Hi everyone and hope you all doing well despite all the curve balls and obstacles that life seems to delight in throwing our way ! That old saying - whatever doesn't defeat you makes you stronger - really resonates with me after the last 5 years. Feeling love for you all, because we've all been through stuff but we are still here.
Still a month of chemo to go, this has been harder than the first course but as insurance against it popping up somewhere else in the future it's well worth it. I'll also maintain the diet and supplement regime so that any future cancer cells fall on very stony ground. I'm happy to share what I've learned with anyone facing a similar situation.
OK back to the title of this blog. You would think that after all my time with the stones I would know almost everything. Ha. Famous last words in this case because I have never bought Gem Quality Rubies before so in this area I was a newbie. The Rubies I saw on the last trip looked really amazing and were also really well priced. I put that down to the inclusions. I had tested them, they fluoresced with UV light, had the right Refractive Index and Temperature Coefficient. Yep, I knew what I was doing. Until I took some pics - which is like high powered microscopy - and was horrified by the bubbles I saw inside which indicate a lot of lead glass filling. Ouch.
Know that I really lose sleep over things like this. Once I'd seen those pics I couldn't let it go. The suppliers still haven't answered me so I've taken the obvious culprits off line and off the shelves. Yes, 95% of the Rubies you see have been heat treated to deepen the colour and because this is a permanent change that is acceptable. Yes I've sold some glass filled Rubies before, with disclosure. But if I'm asking you to spend $400 - $500 plus on a Ruby you deserve more.
So it looks like I made a mistake here. But I learned a lot. Taking these off line from a matter of principle made me stronger.Meanwhile I've been uploading lots of good stuff, and much more to go.
Love from the Heart as always,
Marc James