New Treated Rubies Different from Composite

New York--The American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) is alerting the trade to its studies on a new ruby treatment that combines fissure healing and in-filling to improve the stone's appearance, but that is distinct from the type of treatment that "composite rubies" undergo.

According to a press release from AGL, this new ruby treatment--which provides a low-cost alternative to more traditionally heated rubies--has been detected in stones, mostly from Mozambique, which are treated in and exported from Thailand. The treatment is "reportedly a modification of the lead glass or composite ruby treatments that have emerged in the past," according to the release.

Composite rubies--a term coined by AGL--began flooding the international gemstone market in 2003, and subsequently made their way into the U.S. market, where they have more than once become the subject of investigative news reports aimed at alerting consumers to the potential pitfalls of purchasing such stones. The controversial stones, which are lower-priced goods that require special care and specific disclosures to consumers, are an amalgam of natural ruby with a high lead-glass content.

For the new treatment, AGL has learned that a selection of the rough material suitable for the composite ruby treatment is treated using various chemicals or fluxing agents, similar to the more traditional heating of ruby that results in fissure healing and heating residues.

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