Help with scratched/chipped sapphire

[accorn]

I am thinking of buying a ring which has an asscher (square emerald) cut sapphire but the face of it is scratched/chipped.
Can this be polished out? Or is the damage too bad?

 

[Edward Bristol]

Can you zoom in on the scratches?

In any case the stone needs to be taken out to rework.

 

[accorn]

No, this is the best picture I have. And taking out the stone is no biggie because I would be buying this ring for the stone. I would reset it later.

 

[Edward Bristol]

accorn, I am not at my big monitor now but I can''t see the scratches, or do you mean the wear and tear in the back?

 

[chrono]

I cannot see enough to tell as well; greater magnification is needed, I’m afraid.

 

[accorn]

Maybe I am seeing something that isn''t there.
Just trying to decide if this purchase will be worthwhile

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 1/28/2010 2:26:49 AM
Author:accorn
Can this be polished out? Or is the damage too bad?

Yes, it can be easily re-cut and polished. Doing the crown only is fast and rather inexpensive on an Asscher cut stone. The only damage that would make you consider not doing a re-cut and polish would be a deep chip that spanned the girdle and then it may still be worth doing a total recut and just making the stone smaller. The only downside to a total re-cut is that the stone will no longer match any certs that may come with it. Before doing this you may want to pay a local appraiser or gemologist to give you some assurance that the stone is natural. Your cutter can do this as well, (usually), but that may take more shipping expense if it turns out to be a synthetic.

 

[accorn]

The seller says it is natural and they are a reputable seller, so I''m not too worried about that.

How much would a recut cost?
I don''t really know anything about this kind of thing. But I really like the cut.

 

[Michael_E]

Recutting and polishing one side of a stone like this should cost between $60 and $100 when dealing with a cutter, substantially more when going through a retailer to have a cutter do it. The actual cost depends on the size of the stone as well as the type of gem it is, softer stones being faster and so less expensive to recut.

 

[accorn]

It''s a sapphire and 1.75 cts.

I think it''s a good deal so I might just go for it.

 

[Edward Bristol]

Yes, it looks good to me. I like it and the cut is rare. I never buy/sell without cert though.

Of course we need the price to judge it.

 

[accorn]

300 is the price. Considering how much I love the cut...
Have a picture of the back- concerned about the area circled in red.

 

[chrono]

If you can’t see it from the top and it doesn’t affect its safety in the setting, I’d leave it alone.

 

[RockHugger]

Ditto!

Date: 1/29/2010 9:00:47 AM
Author: Chrono
If you can’t see it from the top and it doesn’t affect its safety in the setting, I’d leave it alone.

 

[accorn]

But would it affect resetting the stone?
And is buying this setting with the stone worth it if I just want the stone?

 

[accorn]

Sorry for asking so many questions.

 

[Michael_E]

You aren''t asking too many questions, but some of them are hard to answer. Is the stone worth it for re-setting ? Well that all depends. If the cost is low enough AND you really love the color, then yes, definitely. Will that little dark area effect anything ? This is not possible to answer until the stone is in hand and examined under a microscope. My guess is that those dark lines will not affect setting the stone at all. Will you ever see those features when viewing the stone face up. No, not unless you tilt it dramatically and even then any reflection from small feathers mixes so well with other reflections in areas around the perimeter of the gem, that you just can''t see them unless they are quite large. If you look closely at how light bounces in a stone like this, you will see that the light which you see coming from those areas is actually originating from much farther down in the stone, making areas in the perimeter of the pavilion invisible.

Try this on a stone with a steep pavilion/girdle facet tier, (asscher or any barion), take a black colored marker and make a dot somewhere around the culet and see how it shows up. Pretty evident. Now put that same small dark dot on the steep break facet near the edge. Poof, it disappears until you tilt the stone enough to see it from the opposite side. Small feathers, divots or naturals work the same way. This only works with very steep pavilion break facets, so don''t expect to see this on a round stone unless it''s a Portuguese cut. Oh, make sure to clean the dots off with fingernail polish remover or other solvent.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

It looks like a lovely colour, and of course the cut is right up my alley.

Maybe ask the seller if they'll negotiate? Also, has the stone been heated? If the seller doesn't know the answer to that, perhaps you could use that as additional leverage.

Good luck!

 

[Stone Hunter]

I think it''s a cool cut and I don''t see a problem from the top in the photo you posted. Maybe you could leave it as is? Or do you love the stone and hate the setting?

I think $300 for both the stone and the setting (assuming gold setting and a natural sapphire) is good.

 

[accorn]

Date: 1/30/2010 5:21:24 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
I think it''s a cool cut and I don''t see a problem from the top in the photo you posted. Maybe you could leave it as is? Or do you love the stone and hate the setting?


I think $300 for both the stone and the setting (assuming gold setting and a natural sapphire) is good.

I do really dislike the setting, I would prob reset this into a solitaire or having two small stones on either side of it. The setting is just too gaudy for me I think. (not that it is really gaudy...just not my taste)