Ruby Goldfish & Diamond White Gold Ring

[PearlyGates]

Hi Folks,

I haven't posted on here my own thread before, just enjoyed reading others, so I hope this all goes well and this is the right sub-thread to post this in.

I purchased a ring (second hand) and the price was decent however I honestly have never seen anything like it before and can't even find a comparable so I thought I would post it here and get some opinions on it. It is a carved ruby & 10 (5 on each side) 0.20tcw diamonds set in white (marked 750)/18K gold ring. Originally I thought the stone may be tourmaline, as the goldfish motif/design is very popular in Chinese/Asian art and tourmaline is a popular stone used for carving and I live in an area that has a very high Chinese population. However, upon having the stone tested, it is a genuine ruby - while the color is more on the neon pinkish-purple side so I assume it would actually be considered a "pink sapphire". Either way, this is as far as I have gotten with regards to learning more about it. Has anyone seen anything like this before? The only time I have ever seen carved rubies is in Art Deco Cartier 'Tutti Frutti' pieces and copies from other companies in the era but this is definitely not Cartier (which are Indian carved gemstones) and definitely not Art Deco period. I would think its probably 1980s-Today period. The ruby is quite unique - all other carved rubies I find are either leaf shaped, ribbed cabochons or at most cameos but not animal shapes as this is. The goldfish is actually very 3D (about 85-90%) but the photo makes it look kind of flat. The photo also makes the stone look muddy but its actually has a fair bit of clarity. In your opinion would this be worth ($$$) sending out and having it professionally assessed (origin, etc) and/or appraised? What time period do you think its from? Is my assessment of it being a Chinese piece correct or where would you think its from? I honestly don't even know how much something like this would be worth? Anyways, have a look and thanks for your thoughts!

All the Best,
PG

 

[marymm]

Your post says you bought it secondhand -- what if any info did the vendor provide about the ring?

If you're comfortable identifying the vendor, perhaps other PSers have experience/knowledge about the vendor and/or vendor's wares.

You say you had the stone tested and it was identified as a genuine ruby -- was this test conducted by a reputable laboratory or a jeweler or ??? Did the test include checking for treatments (heat, flux, glass)? Did the test provide estimated carat weight/dimensions of the stone?

The ruby may have been carved in whatever country it was mined or in Thailand or China or somewhere else.

Not sure where you are based but since you seem very curious about the ruby, it may well be worth sending it to AGL or GIA -- if it were me and I had a trusted local jeweler I'd have the ruby unmounted before sending it to the lab.

The 18kt WG ring setting does look to be quite modern both in design and execution. You don't provide any info about the quality/appearance of the diamonds.

At this point, with the unknowns about the stone, I would say the value of the ring is the price you paid.

I do think the ruby goldfish is very attractive and, as you say, rather unique -- I hope you love it!

 

[PearlyGates]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for your reply & comments. I actually purchased it from an estate, not online. The stone was heat conductivity tested by Presidium and it comes back as corundum. No further analysis has been done which is why I am weighing if its worth getting a professional report to find out more about the stone. While it could still be lab grown, the factors which speak against that to me are the slight inclusions in the stone, the color, the diamonds and high kt gold setting, etc. I was hoping someone here has seen anything like this before as 10000 eyes are better than 2. The diamonds themselves are just accents about 0.02ct/each so its a bit more difficult to give a description of their quality but they have an even cut & clean color under a 10x loupe. I think I will take your advice and have it unmounted and send it for testing as I'll probably get the best answers from that. I appreciate your help Mary!

All the best,
PG