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Value of Ruby engagement ring

gemstone_newbie86

gemstone_newbie86

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
18
Hello everyone,

I'm looking to get engaged with my girlfriend. At first I was looking at diamond rings but then decided to got with something more unique then the traditional diamond ring. I found the beautiful ruby engagement ring athttp://www.eragam.com. I was wondering if it's a good value for the ruby size and treatment and if the price is on point. I have read a bit on rubies being heated and flux treated and from I read it's sounds something that is common with rubies. But I haven't been able to find how it affects the value and quality of the ruby. It's a natural ruby, heated and flux treated, oval 6.5mm x 5.8mm and 1.07 carats. If anyone can help me with any info on the quality and value of the ring it will be greatly appreciated! I know from pictures it will be hard to tell but any help will be useful to me since i don't know much about rubies. Thanks everyone!.

http://eragem.com/estate-ruby-and-diamond-engagement-ring-solid-18k-gold.html
ruby-wedding-ring-wm6881.jpg
ruby-wedding-ring-wm6881i.jpg
 
The setting is very pretty & you can't argue w/18K, but the ruby looks dark & cloudy to me. I have no experience w/the vendor.

There are various types of flux treatments -- the listing doesn't clarify what has been done. Chrono wrote a very informative mini-thesis on flux treating: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/corundum-sapphire-and-ruby-treatment.175354/. Helpful to give it a read, as well as the sticky at the top of this forum, https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/.

So much skulduggery exists with rubies, it's best to insist that any purchase be contingent on an AGL report on the gem; the ruby market is a can of worms!

Have you considered a red spinel? Spinels are durable enough for an e-ring, not treated, and less expensive than rubies, plus they come in many yummy shades of red or pink.

--- Laurie
 
I do not have any experience with Eragam and from the little information on the website, cannot determine whether the ring is a good value (or fair value). It is true that most rubies are heated and flux treated but just because it is so does not mean the treatment is acceptable to the buyer. Although heat treatment is fairly standard for the most part, the level of treatment affects the value greatly. Reading up on this will help you decide where you draw the line personally. JF's links are a good starting point.
 
JewelFreak - Thanks for all the info! There is so much information I've never heard of red spinal until now. They look just as beautiful as a ruby! I did a search and didn't find much red spinal engagement rings do you know of a good site?

Chrono- Great information on the treatments of gemstones! Thanks for your advice. I did ask them what kind of flux treatment did the ruby have and they just respond with a standard heat in flux treatment.

I was wondering if i was better off buying a setting and then buying a loose ruby separately or if it's better to get them together. If it's better to get them separate do you guys know of a reputable site where they sell loose gemstones?

Thanks for the help i really appreciate it!!
 
Spinel is sort of the sleeper gemstone, coming in a wide range of colours and relatively unknown to the mass market although red spinels seems to have been noted the last few years. Gem collectors love it though because it is durable, almost guaranteed to be untreated and affordably priced compared to sapphires.

Perhaps the question to Eragam was not clear. It's not the kind of flux treatment but the LEVEL of flux treatment and how much residue was detected.

In getting the stone and setting separately, you open up your selection of stones and settings instead of being tied down to a single unit. In general, one gets the most value doing it this way as well. The link below is to vendors many on Pricescope have used and had good experience with.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/can-we-start-a-new-thread-with-respected-cs-vendors.169561/page-4']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/can-we-start-a-new-thread-with-respected-cs-vendors.169561/page-4[/URL]
 
Chrono - Thanks again for the information! I'm looking at both the ruby and the red spinel and i'm having a hard time choosing hehe. I think i'm going the route of buying the gemstone and setting separately. I'm guessing that a Jeweler is the one that mounts the stone on the ring.

FrekeChild- Yeah I saw that exact crown after JewelFreak told me about red spinel. Very beautiful gemstone i'm having a hard time deciding between the two hehe.

Niel- Those rings are beautiful!! I've never heard of that site hehe i guess i'm a terrible google searcher hehe.
Thanks for the suggestions i'm going to check out the site further!
 
I've never heard of it.

Before I found this site I was all over eragems! So I know exactly where you're at right now.
 
I dislike Ruby Lane for the same reasons as I dislike Eragams - dark looking stones, overpriced and little information (no mention of treatment nor level of treatment therefore I don't know what I'm getting and can only presume the worst, aka overpaying).
 
A red spinel that has a top red color, in a decent size, can be very difficult to find. It's worth the effort, but if you want to find a ring quickly, I am not sure I can recommend it.
 
This ruby engagement ring is too beautiful. I can definately say that your choice is unique and wonderful. You should buy this ruby ring for your partner.
 
Hello Everyone,

So after looking all week long I decided to go with the loose stone and separate setting route. Here is the ring and gemstone I went with.
I got the setting from Diamond Mounts one of the ebay vendors that was linked in the post that Chrono provided. I decided to go with a rose gold setting (they didn't have an image of the setting in rose gold) and upgraded the diamonds to VS2-1. I went with a ruby from Gemfix.com also one of the vendors in the link provided by Chrono. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks everyone for all the help and guidance I really really appreciate it!!

ring4__1_.jpg

Setting Vender:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/diamondmounts

Gemstone Vender: (5th row,far right)
http://www.gemfix.com/ruby.html#thumb
 
1. Are you SURE this is the style of setting she likes? It is far from traditional and doesn't strike me as an e-ring style.
2. Are you SET on this particular ruby? It looks very dark and I think you can do better.

ruby_560_a.jpg
 
Hello Chrono,

For the style of the settings I know she likes it because it's one of the ones that she picked out. I had one of her friend help me on a recon mission to find out what she liked and what she didn't like and that was one of the settings that she really really liked hehe. I also thought that she would like more of the traditional style but I was wrong. As for the ruby i'm not set on it. I'll keep looking after looking at the image you showed me the lighter color ruby looks much better.
 
Does it have to be a round? I suppose so since the setting is for a round stone. The first one is a bit included but the colouration is good. I would eliminate the second one because black inclusions stand out too much. I've looked around as well and found nothing that grabbed me.
 
Hey Chrono,

Yea it has to be round :\. I just realized that most the gemstones are oval in shape. I'll keep looking around to see if there is anything similar in color to the first one with less inclusion. Thanks for all the help!
 
Email or call AfricaGems to inquire about the clarity of the first ruby. I actually rather like it.
 
So i called and the Guy from Africagems. He told me that the gems is viewed at arm length and with no visible inclusions and is eye clean. But if you look at it under a microscope you will see some inclusions like all gems. He said that there is no visible black spots and they also offer a 30 day return service if I didn't like the stone.
 
Fair enough and that's about all anyone can tell you at this point. I'd suggest reserving the ruby ASAP whilst deciding if you would like to order and see it in person.
 
I ordered the Ruby. I will post more pictures of it when it arrives. :D
 
The ring and the ruby came in. The ruby was beautiful I loved it!! I got it set on the ring here are the final pictures. I would like to thank everyone for their help!! :D

final_ring_02.jpg
 
Any close pictures of the ruby? How about a few pictures of the ring on the hand? How do you find the ruby compared to the pictures?
 
Glad you're happy with it. I'd love to see closer-up photos too, and know, as Chrono asked, how it compares with the vendor pics. I'm sure she'll love it.

--- Laurie
 
Chrono - I tried to to upload a high rez but the site didn't let me. But i found another image hosting site and here it is. I don't have the ring on her hand just yet hehe. That will happen in about a month and half. Her family is having a small reunion and i'm going to ask her then. In my opinion (but i'm new to this so i don't know much hehe) the image on the site doesn't do the ruby justice. The ruby was clearer and shines so much in light in person. Also the darker spots aren't as noticeable as they are in the image on the site.

Hello Laurie, here are the close ups of the ruby on ring as well as a high rez of the original image. :D I personally loved the ruby and thought that in person it looked more beautiful then the image. But i'm pretty new at this so i could also be wrong hehe. Here are the close ups let me know what you think! Thanks!

(This is the best i could get with my camera. It still looks better in person.)

Orignal Image
http://i.imgur.com/eDoRCAp.jpg
Close Up 1:
http://i.imgur.com/zYGdXeR.jpg
Close Up 2:
http://i.imgur.com/OoQVO2F.jpg
Close Up 3:
http://i.imgur.com/QfXhJm8.jpg
Close Up 4:
http://i.imgur.com/Ejn3IjC.jpg
 
The collage is too large to crop but here are the other 4 pictures in all their enlarged glory.

_8814.jpg

_8815.jpg

_8816.jpg

_8817.jpg
 
Great Thank you Chrono! I was having trouble attaching the image to the site hehe. How do you think the ruby turned out?

There are some angles when the light hits it, it just shines through the ruby so beautiful!
 
I am not sure what to comment because I don't know how accurate your pictures are. You said that the ruby is more transparent and sparklier than AfricaGem's pictures but your pictures do not reflect this. It looks pinkish red in a few pictures but reddish pink in others, so again, I'm not sure which is the truer picture.
 
True i see what you mean. Is there a certain way i can photograph it to get a more accurate image of the stone?
 
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