I'm one of those people who usually turns her nose up at pinkish rubies... welp, you're changing my mind. She's just alive with color!! And so clean, which is incredible. I also tend to like a touch of silk in my rubies, but the sparkle from this crystal must be insane in person. Plus, it's untreated and has strong fluor (which are both a must in my book). I'm not surprised Inken nailed it. You did really well, and just in time for xmas!! Big congrats!! P.S. Also love your eternity band.

Thank you! I was originally of the same mind, but I definitely love this one, and it seems like there's a bit of extra brightness that comes from the clear crystal + tinge of pink. She's very different from my eternity band rubies, but just as special in her own way

 

[Mreader]

So gorgeous!!! How are you going to set her?

 

[CircularBrilliant]

So gorgeous!!! How are you going to set her?

Thank you! The plan is to do an antique-style cluster. Inken is going to see what she can find for old cut diamonds, and we'll go from there

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

Oh my! That is one gorgeous ruby. I think it will make your heart sing, and that is the whole point!

 

[CircularBrilliant]

Oh my! That is one gorgeous ruby. I think it will make your heart sing, and that is the whole point!

Thank you! I am so excited about finding her, and can't wait to have her back set and ready to wear