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Ruby - and now Sapphire -
When a Great Deal is a Bad Bargain
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We're concerned.
We expect your jewelry purchases will give you--and even your children and grandchildren--pleasure for years to come. But right now, we're seeing rubies and sapphires in the marketplace that won't begin to fulfill that expectation. They are called glass filled or lead glass filled rubies and sapphires, and while they can indeed be beautiful and relatively inexpensive, they come with some major drawbacks that even some salespeople may not know about.
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Magnified glass filled ruby showing tell-tale gas bubbles
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Glass filled stones (sometimes called composite rubies or sapphires) are made of extremely inferior material that has been heated and filled with a lead-glass solution that fills cracks and fractures, brightens the color and makes an othewise seriously damaged piece look like a lovely gemstone.
The down side? These glass-filled stones are so fragile that a simple steam cleaning or a bath in the ultrasonic can turn that lovely red or blue gem into a mass of gray fissures fractures and lines.
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Picture of two glass filled rubies. The one on the right shows a universe of spider-web cracks and fissures, the result of a simple cleaning.
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Improved? Stabilized? Stronger? Yes, an inferior material is (temporarily) made stronger and more attractive, but it is still a very far cry from what you expect of a gemstone. This material requires very careful care.
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The Hong Kong Gem Market. Note that glass filled rubies are priced at between $3 and 10 cents. A real bargain, no?
We say no.
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We like to say your grandchildren will fight over the pieces you have purchased from us. We fear jewelry made with this material may not be around long enough for your children, much less your grandchildren, to set eyes on.
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Now, these are rubies! - Columbia Gem House
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Interested in knowing more? Come on in and we'll show you some examples of lead glass filled ruby and sapphire.
But we won't sell them to you!
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Spring & Summer Hours
Thursdays: 9:30 - 5:30
Saturdays: 9:30 - 4:30
By Appointment - Always!
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