Ruby stud earrings in 14k yellow gold. Genuine ruby earrings are delicious quality with a twist. These gems are the true reddish pink you see in the pictures in certain lighting. Then they shift like changelings to a fascinating red-flecked brown, and finally to a complex safari-brown. Color shifting gems are the darlings of those with multifaceted personalities, and they are a rarity on the market.Fine jewelry quality genuine rubies and eco-friendly recycled yellow gold give you hypoallergenic beauty that will last. Please read below about rubies and their enhancements.SHIPPING: Please allow an average of 1-2 weeks, occasionally 3, for your item to be created before shipping. Most of my jewelry is made to order, and I am honored have a fairly high order volume. Good things come to those who wait!SIZE: This is my small 4 mm size; please take a look at the modeled photo for an idea of how big they are in "real life". Exact size may vary +/- .20mm. More modeled photos at http://www.distinctionjewelry.com/info/lookbook METAL: Made with solid recycled 14k yellow gold. —————————————Ruby—————————————Rubies are directly related to sapphires, as both are made up of corundum. When corundum is red, it's called ruby. When it's blue, yellow, or any number of other colors, it's called sapphire. Ruby is one of the most expensive and difficult to come by colors, leading to a very high price tag on the coveted red and deep pink gems.Whenever a highly popular gem is both rare and expensive, the market steps in to fill the gap with less expensive options. The most lucrative way for the unscrupulous to do so is to pretend they are doing nothing, and trickery abounds. One of America's largest retailers was slapped with a suit alleging that they were selling lead-glass filled (LGF) rubies without informing their customers. Here are the most common ruby treatments, also called enhancements.Lead-Glass Filling: A low quality ruby is "cooked" at high temperatures with leaded glass (aka "crystal") in a bright ruby color. The vivid glass fills all the minute fissures in the gem and dramatically improves the appearance of the stone. The gem is then cut and polished. This treatment is easy for a knowledgeable person to detect. Lead glass filled rubies should be the least expensive, because they originated as poor quality stones, and also due to the fact that LGF treated rubies are easily damaged by the heat of a jeweler's torch or the cleaning action of an ultrasonic bath.Beryllium Treatment (BE): A reasonable quality gem with less than optimal color is exposed to chemical diffusion in a furnace. Beryllium vapors penetrate the heated stone to a considerable depth and the stone is cooled. Modern beryllium treatments are nearly impossible to detect, even by seasoned gemologists. Detecting it requires the specialized equipment of an advanced gem lab. BE treated gems can demand a price approaching but not equal to non BE-treated stones. The treatment is permanent and virtually undetectable; the only downside is that the color of the gem is not naturally occurring, which reduces the fascination with the idea that a beautiful gem came from the ground right to your hands.Heating: Known as standard heat treatment, this process is accepted by all but the most tenacious purists. Sticking the gem in a high-temperature oven for a while reduces silky "veils" interfering with the clarity of the stone, and often modifies the color for the better. "Heat only" rubies of good quality and verifiable lack of treatment are costly enough to heat up your wallet.Untreated/Natural: Those rubies that are of stellar enough color and clarity as to require no human interference to enhance their beauty are the coveted gems of royalty. They exist, but in small numbers, and are available only to those with a generous budget.These earrings are made with rubies that were claimed by the vendor to be "heat only" treated. My gemologist was unable to verify or disprove that claim (as is common), and to take a vendor's word on such a thing requires trust earned over years of stellar reputation and familiarity. They could easily have been subjected to BE treatment and thus earn my AGTA (American Gem Trade Association) standard disclosure of:Treatment: H - Heated, and U - (Unknown), possible BE enhancement.—————————————Quality and Comfort—————————————After I got my ears pierced, I went on a buying spree and purchased a ton of cute sparkly little post earrings. About six years later, only two pairs remain. What happened to all the others? They fell apart, peeled, turned green, and suffered other unattractive fates. Glues, plated metals, fake crystal “stones,” cheap enamels….they all degrade sooner rather than later.Now that I make my own jewelry, I have decided to make stud earrings that are beautiful, high quality, and will stand the test of time. They will cost a little more, but they’ll outlast 10 pairs of cheapies.There is absolutely no glue or epoxy used in these; soldered construction and stones set using traditional metalsmithing techniques equal lasting durability. These are sturdy prong settings, not flimsy “snap-in” settings which hold the stones in prongs so thin you can literally bend them with your fingernail.Sturdy, solid sterling silver clutches are made to grip the posts snugly, resulting in an earring that stays in your ear even if you lead an active lifestyle or sleep in your earrings. The posts are heavy-duty and slightly shorter than some, making them resistant to bending and comfortable to sleep in. —————————————Genuine Gemstones—————————————I use only genuine gemstones, verified in my in-house gem lab. Samples are also sent to an independent Graduate Gemologist for review. I buy carefully to ensure ethically sourced gems, usually supporting very small businesses like my own. Part of the thrill of a beautiful piece of jewelry is looking at the gem and marveling at the beauty produced by nature. Why waste your money on imitation gemstones when you can enjoy the beauty of the real thing?I can also special order gemstones and diamonds if you don’t see what you are looking for.
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