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Mozambique ruby value

Hi Mr McCoy,

Your GIA trained gemologist with a lab is not the same as an AGL cert. I also have a large collection of rubies that I bought. I had 2 certed by AGL. One was glass filled, the other heated with flux. I suspect all the others are glass filled. I did not pay that much for them so its OK. It would be most unusual to have such large rubies that were unheated. If they are just heated, the size and nice color would make them valuable. Get a few certed by AGL to see where you stand.
Good luck. Annette
 
Before you waste money sending glass filled rubies to AGL put some in concentrated lemon juice or other mild acid...

http://www.langantiques.com/university/Filling

Read this please - I am not joking...

If really glass filled you will see it and they are worth nothing.
A only heated ruby will have no problem...
 
Nosean said:
Before you waste money sending glass filled rubies to AGL put some in concentrated lemon juice or other mild acid...
http://www.langantiques.com/university/Filling

Read this please - I am not joking...

If really glass filled you will see it and they are worth nothing.
A only heated ruby will have no problem...
Click to expand...
Nosean said:
Before you waste money sending glass filled rubies to AGL put some in concentrated lemon juice or other mild acid...

http://www.langantiques.com/university/Filling

Read this please - I am not joking...

If really glass filled you will see it and they are worth nothing.
A only heated ruby will have no problem...
Click to expand...
 
Ok I did not know that! I will defanitly try that thank you so much! They all have certs but they are from some lab called "Authentic gem security lab"
 
I put them in a bowl of concentrated lemon juice and it had no effect on them other than they were super shiny clean. But all the certs said they were heated. Thank you
 
Authetic....
security....

Yes....


How many minutes??? Try it for a few hours...

Or send it to a lab like AGL..
 
Only about 5 min or so. But I will do it again for a hour or so! What's it going to hurt if it's glass and not worth anything lol
 
Is authentic gem security lab a decently reputable lab?
 
I would send it to AGL. They are known for their colored gemstones. You have big stones. Maybe grandma spent thousands on gems.
You need to ask for the Prestige Origin Report. This gives you country but also any enhancements.

@Nosean is correct.. before you send them all off, make sure they are worth something and not $500.00 stones.

May I suggest taking it to an appraiser to get a baseline? That would only cost around $50 or so. My appraiser will be able to tell for any synthetics so maybe you can find one also? I am sure your GIA friend can give you an idea of the stones. Then take it to AGL because that will validate the stone to sell it. Please note, dealers don’t really need a report to sell a stone so the lack of a report is not a showstopper. I bought an 5.48ct Colombian emerald from a dealer in Tucson but I knew he was trustworthy and has been dealing in Colombian emeralds for 38 years. The problem is that you are not a “reputable dealer” and your stones are big so the report will help with your credibility a lot. A 10ct ruby if real, only heat treated, great color would be worth a lot But also, it would have cost grandma a lot as well to purchase it and was grandma a big gemstone spender?

On pricing... as @Nosean hinted, reports are not cheap. I just sent in my Colombian emerald and it cost me $425.00 ($370.00 + $55.00 Shipping). Pricing is by carat size. You can look on the AGL website to get exact pricing for each of your stones.

Good luck!
 
Brandon Mccoy said:
Was that gem heated or glass filled? I'm only asking because of the big chip on the end, it hard to damage a ruby that is a 9 on the mohls scale unles it is fractured or something from heating or glass filled.
Click to expand...

No, it’s not glass filled, it’s all ruby.
Glass filled is actually pretty easy to ID under magnification. Looking closely at the facets surface you see lots of fine lines or surface reaching fractures. That’s how they get the glass filler into the gem.
Heated is a little harder to ID, you need a microscope to check the inclusions. When corundum is heated you can see the breaking up of the rutile needles and sometimes the “explosion halo” around other crystal inclusions.
As for why it has a chip.....
Rubies are 9 on Mohos and diamonds are 10, though it’s not a linear scale, as diamonds are a lot “harder” than corundum.
Hardness relates to ability to resist abrasion not physical toughness.
My mother took a tumble down stairs and hit her hand (and ring) against the railing sadly taking a substantial chip out of her diamond. And it was a VVS grade diamonds with no feathers that might have contributed to there being a cleaving plane.
So even diamonds will break or chip if they are accidentally hit hard against something solid.
So yeah, be careful with your gems, don’t think they are indestructible because they are diamond or ruby, an accidentally whack against something can have very upsetting consequences.
 
You can find a lot of India sources with Mozambique Rubies and their 'AGSL certificates' on Ebay selling for a $1 and whatever people will bid--although I don't think I saw much over $20. Think about it....if the certificate was legitimate the gem would be worth a great deal more so why would someone pay for a certificate when the gem is so cheap on Ebay? Many times the 'certificate' is a sale's ploy by the seller to justify selling a low value gem at a higher price.

AGL is the only way to know what you have for sure.....it would be great if you had legitimate valuable rubies.......but the only way to know for sure would be assessment by a well respected independent lab.
 
@digdeep wow! You are right! I checked on eBay for AGSL ruby and saw tons of huge ones for around $2.00. Your input was the best!
 
Brandon Mccoy said:
Is authentic gem security lab a decently reputable lab?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately no. Even the wording on your lab report is concerning “inclusion of heating”?
There are hundreds of “labs” in India (and other Asian countries) that are very dubious. There have also be countless “scams” where naive gem buyers have been deceived and totally ripped off buying “investment rubies, emeralds or sapphires” sometimes for many thousands of dollars that were in fact complete worthless junk stones.
Hopefully your grandma was a savy buyer and bought her gemstones from reputable sources, otherwise who knows what she might actually have been sold.
If you have a look on eBay you’ll see hundreds of seemingly lovely looking rubies (from India, China and Thailand particularly) some with “certificates” for less than $10.
This is why you have to get a recognised lab certificate, unfortunately no one will trust or believe anything else these days. Those evil scammers have done a lot of damage to people’s trust and confidence levels.
And even heated rubies are still worth a lot of money, so it is definitely worth you spending the money on getting them.
 
Miki Moto said:
@digdeep wow! You are right! I checked on eBay for AGSL ruby and saw tons of huge ones for around $2.00. Your input was the best!
Click to expand...
This is unfortunately why you have to buy from a reputable source / have a proper lab report.
 
The other issue is possible Beryllium treatment. This is where the ruby is heated but in the presence of Beryllium which penetrates the crystal lattice and vastly improves colour. This is a permanent, stable treatment but as it turns almost worthless stones into very attractive and saleable gems which are then “slyly passed off as a good ruby ie expensive ruby”.
This is why a report from a lab who can test for such treatment is essential if you want to sell your ruby as a natural gem, only heat treated.
 
Thanks guys I hope my grandmother wasn't taken advantage of that would really piss me off.
 
Brandon Mccoy said:
Thanks guys I hope my grandmother wasn't taken advantage of that would really piss me off.
Click to expand...

Brandon Mccoy said:
Thanks guys I hope my grandmother wasn't taken advantage of that would really piss me off.
Click to expand...

Maybe she did not get scammed. Looking at your rubies and report and eBay... maybe your grandma was just having fun. That might be a thought as she had so many rubies and unless you think your grandma spent huge bucks on each stone, maybe she has just had fun buying off eBay.
 
Hello everyone! I have talked to my friend that has been a gemolagist for going on 30 yrs now and what he told me helped to put me at ease but also disturbing. He said he can easily do an appraisal on my stones for value. The disturbing thing is, and I can't believe he said this is that a gia certification is no different than any other lab in the world they all have the same information. And no matter what lab it is theirs a very slim chance that your gem is actually tested. Most all labs just archive and document the gem through a loup. Thats why on every lab cert from every lab has a disclaimer for discrepancy on the back! Certs are just a marketing scheam to drive up the market on prices and GIA is at the top of the list for driving the market up. He said you can have a gem with a cert from China get an appraisal on it for let's say $6000.00 then take that exact same gem get a gia certification on it and get it appraised and that gem will magicly jump in value! It's a marketing scheam to drive prices up and when people hear gia they instantly feel at ease. GIA laboratories make millions of dollars for looking at gems through a loup and putting information on a basic certificate that anyone can get online. I hate to day it but it makes me look at certs a whole other way especially when this info is coming from a GIA certified gemolagist.
 
How much did he offer to buy your rubies for?
 
I haven't been to see him yet he's a pretty good drive away we just had a pretty good conversation over the phone. But he shared some info that I wouldn't have thought he would share lol
 
Besides he's a fine jewelry store owner he surely can get better gems than mine!
 
Maybe he will buy them from you or help you resell.
 
He obviously has no familiarity with AGL, who they are and what they do. Much less the tools through which gems are verified. A lot of B & M jewelers have the same attitude and pair it with sales pitches like "I can get you a better gem".....so it isn't a rare comment, just inaccurate. I would not trust his "30 years" as anything more than a timeline for selling jewelry.......... my opinion based on the comments that were made. I wish you the best on your quest!!
 
Last edited:
If your friend is happy to buy your gems from you with their Indian issued gem reports thats great.
Currently on eBay, there are literally dozens of similarly “Indian certified natural rubies” for between 99 cents and a few hundred dollars.
So are your rubies this type or real “natural” ones?
If you and/ or your Gemology friend don’t believe in or trust reports from AGL, Gubelin or GRS Swiss Lab, that’s fine, but be assured that the people with the big $$$$$$ don’t accept anything less.
Like if your 9 carat ruby was AGL certified as “heat only” no residue (glass filling) no enhancements, it’s worth like $100,000.
So, yeah, maybe that AGL certificate is worth getting!
 
Second opinions are always worth considering.
Not just for gemstones.
 
So.... I was curious myself as I am in the market for a Mozambique ruby. I contacted a few eBay sellers who are selling “heat only” rubies with the AGSL report and specifically asked about any treatment.

@digdeep @Bron357 yoi both hit it on the nail! My response back from the eBay seller is below. It seems with these AGSL reports that heated=glass lead filled! Not worth more than $1.00 for sure!

Here is the actual quote:

“It was Heated(Clarity enhanced), equals to glass lead filled.”

Good work you two! No wonder why they are so cheap.... it’s bascially a bad rock filled with glass.
 
I have soaked the Mozambique rubies that I have in concentrated lemon juice for a little over a hour and it had no effect on them. And if they were glass filled they would have cracked or defanitly would have shown indication of glass filled. The acids in the lemon juice would have done something to them but they didn't it just made them nice and clean lol.
 
You may have a $100,000.00 ruby from Grandma! If you think it’s heat only, for sure I would send it to AGL, get that official report that proves heat only, no treatment and sell that baby for $100K! 10ct rubies are rare!

Why settle for $10K when you can get $100K! =)2

Or heck, why not sell it to your jeweler friend for $50K. He can double his money and you can make an easy sale. I am sure as a high end jeweler, he can sell a 10ct genuine heat only ruby.
 
By the way. to be honest... you have to ask yourself if Grandma was the type of person who would buy 15-20 Rubies costing tens of thousands of dollars each. If yes, then you hit the jackpot. If no, just get one stone checked and don’t waste your money on anymore.

I would not waste anymore time with home tests if you really want to know for sure. Just my two cents.
 
I also did a little research in gemstones from India! The reason gems are cheap in India is because they are the gemstone hub of the world it's a main source of income to most of the people there. The gems are cheap because of the extremely low costs of wages they pay people to mine them and theirs a shit time if mines in India. They also think that gems are a spiritual thing that has something to do with their religious beliefs. They have been dealing in gemstones since 3200 B.C and they are at the top of their game in that business. I also learned that alit of people would be surprised as to how many gems that they bought here from gem dealers here in the US that buy their gems at wholesale prices from India then slap a gia certification on them and drive the value up on them to sell to people in the us. All the time knowing they were gems they got from India or Pakistan for very low prices. I know one thing theirs nothing you can't Google and get the answers for. You should check it out! Just Google " why are gemstones so cheap in India"
 
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