I bought this ring a few months ago on ebay, and they had the ring photographed in angle where this issue was not noticeable (of course).
It’s a Tawney Willie ring. The stone is almost 3" high, and lovely but, the left side of the stones edge has a bunch of black on it. It doesn’t look like the matrix as there’s no black anywhere else that I can see in the stone so, I’m wondering if you lapidary experts have an opinion. Is the black the backing for the stone that went too far up, or does it look like it could be the matrix?
Thanks in advance for your help
Yeah, I agree with @fernwood
It’s backing. I think it looks just fine, and it’s a really pretty ring.
It you have the stone recut, it won’t fit the setting anymore.
Right. I’m wondering what I can have made with it if I do decide to take it out.
The visual of the " mistake" disturb my senses.
I do love the ring except for the bad booboo.
Hi Steve, so there in no feel of a crack. My fingernail doesn’t clip when I scratch over it but, I took it outside and it looks like the crack might be deeper than the surface. It’s fairly translucent so, I can see down inside a bit.
No feel but, visual yes.
Hi @Phoenix7. No. Devcon is typically used as a backing on most US cut Turquoise, so nothing unusual from that perspective. The fracture could have occurred at any time, and may have been at least partially present when the stone was cut. It doesn’t appear to have broken completely, and if held together by anything, it would be the resin used in the process of stabilizing the raw turquoise prior to cutting, which may be why there is no perceptible break in the surface you can feel with your fingernail.
I also agree that it looks like the backing. I had one that looked like that, and eventually the stone literally started to crumble off, so keep checking to make sure yours stays solid.
But I’m glad you asked the question, and that @mmrogers answered, because I have a cuff that has another stone that looks a bit like that. It doesn’t appear to be crumbling, but I’m worried about it.
I assumed it was stabilized because so much turquoise is, but I don’t really know. And I had it for years, so it’s possible I banged it on something. The weird thing was there was no apparent crack. It’s just that the area with the devcon showing gradually got slightly bigger.
Ugh, this is my 1st stone face on which I’ve seen the black goop, and no experience with crumbling. I guess you could take out the stone and replace it if need be but, what a shame.
Let’s see what happens with this one. It seems to be newer and unworn so, I may have a few good years with it
You’ll probably be fine; just keep an eye on it. I suspect there was something wrong with the stone in mine, because I had it a long time, and used to wear it a lot. I am concerned about my cuff.
It’s got to be frustrating to buy something online, and then have a problem with it. My ring definitely had the issue later on, not when I purchased it. Your ring is lovely, but I understand being annoyed by it. I have some I purchased that had cracks in them, but it was completely disclosed to me, and I’ve never had any issues.
I can see how that black filler spot would be annoying, but you’ll probably get used to it and just ignore it eventually. Can’t say for sure if the piece has a crack, but because of the way that turquoise is backed, and clamped into its settings, I’ve never had any issues with cracked pieces not staying secure. You probably won’t have any problems with it. It’s a very nice looking ring and I don’t think the problems you’re describing detract from it!
hello, to me it appears as matrix. It follows a lighter, ‘faded’ color all the way up the bezel. The shape of the black is similar to the shape o f the faded area, I’d be more inclined to go with matrix. My experience with turquoise is very limited, but I cut a lot of rock
