The Scoop
The Modern Day Ruby
When the word Ruby is mentioned I almost shudder, because the world of Rubies has been literally turned upside down, and remains in a state of confusion and controversy. For the average person interested in a Ruby it is almost to much to comprehend. Even the best gemologists are struggling to get some establish some clarity for a very confusing set of problems. I want to be very honest and forthright about who I am and what my Website stands for.
First of all I am not a gemologist, but I have a lot of experience with Rubies and other gems. I started as a gem cutter in Montana in the mid 1980's and personally faceted overe 1,000 Montana Sapphires. I have been to Asia 15 times sometimes for extended periods of time since 1992. I have bought and sold gems there. and re- sold some here in the USA. I have done quality control work in Asia for American Companies. I have spent countless weeks on the Thailand Burma border buying gems, and once trekked deep into Burma on a Ruby expedition trip that to be honest I wouldn't do again. During those years I managed to maintain my own gem business called Gemstones of Montana , and I did weekend Gemshows as early as 1988 thru 2002. I was a dealer in Tucson for 14 consecutive years. Sometimes we did only one show in Tucson , but often two, and one year we did three. Those were the glory years of the very late 1980's and all of the 1990's. Business was great, and we had a lot of fun building a business and traveling to exotic places around the world including Brazil, Sri-Lanka, China,Thailand, and even Burma. We had a great time, and the world of gems was exciting and rewarding.
But all that began to change as we entered a new century. The internet arrived opening up thousands of previously unknown sellers, and consumers in the USA, and other developed Countries began to see gems and minerals like never before with the click of a few computer keys. At first it all looked great, but then something strange began to happen, and Rubies are the classic example. Suddenly quote-unquote beautiful Burmese Rubies weighing one carat, two carat, three carats of even 5 to 10 carats or more started appearing on EBay and other internet selling sites, and sometimes the bidding for these gems started at 99 CENTS! What? 99 CENTS for a 3-5 Carat Flawless Burmese Ruby that could easily cost $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 if it was real? "Wow" What a deal, but something was wrong. Really wrong. Now that 99 cent listings on EBay are free what previously could have been accurately labeled as a flood of Rubies now would have to be described as a Tsunami.
So what are these Rubies? Many are claimed to be from Madagascar, or Burma, or just Africa, but the origin really doesn't matter, because a 3-5 carat Natural flawless Ruby with great color from any mine source on earth is going to sell for thousands of dollars per carat. So what are these evern increasing number of Red Stones for A FREE 99 cent opening bid price? Gemologists world wide are struggling to know. Much research has been done, and slowly the truth appears to be emerging and some definitions are starting to be established. One label appears to be gaining some traction, and it is "Composition Ruby." A composition Ruby is a Ruby that has been heated, and fissure filled with Leaded Glass in such a way that the Ruby appears beautiful, but because of the leaded glass may weigh more than it normally would, and is not as durable, and therefore could be damaged with an ultrasonic cleaning, and recently I learned that spilling Lemon juice on the stone will start a dis-integration process. Some are speculating that in some cases there is more leaded glass than actual Ruby.
We offer no defense of this sharade, but we also now have to question the Burmese Mong Hsu Ruby, which reputable labs have in recent years admitted is also heated with a glass fracture filling process. The difference these labs "claim" is that with Mong Hsu Ruby the internal fractures are permanently "healed." Therefore based on that claim the treatment of the previously purple and quite ugly Mong Hsu Ruby is an acceptable process, and what about the even more famous Burmese "Mogok" Ruby? With the Mong Hsu ruby being fracture filled why not the Mogok, especially since many speculate that the Mogok Ruby Mines are close to extinction? World markets love Ruby sales, and it appears that there isn't much interest of the big players to get at the truth. I now trust most labs about as far as I can throw them. One notable exception is ISG, and here is a link to their Laboratory. http://www.schoolofgemology.com They are honest, and I highly recommend them for gem identification. In the meantime on our Website we have removed our Rubies, and they will remain off the Website until we can clearly establish what we are selling, which is not easy, because our Rubies were purchased between 1993 and 2004. Those who cheat the system are still way ahead of those who don't, but whether it is a Ruby or any Gem, we continuely look for tell take signs of treatment, and definitely stand behind our product with full disclosure and a 100% Money Back guarantee.
If you wish to respond to this article please feel free. I would love to post a few responses, and I would do so only with permission and use initials and not names. Thank for taking the time to read about the modern day Ruby.
Jim Stewart
Gemstones of Montana
dba: www.gemsnjewelry.com
Email: sales@gemsnjewelry.com