I've "inherited" a ruby ring, and it's over seventy years old. Does anyone know how to determine if the stone is real or not? Or what stones may have been used to fake it during that era? I'd never dream of hocking it, but I'm curious.

Take it to a jeweler...

it could be garnet

Take it to a jeweler...

I know, I only just got it, so I decided to look for the lazy way out before I actually wasted half an hour of my oh-so-exciting life

http://www.diamond-guide.com/Color_Stone_Guide/Rubies/ruby_synthetic.html

 

apparently its not terribly simple. they mention a couple tests proffesionals can do, they also say that if your experienced you can just tell the difference by color, size, the cut, or a bunch of other things that just dont fit.

 

they also mention some things like under magnification glass fakes often have bubbles where as rubies dont, and apparently the sides can have grooves like a record if its fake.

 

i didnt finish it, they may have easier methods : P

damn, I was hoping it would be as simple as a diamond which "flouresces under U.V. light"

 

So far my stone meets all the suggested criteria to tell it from synsthetics, but if I decide it's worth it I'll have to find a professional to find out if it's a ruby or a lesser stone.

Ruby & sapphire are both corundum. They are number 9 on the Moh's scale of hardness - the only thing harder is a diamond, which is a 10. http://www.24carat.co.uk/hardnessmohsscaleframe.html

 

When you use the hardness scale as a test, you see if your suspected mineral will scratch something of a known hardness that is lower on the scale.

 

Quartz is #7 on the scale, topaz is #8, and ruby is #9. Topaz is not generally red, so if your stone will scratch a piece of quartz, it is either a ruby or a red topaz. (Natural red topaz is rare, but it can be colored by a heating process.)

 

Of course, synthetic rubies are also made from corundum, so they would scratch quartz too. Then you look at it through a jeweller's loop. If there are no inclusions (small pieces of "dirt"), it is either a very fine natural ruby or a synthetic.