To think this ring has been changed

[Ondonotdisturb]

Long story short.. I was left a sapphire and diamond ring, I think the diamonds are original but family have a feeling a certain family member has swapped out the sapphire. I’ve cleaned it as best as I can and am able to shine a light from underneath which makes the gem shine green/blueish and appear murky. From above with no light the gem is very dark/almost black
wondering if anyone on here would be able to identify if this is fake or the original? There seems to have been some lighter blue stripes appear where I’ve maybe scraped the dirt from underneath (in first image) a little harder?

I think you may need to take it to a jeweller

You can see the stripes here in the top right of the gem

Yes I will be taking it but I’m just curious atm!

They would have had to match the size pretty exactly, I assume it would have had to have been done at a jeweller. Not sure it would be worth it for a second hand sapphire, I didn't think they were in general hugely valuable.

Can’t possibly tell from those pictures. You need to take it to a jeweller for appraisal. Sapphires can be very dark and appear almost black.

It does however look incredibly dirty! Use warm water, some Fairy Liquid and a soft toothbrush to give it a good clean. It will look very different.

It’s pretty but It needs a good clean. Soak it in soapy water overnight and then a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush.

It’s so dirty that it looks like it’s been set in the ring for a long time. That’s multiple years of buildup.

If a jeweller had switched the stones they would have polished it- and they wouldn’t have put in a dirty stone.

I think this is the original stone. The claws etc don’t appear to be new and the grade of sapphire is in keeping with the grade of the rest of the ring

The ring is very dirty. It needs to be soaked and scrubbed with a toothbrush.

It’s too filthy to tell, but it looks well-worn rather than recent.

Give it a good soak and gentle scrub with old toothbrush as advised above, it's really dirty and needs to be cleaned carefully or you'll dislodge other stones.
It all looks original. A jeweller should be able to tell quality of stones. Sapphire and diamond have many grades of value.

When is the family member suspected of making the swop? I’d lean towards it being original because of how dirty the ring is.

Hardly worth it to go to the trouble of changing out a sapphire of that size.

I don't know why you would think that had been swapped out with the amount of detritus accreted underneath it.

The amount of gunk underneath the sapphire would suggest not, or at least not in the last 40 years.

Sapphire is the second hardest substances we know of so if it is a genuine stone you will not have caused any lines or other scratches. Only diamond is harder than sapphire. If the ring is cleaned and the stone genuine the lines would disappear.

One of the quickest home tests that needs no equipment is to breath on it until it fogs. It will defog in 1-2 seconds no more than that if it is genuine.

If you can get a magnifying glass you can check for inclusions, natural stones have inclusions but some may be tiny so an average magnifying glass may not pick it up so it could look clear if it is a fantastic stone with the tiniests of inclusions, that would be unlikely. If there are airbubbles it is not a sapphire either.

I agree with the PP about asking a jeweller. I would suggest a traditional independant jeweller to look or a lapidarist if you have any in the local area, its not a popular past time in the UK. An independant jeweller will be more knowledgeable about vintage and antique cuts, different gemstones, and settings and could tell you if it has been reset more than most high street chains.

Isn’t the darker the sapphire the more expensive it is? It’s a beautiful ring and will be more so once it’s professionally cleaned. The answer to your question is interesting though. Once you find out will you post again please?

Looks like it must have been swapped out a long time ago if so. The dirt build up Looks very equal

Probably a natural sapphire as so dark. Lab grown ones are more blue and transparent.
Probably a clean won't make that much difference to the blue of the sapphire- but hopefully will brighten the diamonds a little.

These dark sapphire stones are not exactly valuable so no idea why someone would go to the trouble of swapping it out for another dark sapphire stone.

This is lovely, but what makes you think it's been swapped?

How did you clean it? I do think that it needs another go really.

That stone is old, in what decade is the family member suspected of swapping it, and why? It isn't a big stone, so purchase price new might be around £450. It would cost say £50 to swap it, but you would expect the claws might show damage and the new stone wouldn't be dirty. The stone looks like sapphire but a jeweller would need to confirm, so I'm not sure there's any possible profit in the swap.

I think "family" need to find a new reason to dislike whoever this hapless family member is.

No. It depends on many factors. This is bright but very expensive: https://www.77diamonds.com/gemstones/sapphire?gemshapes=4%2c5%2c6%2c7%2c8%2c1%2c9%2c3

(as not heat treated, high intensity etc)

The stone looks to be at least 2 carats, probably more, unless the OP has tiny fingernails. But looks like the price of a sapphire in the 2 carat range can really vary depending on lots of factors.

Clean as mentioned above and it will look a lot better. I came on to say that a Pikster (a bottle brush for your teeth) is really useful at getting in and around the diamonds.

You think so? That could mean a higher price, so I guess someone could swap a cheap sapphire for a more expensive one. The effort and possible damage to the ring, along with the dirt, make it seem really unlikely.

I have never seen such a dirty ring in my life. It's no good cleaning it yourself, you need it professionally cleaned and the setting/claws checked.
I have a very similar ring, what you are showing is the original stone, it has to be, with decades of dirt build up.
I so much prefer darker sapphires, mine is v similar.