Ruby ring question

[MonkeysInk]

I almost bought this yesterday, and I noticed the top of the rubies look worn along the edge of the table - almost like they’re a little whitish. Is that normal? I know very little about CS, but for some reason this ring has really caught my eye, and I’d love some opinions on it. They’re asking $1700 for it, although I suspect there some wiggle room - is that fair?

 

[chatoyancy]

The setting is really pretty, but the rubies look dark in the photo. What really stands out in the photo, to be honest is the salesperson’s screaming pink nail polish. My eyes should be drawn to the ring. I have no idea of a fair price, but everyone on PS says not to buy rubies without paperwork from a respected lab.

 

[livannie]

I almost bought this yesterday, and I noticed the top of the rubies look worn along the edge of the table - almost like they’re a little whitish. Is that normal? I know very little about CS, but for some reason this ring has really caught my eye, and I’d love some opinions on it. They’re asking $1700 for it, although I suspect there some wiggle room - is that fair?

I would suspect the rubies aren’t real rubies. Maybe glass or some other type of stone. It looks pretty scratched up and rubies are supposed to be a pretty hard stone. It is pretty ring though. I would find out more about the stones before purchasing.

 

[Bron357]

Are you sure they are rubies and not garnets? The setting is very pretty but $1700 is a lot. If the seller can’t give you a report that confirms they are rubies, I’d definitely pass for that sort of money.
Buy yourself a Loupe (x10 magnifier) and practice looking at gems. The white marks could be chips to the table (reflecting light) and chipped gems, no matter what type, are worth less than pristine examples. If it’s an antique ring, yes, some damage / wear is not unexpected but if you’re able to notice it with just your eyes, it’s significant. And to be honest, with small size gems, apparently with damage, if garnets I’d pay $500 if rubies (with such a dark tone) no more than $1,000.

 

[arkieb1]

I'll be the odd one out - they totally look like rubies rather than garnets to me. But you have no way of knowing if they are glass filled or not or heated or not without talking the ring to a decent valuer. It could be a cheap and nasty reproduction from India with sub standard stones or a genuine antique. Gemstones that are antiques or that have been worn heavily typically wear at the top junction facets, it's really common to see that in sapphires and things like blue zircons etc too.

 

[MonkeysInk]

I’m not sure at all if they’re rubies vs garnets (and I didn’t know to ask until I came poking around over here in CS!). The price totally gave me pause, especially since it was a total impulse purchase, but I love the setting and would like to purchase it if I can make the price match what I’m getting.

What is the best way to do this? Ask if I can pay for an appraisal before a purchase or ask if I can get a refund if the appraisal does not indicate these are natural rubies?

 

[Deathspi]

They look like poor quality, scratched up rubies to me. The setting is much too nice for them IMO... Is the ring preowned? The rubies would suggest it is to me.

 

[chatoyancy]

Is there anyway you can just buy the setting? It is really lovely. I’ve never bought myself rubies, but I have earrings from my husband which are very nice, 3 ruby slides on a slide bracelet and a ruby ring. Two slides are also nice, but one has dark rubies and my ring has a commercial quality ruby. I wear it all, but the lower quality rubies don’t make me smile, simply because they just aren’t pretty. The ring is way overpriced, by the way. You can do better.

 

[dkata]

I just can second what @Bron357 has said. This stones look to me like garnets, and I never would pay that much for scratched garnets, even if the setting is made of gold and looks nice. Try to negotiate the price, maybe they are going to adjust it, if they recognize, that you are more knowledgeable than they have thought.

 

[T L]

Those "rubies". are worth very little. Most of the value Is in the setting. Still, it doesn't look like it's worth $1700 for just the setting. I probably wouldn't pay more than $800 for it.

 

[MonkeysInk]

It’s preowned - it was at a jeweler that primarily sells estate pieces. I’m picking up another piece that I was having sized in a week, so I’ll take another stab at negotiating the price when I’m back. I hadn’t thought about having new stones set in it, but that’s an interesting idea.