Hi I am new here and i recently found this gem inside of a ring but i dont know exactly what type of gem it is or even how much it might be worth? So if anyone can help me that would be great. Thanks in advance
Hi Rob,
Welcome to the group!
It is really difficult to identify a stone from pictures. We get a lot of questions of similar nature like this here, so a qualified answer would only be possible, if the stone was seen in person.
With that being said, can you provide some data on the stone? Dimensions, color, and weight, would be good info to start with.
From the images, it seems the stone is possibly opaque and a very dark green. Can you shine a light through it and see any color?
The chips and rough facet edges could be a clue as well. My initial guess would be glass, based on how rough the facet edges and points are, but, it is difficult to determine with photos alone.
Cheers!
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Looks like obsidian to me, hard to tell from a photo, even the colour is tough to make out. Perhaps a faceted Apache Tear or maybe a piece of Schorl. It’s kind of rough and not cut particularly well so not worth much if cut from the previous mentioned material.
Jade or Emerald. I don’t believe obsidian would be used in a ring unless it is costume jewellery. Can you put a flashlight on it to see the gem’s clarity? I see striations going through it in the last picture, which could be green tourmaline or rutilated crystal. I think the flashlight test will tell more. If it was obsidian, it would be more glass-like chips, not so smooth, depending on how old it is.
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Hi Robert,
I am also new here so welcome! Can you shine a light near the stone and tell us what color you see. That would be helpful. It hard to determine what this stone is and once we can determine the color we can do a process of elimination of what it can not be. I hope this helps you.
Looks like a relatively soft stone like a dark onyx or silicate used in many signet rings made fifty years ago. Jewellers now take such stones out to sell the gold rings as scrap gold.
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i drilled a hole through black plexi glass and put the stone on the hole then shinned a light up through it and the images is what came out as
thank you and i posted the images in the reply section of this post
Thank you for the photos. It may indeed be a ruby but not necessarily a natural one. The abrasion features do not discount a ruby as signet rings get a lot of wear. The difficulty is being able to distinguish natural from synthetic. The difference in value can be astronomical if the stone is fully transparent. For a conclusive decision I suggest the stone needs to be examined by an expert for telltale striations and also for natural inclusions. Did the ring have a hallmark indicating degree of gold?
I agree, but without measurements it’s just a guess. I say suggest obsidion (tektite, technically - tomato, to-mah-toe), because I have some from northern thailand that looks similar and the chips look conchoidal, but they are too small to say for sure.
Hi OP, and welcome! Two tests you can do with zero experiance and with every day material are specific gravity and hardness. If you don’t mind the risk to the stone or a piece of glass, see if it scratches glass and share the result. Between SG and hardness you can get a much better assesement, those two tests may be all you need!
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the hallmark said it was 18k
The karat value but poor faceting indicates it may be a ruby purchased in Vietnam or Thailand from a native source and considered genuine so set later in the USA by the buyer. However, it may still be a synthetic unless looked at by an expert in ruby inclusions.