Q&A: Looking for an Oval-Shaped Ruby for a Pendant

Love your articles. A real education.

If you want a customized setting, do you advise getting a loose stone from JA or BN and taking it to a high quality jeweler?

Do you like JA as much for colored gemstones, especially relatively late rubies?

Would you buy a really expensive diamond from JA, 100K+?

Thanks.

Hmm, never considered a consultant to buy jewelry. I have been buying my wife and grown daughter high end jewelry for decades, so we are a bit unusual and knowledgeable for amateurs.

One type of approach I did not see on your website. (Although I have not read everything) is to work privately with an experienced jeweler. We have done this recently with an expensive ring with a 2.56 caret fancy yellow VS2 stone (GIA report, of course). We created a customized setting in platinum with an 18k yellow gold basket, and excellent colorless diamonds in the setting. We have 8 years experience with this jeweler, the most knowledgeable one I have worked with. We had diamonds flown in to preview from around the country. Creating this ring was an artistic experience for him as well as us. Obviously this is not available to many people.

The next stone will be a ruby for a pendant, with a diamond halo. I am not at all impressed with JA’s settings, and have never bought a loose stone and walked into a jewelry store with it. Stores really do not like this as the money is in the stone, of course. JA’s visualization is good, great service on the phone, good selection of stones. Poor integration of the stone into jewelry. Leibish is good for colored diamonds, not impressed for sapphires or rubies.

Not sure how big a ruby to get, and I have trouble judging them even with the JA tools. I want a fine stone without spending big bucks, hopefully about 3 to 5 carets or so. See JA:
www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/red-ruby/4.11-carat-oval-sku-18992?a_aid=dmnd1357

I am in no rush. We are nice people, but endlessly perfectionist and demanding. One jewelry store refers to my wife as “The Queen”.

Still want any part of us?

Now here is an interesting suggestion, showing your experience.

We live in PA, an easy train ride to New York. Our older son lives in NYC, so there is always a reason to go.

So, getting to NY is easy.

I have been distrustful of the 47th St types as I felt that as an amateur they would seek to take advantage of me. But I am always up for an interesting experience!

……

Ruby nonsense:
Leibish: SKU 269190, 3.16 carats 77K
www.leibish.com/pigeon_blood-gemstones/pigeon-blood-mozambique-ruby-oval-801#a_aid=y

JA SKU 19906, 7.04 carats, 14K
www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/red-ruby/7.04-carat-oval-sku-19906?a_aid=dmnd1357

24Diamonds, YP 1120-1, 8.75 carats in a setting, 4K

Now 24diamomds used AGI, whoever they are, and the ruby has had dubious treatment, but the setting is beautiful, better than Leibish or JA seem to be able to do. Leibish claims no evidence of heat treatment, but some sources claim all stones today routinely have heat treatment. And if you are paying for a stone with no heat that net, you are wasting your money. All I know is I am not paying big bucks for a ruby from Leibish. JA should get their act together on setting stones.

Nonetheless, nobody can reliably sort this out and find value.

Many thanks.

Good discussions with Abe Mor so far.

You did not suggest gemsny.com. They actually seem to be non-diamond colored gem specialists and have better inventory than Leibish or James Allen for these stones. Are they reputable? Do you work with them? They seem to be pretty retail oriented and play the usual games with prices. Their visualization does not match James Allen, but the description is better. Also, incorporation into jewelry, at least for pendants is better. Return policy seems similar. Web reviews are also pretty similar.