San Francisco - A TV news report claiming that lead-glass
filled rubies were sold without proper disclosure at Macy's stores aired
earlier this week on the West Coast, marking at least the
second time that the stones made consumer news headlines...
Lean More - National
Jeweler Article
(If this article is not found in the above link,
trying searching the website or online)
By Deborah Yonick (diamonds.net)
...Although they've been on the market for many years, lead glass-treated ruby continues to plague the industry with concerns. A buyer-beware report that aired prior to Christmas on "Good Morning America" alleged that inexpensively priced glass-filled rubies were being sold at Macy's
Learn More -
< Treatment Discussion
(If this article is not found in the above link, trying searching the website or online)
(Owner of All That Glitters Comments)
Yes, MANY Rubys are glass filled, especially those coming
from Madagascar. This is similar to the Oiling of
Emeralds, and improves the clarity of the gemstone by
filling cracks. Unlike Oiling, this glass filling is
more stable when ultrasonic and/or steamed cleaned.
However, the trade does believe that treatments/enhancements should
be disclosed. Since we have known that many
Rubys are glass filled, our finer important Rubys like our
Burmese Rubys, have been tested and the reports indicate
heating (expected for the most part, as most Sapphires are
also being heated as well as most Tanzanites to create that
blue purple color. Aquamarines are typically heated to
drive off the yellow component leaving a more true blue
color behind). We don't feel that heat is really an
issue unless someone seeks a non-heated gemstone. For
the Burmese Rubys we have encountered, they have been heated
in borax which acts as a flux and if there are any pits,
scratches, etc. the borax will fill in these voids.
The reports that we obtain will indicated the slightest
'filler' which in these cases is usually just the borax
filling in voids, and it is not glass. In fact, we
have a beauty of a Burmese Ruby that did test out as having
filler, but this is borax and the amount was nothing to be
concerned about. We would purchase similar gemstones
because of the beauty, clarity, color, etc. However,
while in Thailand, we have seen the glass filled Ruby coming
out of the ovens. The glass filling is used for
typically the poor quality Ruby to make it marketable.
At times, there may be more glass than Ruby! This is
something that we have stayed away from - though for some in
the trade as well as consumers, having a very large Ruby
that has passable inclusions and is glass filled, is ideal
because of the price usually associated with it, but
the seller should disclose this fact.
All this said, it sometimes pays to know the exact questions
to ask when it comes to specific gemstones. In the
case of Ruby, a simple question of - "Is it Natural Ruby" is
not enough. Answering Yes from many sellers may indeed
be correct - it is a natural Ruby, BUT, it may have been
Glass Filled, Heated, etc. Glass Filling or Heating
has nothing to do with Natural Origin - so the seller would
have been correct if the Ruby was indeed Natural and mined
from the ground. It is the disclosure that is the
issue. We have even read an article written by an
American living in Thailand who was indicating the questions
to ask - his question of whether it was Natural in
relationship to the Beryllium Treatment of Ruby or Sapphire
was again, not sufficient. He needed to ask not only
if it was Natural, but whether ANY treatment had been
performed, and this would include Heat, Glass Filling, Be
Treatment, etc.
The other issue with asking questions about treatment,
natural origin, etc. especially in a store (and in the case
of a large retail store such as Macys), is that the person
providing the information just doesn't know. That
information is typically lost or never even disclosed.
They might know that it is a Natural Ruby, but the origin
and any treatments is beyond their knowledge. This is
even beyond the scope of many selling gemstones in the very
countries where dealers like myself make purchases to
disperse gemstones to the public and the trade throughout
the world. Many people in Thailand, Brasil,
African and all other gem producing and cutting areas of the
world, are selling their wares to make a living or a profit
to supplement their income. They are not
gemologists. They have no idea at times about
treatment. They are purchasing from other individuals
who tell them perhaps only one thing - it is a Ruby they are
buying. Saying something is a Ruby too, doesn't mean
that it wasn't grown in a lab and is therefore a Synthetic
Ruby. (A Synthetic Ruby is indeed a Genuine Ruby, just
not of natural origin!) These sellers don't know
if the Ruby originated in Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma,
Madagascar or even from North Carolina, never mind
about any form of treatments... They are just
concerned about buying an item for resale and have limited
knowledge.
This is why it is advantageous to purchase gemstones from
those in the know, who travel the world and see/read what
goes on out there. Buying from those mining the rough
gemstones or purchasing with only one source between the
miners provides All That Glitters with insight to where
something originated, what treatments might have been
applied. If we have concerns, we will have it certed
for verification of what we were told or what we believe or
suspect. This dealing direct with All That Glitters
gives the trade and online customers a big foot up on all
other sources out there. The history, the origin, the
treatment and much more is known in detail and hasn't been
lost when purchasing from one of the direct sources - All
That Glitters.
Many times the information that a store has is limited, and
the person behind the counter may not have any information
at all. They are salespeople and are many people
removed from the source. With All That Glitters, you
are right on top of the source, where we may have even
faceted the gemstone from the rough. Again, know those
you purchase from. We have a 10 Day Satisfaction
Guaranteed Policy, not to mention our
LIFETIME Guarantee. We do our best to provide you with
all the information we know about a particular
gemstones. What you purchase from us today, may be
returned at any time for non-disclosure. Buy
direct from those who shield you from issues and be safe in
the knowledge that you won't have to worry or question your
purchase...
