Rubies & Sapphires: When a Great Deal is a Bad Bargain

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 glass-filled and lead glass-filled rubies and sapphires in the marketplace that won't begin to fulfill that expectation. 

While these low-quality “gems” can indeed be beautiful and relatively inexpensive, they come with some major drawbacks that even many salespeople may not know about. 

Magnified glass-filled ruby showing tell-tale gas bubbles. 

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 otherwise seriously damaged piece look like a lovely gemstone.

The downside? 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. Take a look at the image below for an example: 

Here’s a 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.

Are composite rubies and sapphires improved, stabilized, or stronger? Yes, an inferior material can be (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.

The Hong Kong Gem Market. Note that glass-filled rubies are priced at between 10 cents and $3. A real bargain, no?  We say... no.

We like to say that your grandchildren will fight over the pieces you have purchased from us. We fear jewelry made with lead glass-filled rubies and sapphires may not be around long enough for your children, much less your grandchildren, to set eyes on.

Now, these are rubies!  - Columbia Gem House

Interested in knowing more? Come on into our Downtown Tacoma storefront, and we'll show you some examples of lead glass-filled ruby and sapphires. But we certainly won't sell them to you!

You can browse our online store here, and take a peek at just a small selection of what else we have in our Downtown Tacoma storefront here. And of course, we’d be glad to show you our very best rubies and sapphires, ready to last for generations to come. Learn more about making an appointment here.