Newbie shopping for Ruby for wife to be, need help

[Niel]

thanks everyone for all the help, neil those links you posted for the yellow gold rings are fine and look amazing, thank you.

After reading for weeks on end here and trying to learn as much as possible, and viewing other threads on here in the same situation, it seems buying Rubies is not for rookies like myself, it seems so hard and difficult to find a quality ruby at a fair trade price.

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

Chrono if you don't mind me asking, or anyone else for that matter , my budget is 10 to 15k total, so a blank ring around 2500 can any of you post a url to a ruby you would buy and find of good value for the money?

I know exactly what you mean. This forum is helpful but not the way the diamond forum is. You say "find me a diamond" and you'll get a million options. Here they want you to find what YOU like, they GUIDE you. But you're not looking to get into the gemstone collection game, you want someone to say "but this ruby its the nicest ruby for your budgi" and you go on your way.

Don't give up. Let her be a little disappointed that its taking you too long to propose than disappointed for a long time that you couldnt get her e ring right.

Did you contact Joe Escobar? did he have anything?

 

[swissmiss]

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

The best way to evaluate gemstones is in real life - photos only tell half of the story. I would recommend going to a gem show, or purchasing a few rubies from reputable online vendors (with good return policies) and seeing which ones appeal to your wife.

 

[minousbijoux]

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

The best way to evaluate gemstones is in real life - photos only tell half of the story. I would recommend going to a gem show, or purchasing a few rubies from reputable online vendors (with good return policies) and seeing which ones appeal to your wife.

This, exactly. If it were me, I would go for a heated stone (rather than untreated) and look for an African stone from Mozambique or Madagascar. I would want the stone to be eye clean and be red with a pinkish modifier.

Ever so slightly on the orange side, but bright, I would consider this one: http://www.africagems.com/round-red-ruby-g2k-4026.html

Because I'm a sucker for cushions, maybe this one: http://www.africagems.com/cushion-red-ruby-g2k-5201.html

I would ask about this one and get a video (it might be too pink but you never know): http://www.ajsgem.com/ruby/burma-ruby/madagascar-ruby-1.58-carats.html

 

[LoversKites]

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

The best way to evaluate gemstones is in real life - photos only tell half of the story. I would recommend going to a gem show, or purchasing a few rubies from reputable online vendors (with good return policies) and seeing which ones appeal to your wife.

This, exactly. If it were me, I would go for a heated stone (rather than untreated) and look for an African stone from Mozambique or Madagascar. I would want the stone to be eye clean and be red with a pinkish modifier.

Ever so slightly on the orange side, but bright, I would consider this one: http://www.africagems.com/round-red-ruby-g2k-4026.html

Because I'm a sucker for cushions, maybe this one: http://www.africagems.com/cushion-red-ruby-g2k-5201.html

I would ask about this one and get a video (it might be too pink but you never know): http://www.ajsgem.com/ruby/burma-ruby/madagascar-ruby-1.58-carats.html

Great advice. I like the cushion. However, why do you think he should stick with African?

Please don't give up on a ruby!

 

[minousbijoux]

Good question. I don't often care for Thai rubies because of the stuff in them, and the lack of saturation so many seem to have. That is not to say there are not beautiful Thai rubie - there are. But if I'm trying to be efficient in my search, I'll use them as a last resort. For a while, I have felt that the best deals were the corundum from Madagascar as they seemed to have the good clarity and tone with great saturated reds and yet they were priced so much cheaper than Burmese stones. Now it seems that the cost of rubies has gone nuts across the board.

I just thought of another place to look: All That Glitters. I have not bought from them personally, but others have and have been happy. Take a look at his rubies here. While the pics look good, I would definitely ask for more shots before buying anything...http://atggems.com/Photos_Ruby.htm

 

[LoversKites]

Good question. I don't often care for Thai rubies because of the stuff in them, and the lack of saturation so many seem to have. That is not to say there are not beautiful Thai rubie - there are. But if I'm trying to be efficient in my search, I'll use them as a last resort. For a while, I have felt that the best deals were the corundum from Madagascar as they seemed to have the good clarity and tone with great saturated reds and yet they were priced so much cheaper than Burmese stones. Now it seems that the cost of rubies has gone nuts across the board.

I just thought of another place to look: All That Glitters. I have not bought from them personally, but others have and have been happy. Take a look at his rubies here. While the pics look good, I would definitely ask for more shots before buying anything...http://atggems.com/Photos_Ruby.htm

I see, thank you for the explanation Minou.

 

[LoversKites]

Oops, I misspelled your name!! Sorry Minous!

 

[T L]

thanks everyone for all the help, neil those links you posted for the yellow gold rings are fine and look amazing, thank you.

After reading for weeks on end here and trying to learn as much as possible, and viewing other threads on here in the same situation, it seems buying Rubies is not for rookies like myself, it seems so hard and difficult to find a quality ruby at a fair trade price.

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

Chrono if you don't mind me asking, or anyone else for that matter , my budget is 10 to 15k total, so a blank ring around 2500 can any of you post a url to a ruby you would buy and find of good value for the money?

To be honest, ruby is the one gemstone I don't own. It's one of my very favorite gems, but most of what I see out there doesn't float my boat, and it's too high in price. When you have to pay $10K+ for a tiny heated gem, its a bit disconcerting. Ruby is a dense gem, so a one carat ruby just doesn't even face up that large either, which is another downer. A fine ruby can cost a fortune, and the good material is very difficult to find, let alone without invasive treatment. I've seen extremely fine material, and it just ruins every other ruby for me.

I will say that fine spinel of a reddish pink or pinkish red color is a good, and more affordable option if you want a nice red gemstone, but even prices on those are going way way up.

 

[Niel]

thanks everyone for all the help, neil those links you posted for the yellow gold rings are fine and look amazing, thank you.

After reading for weeks on end here and trying to learn as much as possible, and viewing other threads on here in the same situation, it seems buying Rubies is not for rookies like myself, it seems so hard and difficult to find a quality ruby at a fair trade price.

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

Chrono if you don't mind me asking, or anyone else for that matter , my budget is 10 to 15k total, so a blank ring around 2500 can any of you post a url to a ruby you would buy and find of good value for the money?

To be honest, ruby is the one gemstone I don't own. It's one of my very favorite gems, but most of what I see out there doesn't float my boat, and it's too high in price. When you have to pay $10K+ for a tiny heated gem, its a bit disconcerting. Ruby is a dense gem, so a one carat ruby just doesn't even face up that large either, which is another downer. A fine ruby can cost a fortune, and the good material is very difficult to find, let alone without invasive treatment. I've seen extremely fine material, and it just ruins every other ruby for me.

I will say that fine spinel of a reddish pink or pinkish red color is a good, and more affordable option if you want a nice red gemstone, but even prices on those are going way way up.

Spinel might not be a half bad idea, honestly. Doesn't have the "ruby prestige " but if you were going to give up all together and get a diamond, it might be a happier medium that going no red at all.

This one is still small but the color gets me every time.


http://www.concavegems.com/detail.cfm?zNum=6777

 

[swissmiss]

Jeff Davies just posted this spinel on facebook...

KK5306 - 1.29ct Mehenge Spinel - Tanzania.
7.75 x 5.70 x 3.92 mm
nice cut, clean,
$525 shipped

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152449280324357&set=a.396576624356.176127.848899356&type=1&theater

 

[Ashman]

thanks everyone for all the help, neil those links you posted for the yellow gold rings are fine and look amazing, thank you.

After reading for weeks on end here and trying to learn as much as possible, and viewing other threads on here in the same situation, it seems buying Rubies is not for rookies like myself, it seems so hard and difficult to find a quality ruby at a fair trade price.

I am starting to think to go with the typical diamond the wife to be will be sad with that but what can I do, so many posted rubies and dealers yet to be honest many seem the same on photo so I understand the theory behind what makes a good ruby but I don't see it in photo.

Chrono if you don't mind me asking, or anyone else for that matter , my budget is 10 to 15k total, so a blank ring around 2500 can any of you post a url to a ruby you would buy and find of good value for the money?

To be honest, ruby is the one gemstone I don't own. It's one of my very favorite gems, but most of what I see out there doesn't float my boat, and it's too high in price. When you have to pay $10K+ for a tiny heated gem, its a bit disconcerting. Ruby is a dense gem, so a one carat ruby just doesn't even face up that large either, which is another downer. A fine ruby can cost a fortune, and the good material is very difficult to find, let alone without invasive treatment. I've seen extremely fine material, and it just ruins every other ruby for me.

I will say that fine spinel of a reddish pink or pinkish red color is a good, and more affordable option if you want a nice red gemstone, but even prices on those are going way way up.

Spinel might not be a half bad idea, honestly. Doesn't have the "ruby prestige " but if you were going to give up all together and get a diamond, it might be a happier medium that going no red at all.

This one is still small but the color gets me every time.


http://www.concavegems.com/detail.cfm?zNum=6777

Tl what you say makes a lot of sense so in other words rubies seem to me the worse value of any stone and the biggest pain to find. I have to admit I am surprised how expensive they are. I'm starting to think ruby is not the way to go.

 

[T L]

Rubies are highly marketed gems, and have lots of history and prestige, but they're not gems for people with a strict budget, or gem novices. To me, very few things on earth are more beautiful than a fine ruby, but very few people can actually afford one that is super fine in color, untreated, or minimally treated, and sizable all at the same time. I don't want people to think I'm knocking rubies though. If you are on a budget, and you want a nice durable reddish stone, I think red spinel is a nice alternative. I mean, red spinel used to be confused for ruby all the time in the past until the chemical makeup was found to be slightly different. There are spinels in the Crown Jewels for example that used to be thought of as rubies.

Good luck.

 

[iLander]

Oh, I couldn't stand by and let the OP continue without finding a ruby . . .

Rubies are very rare, and becoming more rare every day. They are FAAAAAARRR more rare than a diamond. That's why good, untreated, natural ones are so expensive.

Try these: http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html I like the second row, middle one. Have them send you a few extra pictures of the ones that you like, in different lighting. It will fit (close enough) into a standard 7 x 9 setting. Call them and discuss the stones with them.

Call these people http://idjewelryonline.com/index.php They are well regarded here on the forum.

Have them set it into this halo; https://www.uniquesettings.com/products/show/3019 The ten point diamonds are nice and big.

Tell ID Jewelry that you want the pricescope quality diamonds. They will hand select fabulous cuts for every stone in the halo. It'll probably cost about $2500 for the setting. Have them quote you a price. They set a fantastic sapphire ring for me, I treasure it. Took less than 2 weeks. Ask for claw prongs.

Here is my sapphire, set by IDJ, stone by Gemrite (http://www.gemrite.com/,, but they have no rubies right now) : [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ok-ilander-where-is-it.183597/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ok-ilander-where-is-it.183597/[/URL]

Tell the wife to hold her britches. A couple of weeks now, and it will be a lifetime of happiness.

 

[chrono]

Chrono if you don't mind me asking, or anyone else for that matter , my budget is 10 to 15k total, so a blank ring around 2500 can any of you post a url to a ruby you would buy and find of good value for the money?

It is very difficult to find a good ruby even if I have a $15K budget. I'm not sure I would even go with a ruby because it doesn't buy me much of a stone. It will be very small and I would have to sacrifice on some aspect of clarity, shape and cut. I would rather a nice 3 carat Mahenge spinel but that's just me. If I had no other option but ruby, I would relax the shape to include all shapes and probably very minor heat H(a) if I am pressed for time.

 

[chrono]

I would ask for a video, find out the level of heat treatment (ask that AJS sends the ruby to GIA Bangkok for verification of the level of heat treatment) and whether the ruby has fluorescence.
http://www.ajsgem.com/ruby/burma-ruby/burma-ruby-1.63-carats.html-0

I would reach out to Constantin Wild to see if he has anything available.
http://www.constantinwild.com/en/

A possible contender, pending more pictures and reviewing his return/refund policies.
http://www.preciousgemstones.com/141mongrufs.html

This has better colour than the above but I would want to see whether the level of inclusion is acceptable to me in person or at least via video or magnified pictures.
http://www.preciousgemstones.com/101burufs.html

 

[swissmiss]

Try these: http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html I like the second row, middle one. Have them send you a few extra pictures of the ones that you like, in different lighting. It will fit (close enough) into a standard 7 x 9 setting. Call them and discuss the stones with them.

Just a note that Andrew (of Gemfix) does not do additional pictures or videos - those on his website are it.

 

[T L]

Try these: http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html I like the second row, middle one. Have them send you a few extra pictures of the ones that you like, in different lighting. It will fit (close enough) into a standard 7 x 9 setting. Call them and discuss the stones with them.

Just a note that Andrew (of Gemfix) does not do additional pictures or videos - those on his website are it.

I would check out his beautiful pink and red spinel section too.

They're all untreated, and better cut, with better clarity, and a lot less per carat than many of his rubies.