I Sold Jewelry for 42 Years — These 4 Gemstones I'd NEVER Let My Daughter Buy

She set a ruby ring down on my glass in a sandwich bag, 3 days before her engagement party, and asked me to give it a quick clean. I picked up my loupe, tilted it under the lamp, and my stomach dropped. After 42 years behind the counter of my father's jewelry store in Cleveland Heights, these are the 4 gemstones I would never let my daughter buy for a ring: opal that crazes when it goes from a hot sink to a cold porch, tanzanite that chips with one knock, glass-filled "composite" ruby that lemon juice can damage, and dyed or plastic-filled jade that looks perfect until the lab report comes back. A retired jeweler's stories from the counter, what the salesman won't tell you about colored gemstones, and what I'd buy instead for an engagement ring or everyday jewelry. What's the green stone in your jewelry box, and who wore it before you? Tell me in the comments. Subscribe for more stories from my side of the glass: the treasures, the fakes and the tears. Ask them what's been done to it, honey. And if they can't look you in the eye when they answer, put it back in the case and come home. #gemstones #jewelry #retiredjeweler