Comments for SOLID GOLD stamped French or Czech ruby or garnet ring?

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Photo
by: Annie

If you have a digital camera, you can take a photo, then put the card from the camera into your computer to download the photos to your computer. Then email this site and inlude the photo as an attachment. They will add the photo to your comments, no problem!

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SOLID GOLD ring
by: Mary Roberts

I inherited a ring that looks almost identical to your ring and is stamped SOLID GOLD inside. Since the person I received it from has passed away, I can't get any history on it! I took it to a certified jewelry specialist yesterday and she is sure it is a ruby and not false ruby, although it is a little "beat up". She also tested the band and it tested out, to our surprise, at 10K gold. There was a second similar ring that looked to be from the same era that was unmarked and tested out at 14K.This ring had two small rubies and two tiny diamonds (one missing). I don't know how to get a picture of these on my computer!

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Antique Gold Ruby Ring
by: Annie

Great info, especially on all the fake ruby names, I couldnt imagine that there were so many! Thanks a million!

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Garnet & Ruby Info
by: Anonymous

Hi Annie

I'm going to break these questions down into bite size pieces. :-)

"Did the French (or Czechs) ever actually produce jewelry marked SOLID GOLD? Does that mean its 24K? Would a jeweler be able to remove the solder (or whatever that white metal is) and restore the ring and if so would that be very expensive? Do you know if the French were partial to rubies?"

The higher the gold purity or the Caratage the softer the strength; I doubt it would have survived this long if it were 24 carat gold.

The ring could be heavy gold filled. From the late 1800s many rings were marked SOLID GOLD and were actually heavy gold filled and many are still in circulation.

Sounds like a dodgy repair. Info on Jewelry Repairs can be found Here.

For thousands of years, ruby has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones on Earth. It has everything a precious stone should have: magnificent colour, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance. In addition it's a rare gemstone, especially in its finer qualities. On the Mohs Scale Ruby score of 9 & second only to that of the diamond.

Facts about Diamonds can be found Here.

Garnet is not quite as hard as Ruby. The color of garnets is primarily red but can range from green, orange to earthy tones.

Inclusions can help you separate synthetic stones from natural rubies. Natural ruby without any inclusions is very rare. Many rubies on the market are synthetic. Only an expert can distinguish between natural and synthetic rubies.

Before 1800, rubies and garnets were classified in the same gemological category.

Many deceitful names are given to less valuable red stones that look like rubies. These names are used by unscrupulous dealers to confuse inexperienced buyers. Generally (not always) any time the word ruby is used with a prefix it is a fake. The one gemstone in particular that requires special attention for this practice, because it so closely resembles ruby is the pyrope garnet.

Here is a list of the false ruby names:

best wishes,

Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre
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Clarification
by: Annie

I think there is some confusion here (understandably as it was late at night & I did ramble a bit...) The pinkish/lilac stones I was referring to are in the PIN, not the ring; there are so many stone types of that color I was wondering if there was one type that was prevalent in that time period and haven't found much research on the subject.

The large stone in the RING is what I'd describe as 'candy-apple red' if that helps; its not what I think of as standard-blood-red garnet or rhodalite-garnet. It is very bright, clear, striking. I've had strangers grab my hand to look at it!

The stones in the Lion cufflinks & tie/stick pin I've always assumed were garnet because they have that deep blood red color, but all the other Lion cufflinks of that period usually state that they have rubies in them, so I was wondering how to tell the difference (or if others are merely assuming everything red is a ruby?!)

ALSO I'm wondering whether Bohemia/Czechsolovakia and/or Germany did not require K hallmarking back then, as the cufflinks are not marked, and the ring is marked SOLID GOLD but not number for K.

Thank you everyone for all your input!

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Black Ruby
by: Anonymous

The most important thing about ruby gemstone is its colour. It was not for no reason that the name 'ruby' was derived from the Latin word 'rubens', meaning 'red'. The red of the ruby is incomparable: warm and fiery. Two magical elements are associated with the symbolism of this colour: fire and blood, implying warmth and life.

So ruby-red is not just any old pink color; it's an absolutely undiluted, hot, passionate & powerful colour. In the list of gemstones, the ruby is the perfect way to express powerful feelings. Instead of symbolising a calm, controlled affection, a ring set with a precious ruby bears witness to that passionate, unbridled love that people can feel for each other. A Ruby gemstone's transparency is only of secondary importance.

Until the beginning of the 19th century red Garnets or spinels were also thought to be rubies. That, is why the 'Black Ruby' and the 'Timur Ruby' two of the British Crown Jewels, were so named, when they're not Rubies at all, but Spinels!

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Rubies, Synthetics or Garnets | Part 1
by: Anonymous

Hi Annie - how wonderful to have these memory tokens of your dear father. Glad to hear you enjoy visiting our website.

Phew...there are so many questions in your submission, and I can feel your excitement.

Before getting onto the pink stone question, are they rubies, synthetics or garnets, I just wanted to mention, that the price for jewelry repairs, with the increase in gold prices worldwide and other factors, pricing for much related to jewelry repairs has increased.

Let's consider this beautiful pink stone first, is it ruby, a synthetic ruby or a garnet gemstone?

Ok. We know that Rubies are the birthstone for July and are one of the most prized gemstones. These pink gemstones are also used for 15th and 40th marriage anniversaries. Rubies are known for their hardness, on the Mohs Scale, their durability, luster, and rarity. Large rubies are hard to find and are therefore more valuable than a "girl's best friend" of the same size.

Facts about Diamonds can be found Here.

The point is, Rubies were only first synthesized in 1902 with a process known as the Verneuil process.

The Edwardian Period coincided with what I call the Titanic period in Jewelry Art History.

Therefore we can't eliminate the possibility that the pink stone is a synthetic ruby, as synthetic rubies hit the open market around the Edwardian Period.

Annie Im going to continue the discussion over the next few days, if that's OK with you, keep an eye out in your email account as you should get notifications when a comment appears. I have many submissions but your questions are great ones, quite a few complex & overlapping things in one post...

best wishes,

Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre
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and subscribe to my newsletter....

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TEXT CORRECTION
by: Annie

Sorry, I meant to say one STONE from one of the cuff links is missing, the one in the mouth.

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