Ruby purchase help appreciated ...

[avtexas]

I am new here and new to the world of gemstones. I am interested in purchasing a Ruby for my wife. The main reason for her asking is her faith in the "healing power of gemstones". It is immaterial whether I believe in that or not, but the fact is that she does and that is all that matters. Knowing very little about gemstones, I was loathe to just walk into a local jewelry store here is Houston and thought I would educate myself and found my way here eventually. I would appreciate your input here as even after finding this site, my knowledge is still woefully limited. Here are some requirements:

a) Ruby only
b) Naturally occurring, untreated
c) 1.5 Carats (no less)
d) Purpose is not jewelry (adornment/aesthetics), but she wants to wear it either as a necklace or ring. I would prefer to use 18K Gold for this purpose. I noticed several which mixed the Ruby with diamonds - which she would rather not.

I found the following at a couple of websites (recommended on some threads here).

1. http://www.naturalunheatedruby.com/inc/sdetail/116/328 : My only question is would this vendor provide the setting as well? Or do I have to send it to someone else? I would prefer to do this in one place.

2. http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html::: There are two on here: ruby-525 and ruby-526, both as per description meet the criteria above.

Another question: I see Burma origin stones advertised in several websites, but read somewhere that there is a "Jade Act" which prohibits sale of these gems in the US. Did I misunderstand this?


Thanks for all the help.

AndyV

 

[cm366]

Hi AndyV,

Welcome to the ranks of coloured stone hunters! It's awesome that you've been better prepared by this site - I know I didn't have anything like as clear a picture of what I wanted when I first arrived. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to clarify your point (d) - do you care about the aesthetics of the gem at all, or will it purely be valued for its presence? If the latter, folks might steer you to a less expensive option than if you're looking to find the finest stone that fits your other requirements....

Both the sites you've linked are excellent choices for fine unheated stones, although there are some posters who would prefer the cutting and prices at Gemfix to the expanded selection of Wildfish gems (the parent company of natural unheated ruby's site). I know that Ed Bristol, the owner of Wildfish, goes out of his way to ensure that his gems are ethically sourced and tries to keep within 'fair trade' parameters, which may or may not be important to your wife. I don't have any idea where Gemfix source their stones, but I'd guess that like most US cutters they do some buying trips and cultivate business relationships with middlemen close to the mines. Generally speaking, I would expect prices to be 10-20% higher at Wildfish than at other sites, which I ascribe partly to their relatively large inventory of untreated stones and partly to their business practices. The specific stone you've picked will probably be very dark indeed, but as its' description says if you're picking the stone more for what it is (a >1.5ct unheated reddish corundum) than what it looks like, it's not too bad a price. I've never purchased from Gemfix myself, but I know two friends who have with great results, and several members here. Both 525 and 526 have been up for a while, but the owner lists pantone colours with newer stones and would probably give you references for these as well if you asked - just another proxy for assessing colour in the hand!

I know that planetary gems, http://www.planetarygems.com/Rubypage.htm , is popular among those who believe in jyotish or other forms of crystal healing, but have very limited experience with them - only a single stone, which was not actually listed on their site when I bought it. I don't know what their reputation is overall, a search here using their name might reveal more, but my stone was well represented by the photos they emailed me, well priced and tested out (via AIGS) to be what they claimed.

With regard to Burma - the US government, along with many other nations, has placed sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) to penalize it for human rights violations. These have been in place since at least 2003 in various forms, but have generally prohibited the import of Burmese gems into the U.S. The sale of pre-existing Burmese material (proved by receipt of purchase to have been out of burma before the law) has not been prohibited, as there's no objection to the stones themselves, and I strongly suspect that the only difference the law has made is that Burmese stones are now renamed as Thai or Vietnamese before being resold in those countries. However, ethical U.S. dealers will not stock new Burmese material, which has resulted in something of a premium on older stuff. Expect to pay more for any ruby described as 'Burmese' the same way you might for a car labelled 'Ferrari'.

Hope it helps - please let us know how the search is going and check back frequently, as folks may find candidates or have better info than I

Cheers!

cm366

 

[chrono]

I do not know your budget or the kind of look you are hoping to get for your ruby. Must it look nice or it doesn't matter as long as it is a ruby?

Your first choice is very inexpensive for a reason. It is very dark. Light is going to have a hard time reflecting colour back to your eye so it's is going not going to look lively. The description is accurate - the brilliancy is very low at 25%. If anything, it's just a really dark stone that doesn't sparkle and isn't transparent. Perhaps this might meet your needs.

Your second choice is priced at the other spectrum, 4x the first stone! Colour-wise, they are decent with cut issues that some might forgive, meaning it's not perfect but once set, probably most people don't mind it at all.

I don't think both vendors provide settings or setting services.

CM366 is correct about what the Jade Act means with regards to ruby and ruby sales in the US.