ABC TV’s Good Morning America on November 4th exposed a national store chain for selling a product represented as ”ruby” when it was actually a composition of multiple pieces of extremely poor quality material fused together with red colored lead-glass.
Some were more glass than “ruby”! The focus of the story centered on not telling the consumer what they were really buying, and not advising buyers of the need for special care.
Composite rubies put jewelers at unusually high risk for inadvertently misrepresenting what they are selling, for failing to disclose the need for special care, and perhaps even worse, for being held responsible by a consumer for damaging their stone while making a piece of jewelry or doing a routine re-sizing or repair job; not only can their appearance quickly deteriorate, but some will even crumble apart at the bench. Since they are bonded by glass, durability is a major issue; they can break easily and their appearance can deteriorate quickly—even lemon juice inadvertently splattered onto their surface can cause ugly etching on the surface. In such cases, the FTC requires disclosure of the need for special care.
Most retailers don’t knowingly misrepresent what they are selling, but the big problem with “composite rubies” that they are also being misrepresented by dealers within the trade and sold simply as “treated ruby” when they are not. These are an altogether different type of product. The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) defines composite stones as: “artificial products composed of two or more, previously separate, parts or layers assembled by bonding or other artificial methods.” This is exactly what the stones shown on Good Morning America turned out to be. Some internationally respected labs are now identifying them as “composite ruby.”
The ABC exposé was damaging, but many fear it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Composites are being sold not only by department stores and on TV, the internet, and at auction, but by unsuspecting independent jewelers and jewelry store chains. The big question for jewelers is this: Do you know how to distinguish these from other rubies? Not knowing can have very costly consequences.
Following the Good Morning America segment, the Accredited Gemologists Association received so many inquiries about how to identify them that they have added extensive information for jewelers and their customers on their website. In addition, they have added a hands-on session at their annual conference in Tucson on February 3rd, during Gem Fair, to provide participants with an opportunity to see and examine composite rubies first-hand, so that they will be able to spot them and distinguish them from “treated” rubies. Personal guidance will be provided.
