Very interesting to have both parties on this forum. We usually are very weiry about ebay sellers and particular the ones that hand out lab. certificates.
Scott being on this forum and being open as he is restores some of the faith. Atleast for me.
My advise in these cases is all the time the same:
"Buy the stone, not the paper going with..."
Sometimes I've seen people going around with stones and lab certificates trying to get money from people. Greed and ignorance...
Last sunday in Tucson, Richard Hugues and myself were visiting a Bangkok dealer when suddently an American in his sixties came to us. He was willing to ask us if we were interested to buy a huge ruby. The stone was several kilos and was told us to be found in the Thai Burmese border area by some of his local friends. The guy had several photos of the stone... and a copy of an old report from AIGS lab telling that the stone was a ruby of natural origin and that no indication of heat treatment were found.
The photos were very worked with photoshop and the stone was much probably from Longido in Tanzania than from Burma.
The guy was enthousiatic about the stone but was telling that he had no idea about the value of such a huge ruby but his friends were willing to sell it and he was searching if people were interested and trying to get some offers.
May be the guy was just what he said, may be he was a crook... Such things are not uncommon as several crooks in different countries are using some penny less westerners in order to cheat other westerners better.
The point is that a report telling that a stone is a natural ruby or a natural painite does not mean that the stone has any real value. But it is a document that an appraiser or a dealer will need to know what he is looking at really. Then LOOKING AT THE STONE he will be able to get an idea of its value.
Some rubies worth few dollars per kilo, other few million dollars per gram...
Its not because a gemstone has a cert that it is valuable, but most valuable stones are traded with certs...
Look at the cert but buy the stone, not the cert... Gemological laboratories like AIGS offer identification services that are not appraisals.
The views expressed here are V. Pardieu’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of GIA Laboratory Bangkok (http://www.giathai.net)where he is an employee since Dec 2008.
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