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 don't get the impression that OP plans to sell but it's probably worth saying that even with gold prices as high as they currently are you would not achieve anything like that for a second-hand ring. There are a lot of sapphire clusters on the second-hand market at the moment as they were so popular for so long from the 60s to the 80s (Diana supposedly chose hers because it was similar to her mother's, and her choice perpetuated the fashion) and as is the natural cycle of things, their original owners are increasingly no longer with us.

Thank you! It was my mother's wedding ring and now it's mine 😊

Thank you, it was my mum's wedding ring and now it's my wedding ring 😊

From what I can remember, sapphires are meant to be occluded, not completely clear. Same for rubies. Couldn’t tell you if it’s been swapped, but it does look like it has been in the setting for years

I have my mother's sapphire engagement ring and it is so dark it's almost black.
I think it just needs cleaning.

Take it to a jeweller and ask them what they think

A. It looks better clean!
B. Cannot determine authenticity or quality by a photo.

Jeweler will need to use jewelers scope to see the interior of the stone, there are other tests for stones too.

Engineeered / lab-grown stones have been available for decades and are less valuable than mined stones. Jeweler can tell from structure internally of stone. Engineered/lab stones less likely to show natural variations - look more perfect internally. 1970s more likely be mined .

Stone might have been switched … but jeweler won’t probably be able to tell you.

Can get stone polished - prob not meant to be worn as everyday ring as stone can be more easily scratched than a diamond.

Clean first. Use 3 or 4 denture cleaner tablets in 1/2 cup hot water. Soak for at least an hour. Rinse.

A jeweler will be able to tell if a stone has been reset.

Is it possible the stone was swapped out at a much earlier time? I thought old sapphires were worth a bit.

many years ago an aunt sold her rings to feed the family and in later years, one of her sons bought replacement rings for her.

when he re-married, the aunts rings were taken for cleaning (she was told) and the stone that came back (diamond) appeared smaller.

It is impossible to tell from a picture, you need a jeweller's loupe. Sapphires are not always a brilliant blue, it depends on how high-grade they are. Many times they can be almost black. It is most unlikely that it would have been swapped out. You will only know if you have it properly cleaned and looked at by a good jeweller. It would be interesting to know what happens.

As a jeweller I would say it is the original stone, you can get natural lighter bands appear through the sapphire and gems of the same composite. The most expensive sapphires are the Ceylons renowned for there colours. Stick it in boiling hot water that dirt will soon lift and it’ll shine once more!

It's fascinating!
I once had a sentimental dog hallmarked charm that got lost because the maker had omitted to solder close the jump ring.

I'd been looking for a replacement for years, and never found one- the maker no longer made that model.

Cut to this year, when a dog charity had two charms for sale - old stock. {Very bad photographs}

When they arrived, they were hallmarked to the dateline of my lost one!

I was delighted and offered more to the charity.

Maddeningly, these too don't have the jump ring soldered closed, which means if the tails catch, they can pull and get lost.

Hallmarks are a wonderful thing.

Did she not remember the look and fire of the stone?
My friend has a small vintage diamond ring that flashes incredibly in certain light conditions- it's probably one of the nicest diamonds I've seen and if someone swapped it out, she'd know.

I don’t think it’s been swapped, if you take it to a jewellers they can ping it and see if it’s a genuine sapphire. Do you have any photos of the original owner wearing it so you can see if it looks different

Her sister mentioned it several times and I was also asked. I thought it was smaller but it was one of those awkward family things.

When she died the rings were returned to the purchaser, her son. So ultimately if he (or the jeweller) swapped them it was his loss.

Sapphires do get scratched over time and stripes inside the sapphire are a natural feature. Nowadays it’s trendy to have sapphires with stripes/different colours within the stone.

Why do you feel bad for the family member that’s stolen and cheated their family out of sentimental jewellery?

Sapphires have natural inclusions that can appear as stripes. The most obvious ones are found in star Sapphires/Rubies. Also colour changes can be seen as banding within stones.

Sapphires are routinely heat treated to make them a darker colour though sapphires that are too dark are much less valuable. Take it to a jeweller, as others have said and get them to tell you what stone it is. 18ct gold indicates a better quality ring usually. Then get it repaired (and resized if you need to) to make sure the stones are secure in their settings, wear it and enjoy it. I wear my grandmother's sapphire ring every day, it came to me via my mum, it's a lovely way to keep your family with you.

Can’t you ask a jeweller to solder the ring?

Sapphires are NOT routinely heat treated. Some are heat treated to ENHANCE the colour not to cause detriment to the original stone. I am a fully qualified jeweller.

Most modern sapphires are indeed heat treated. It’s rare to find one that isn’t.

It’s also unwise to drop a stone into boiling water. If it has any cracks or occlusions it could well crack.

If it’s a porous stone yes or oiled filled like emeralds. But not every single one is treated. As I said.

Not everyone has a loupe and can check for flaws. Gemstones are more fragile than you might expect and diamonds can shatter if you drop them when setting. I have a rug underneath when stone setting as I've dropped my fair share. I would never put a client's gemstones in an ultrasonic either. That can shatter a flawed stone very easily.

Since the late 1970s heat treatment of sapphires to improve the colour has been the norm rather than the exception. The new low temperature methods also make it very hard to spot.

A very cursory google will confirm this from multiple sources, including experienced gemmologists and companies that actually do the heat treatments.

All the sapphires I use are heat treated with the possible exception of the raw sapphires I sometimes buy and set but even those I would not say 100% are untreated,