Help regarding sapphire clarity/color and worth please!

[jvLin]

Hi! I'm just wondering how much this sapphire would be worth. I'm not going to say what the price tag lists it as, because it changes the perception of people. I don't have an actual picture, so I'm going to find multiple pictures and describe it. Sorry! Any response at all would be very helpful.

CARAT:
1.31

TREATMENTS:
Unheated, Untreated

ORIGIN:
Ceylon

CLARITY:
The sapphire is mostly eye-clean, but there is a small, 1mm-thick scratch on the table. (Would this be because it's unheated?)

CUT:
Square-ish Cushion. It's a cushion cut, but the edges are pointy. (does this make sense?)
It appears to be well cut. Everything is centered and symmetrical.

COLOR:
There's a little zoning.

The sides of the gem are this color:
http://www.palagems.com/Images/sapphire_connoisseurship/burma_sapphire_21ct-new.jpg

The center of the gem is this color (and the shape is similar, too):
http://www.jewelryexpert.com/catalog/graphics/Cushion-cut-Sapphire-Engraved-Ring-1.gif

My two largest concerns are the small scratch on the table and the strange squarecushion shape. Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[Barrett]

The color if comparable to those 2 looks pretty good. Are you thinking about purchasing or have you bought already? If you haven''t bought already and want to I would milk them for all they are worth about that scratch..whine and moan about it and see how much they can knock off the price..it''s an easy fix if it''s just a "scratch"..have a jeweler or cutter just slap it on the lap and polish that sucker out..of course thats if it''s just a "scratcvh" and not a canyon or a flaw that was left in..many variables here..price wise is anybodys guess but I know next to nothing about sapphires so couldn''t tell you..I think Ma Re knows a thing or two and can help a little..try to snag a pic if you can..it really helps but only so much because "a bird in hand..err..um..a stone in hand is worth 2 in the picture"...

 

[serenitydiamonds]

It''s really hard to base value solely on a picture as the first pricing variable on gems is there color and color in photos can be enhanced ever so slightly to make it look like the ideal color. However, as a ''rough guess'' assuming it has GIA, AGTA, or AGL papers stating it''s unheated, I''d say maybe 1-2k. You should have them polish off the scratch though.

--Joshua

 

[SB621]

Is it certified? Also it would help to know more about the clarity vs. mostly eye clean. As that will impact the price. If it is IF quality it will be much more valuable then something that is lower on the clarity scale. If you havne''t already bought it I would see their return policy and see if you can buy it and take it to have it apprasied and then decide if you want to keep it or not.

 

[jvLin]

Thank you all for your fast responses!

I''ve already bought it.. I noticed the scratch after I bought it, though. It''s not certified, but it''s from a reputable dealer so I know it''s unheated. I can feel the scratch with my fingernail.. does that mean it''s deeper than just a scratch? The crown is fairly flat, so I don''t want to polish any more off the top.

I''ve heard that sapphires generally have many inclusions like this. Will it affect the value significantly?

 

[jvLin]

Sorry for the double post. A few more questions.. Thank you all again in advance!

Will this surface inclusion cause my sapphire to chip/crack more easily when cleaning it or wearing it (more easily than if the inclusion were an internal one)?

If polishing it is not enough (if it is deep), should I have the gem recut? Or maybe I can get just the crown recut? How much would that cost? I don''t mind losing 15% to recutting if it means the gem will be a little safer.

Sorry for all the questions.. this is my first big purchase! I really want it to be a gem I''ll cherish forever.

 

[chrono]

If you are indeed concerned about overpaying for the stone, your safest bet to have an independent appraiser take a look at the sapphire. Someone with the caliber of Richard Sherwood would be my recommendation, since your stone came without any lab certificate. I am concerned about the scratch. Is it really a scratch or an open feather? If it is a scratch, it is safe and fine to continue wearing it. Regular gentle cleaning will also not make it worse. Depending on its depth, it may not be worth fixing it. Again, this is something that cannot be evaluated online, thus I recommend a true expert to examine the stone in person.

ETA
A scratch is not common in any gemstone. It’s not expected either. Have you contacted the vendor about this?

 

[mastercutgems]

Just my opinion; but if I were selling a sapphire for 500 dollars or more I would definitely have the scratch removed; if it were only a scratch. It takes very little time and removes very minimal weight. So if I were interested in that gem that would have to be fixed before i would consider a price.

That really just does not make sense to me to offer an expensive gem which was certified untreated and leave it with a scratch on the table

Examining the scratch could determine surface diffusion??? Also like others have said is it a scratch or a veil, open feather, etc.??? At this point too many unknowns; we are all guessing and guessing in colored gems is dangerous

Like others in this thread have said; site unseen, no visual of the report, etc. leaves a lot of unknowns to make an educated assumption

I just know if I were selling a medium to higher end certified un-treated sapphire, ruby, tsazorite, tanzanite, etc. I would have had the scratch removed before I offered it for sale... Plus one thing I guess could be said for leaving the scratch; if it has an AGTA certification and they remove the scratch the weight will change a very small amount but still it would not match the certificate; then the owner would have to send it off again and get a certificate??? Some like AGTA or GIA may give them a price break seeing the situation; but still a cost incurred...

 

[chrono]

Dana,
I believe she said the stone isn''t certified.

 

[LD]

Date: 9/18/2009 3:05:21 PM
Author: mastercutgems
Just my opinion; but if I were selling a sapphire for 500 dollars or more I would definitely have the scratch removed; if it were only a scratch. It takes very little time and removes very minimal weight. So if I were interested in that gem that would have to be fixed before i would consider a price.

That really just does not make sense to me to offer an expensive gem which was certified untreated and leave it with a scratch on the table

Examining the scratch could determine surface diffusion??? Also like others have said is it a scratch or a veil, open feather, etc.??? At this point too many unknowns; we are all guessing and guessing in colored gems is dangerous

Like others in this thread have said; site unseen, no visual of the report, etc. leaves a lot of unknowns to make an educated assumption

I just know if I were selling a medium to higher end certified un-treated sapphire, ruby, tsazorite, tanzanite, etc. I would have had the scratch removed before I offered it for sale... Plus one thing I guess could be said for leaving the scratch; if it has an AGTA certification and they remove the scratch the weight will change a very small amount but still it would not match the certificate; then the owner would have to send it off again and get a certificate??? Some like AGTA or GIA may give them a price break seeing the situation; but still a cost incurred...

This is key I''m afraid. Nobody here can make an educated guess without at least seeing some photos and even then, it''d have to be caveated with "IF this is unheated/untreated" etc.

If this is a big purchase and is not certified, I would get it valued/assessed and examined IMMEDIATELY irrespective of where you bought it. The price for an untreated/unheated stone will always be far higher than a treated one. Please make sure that you''ve bought what you think you have. If you get the stone examined then you''ll also know whether the stone has a scratch or something more serious.

 

[mastercutgems]

Ooops;

Sorry I made the fatal error of assuming... when I saw unheated - untreated I thought it was a gem that had been tested and certified.

Oh well; I guess i should have read further down the thread..

Sorry about that ...
If you have already bought it and the scratch bothers you; you can always have it removed with minimal weight loss.

 

[jvLin]

Thank you everyone for your responses! I can't thank you all enough. Buying gems is more stressful than it is fun.

It turns out it was an open feather, and quite a deep one at that. I've decided to leave it as is. I guess the next step is learning about how to take care of it.

One of my friends tells me feathers that break the surface are generally nothing to worry about. She says that hard blows located where the inclusion is may crack it, but all hard blows in specific places can crack gems, diamonds or not, inclusion or not.

Aesthetically, it does not bother me. I am just worried about this gem eventually snapping in half after normal wear..

Thanks again!

Edit: I will definitely get it certified ASAP! Thank you very much, everyone.

 

[chrono]

I am concerned about the location of the open feather; a crack near the culet or corner would obviously increase the chances of breakage more than one well into the gem. Similarly, an open fracture on the crown is more likely to chip than one on the pavilion.

 

[mastercutgems]

jvLin;

My main concern is to stay away from ultrasonic or steam cleaners as they sometimes have a tendency to open up the feather; think of it like this; heat opens pores in skin it can also open pores in gem minerals and if you stay away from extreme heat and or cold/hot changes in the gem you should usually do fine. Like if you were snow skiing all day and came in to warm your hands; do it slowly and do not put them under very warm water as that is a shock to the mineral.

Just whenever you take it anywhere to be cleaned or polished make sure they are aware of the gem''s personality and they should take great care in not adding to the stress of the mineral.

Other than that and stay away from harsh chemicals you should do fine; but that is not any different than someone wearing an opal, emerald, tanzanite, tsavorite, etc. just good gem maintenance...

Enjoy it and wear it with joy in your heart as I have seen what I considered flawless gems take a whack and go into two pieces; that gem may out last us all..