looking at sapphires/spinels

[bluegirl123]

Hi there!

I am currently looking at getting a rhr that will eventually become my engagement ring. My self imposed budget is low, under $1500 for the completed ring. I am able to spend more if I do see something I really love, but having already lost 2 diamond rings, I don''t wish to do so in case I lose this as well. (yes :-/ im horrible with jewelry). This will be an everyday ring.

The colours I really like is a pale/light blue sapphire/spinels that is also somewhat purple-y or greyish. It would be cool if i could get a colour change one. I want something sparkly and around 6-7mm. I like a 6 prong Tiffany type of setting but no knife''s edge. I wear a size 5.

At the local mall, I found a place that actually sells loose gemstones and custom designs jewelry. I was quoted 500-550 for the light blue-purplish/greyish sapphire at 6mm (i think all her sapphires are 300/carat). She said it would have no inclusions and will be untreated? For the setting, 14k white gold, it would be 400$. So I am looking at 1k with the mall place. However, when I asked her about colour change sapphires, she said they are treated and hence unnatural. When I also asked for spinel, she said that all spinels are man made and thus will be much cheaper (~ half the price). From my readings on here, those comments dont seem true (? not too sure about the color change one, but I think spinels can be natural), so this is making me distrust the place. Are her prices reasonable for being a local place?

There''s a gem show coming up soon around my area so I will have the chance to see more loose stones. As I am looking at them, is there anything I should pay particular attention to? I think I understand how to identify windows in the cutting (see if i can read something behind the stone). To identify inclusions, I just look at the stone under the loupe. Is any dark area extinction? It seems to me that all cuts show extinction? Also sleepiness, is a gem sleepy if it is "dull" looking? I am really a newbie when it comes gems, so if i did see something I like, i want to be sure that I don''t get taken in. (On that note, is it possible to somehow identify a fake spinel/sapphire from a real one?) Should I find something I like, at what price is it worthwhile to get someone else to look at the gem and certify it is as what the vendor says?

Thanks!

 

[FrekeChild]

Don''t go back to that lady. Spinels are NOT all man made. And sapphires that are color change are not synthetic or whatever. Do a search for Catmom''s color change sapphires. I think you should go sapphire, personally, due to the light color and grey tone, since it''s not as desirable, getting a 2ct sapphire in that price range should be doable.

Someone else should be able to chime in more...Can you post a picture of the color you have in mind? Doesn''t have to be a gem.

 

[bluegirl123]

Hi Freke,

I hope I have my colours right! What I am thinking of is the colour shifting spinels from MissDayna and Stone Hunter found here

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/colored-stones/vendor-pictures-and-owner-pictures-of-ps-stones-t109420-150.html

I think I''ll have a much better idea once I attend the gem show.

 

[Barrett]

yes don''t go back to that person..anyone who deals gems and is worth their weight would not have given you that info..stick to pricescope ..you are in good hands here..I would trust these people on here more so than 90% of jewelry store people..and the folks here don''t deal gems for a living..LOL..

 

[ma re]

http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm

http://www.palagems.com/sapphire_connoisseurship.htm#sapphire_buying_guide

On the same page you can find a buying guide for spinels too.

 

[chrono]

A 6 mm to 7 mm stone means you are looking for something at least 1 ct to 2 ct. The information you are given is incorrect and you can easily verify that with a Google search.
Natural = as long as it is straight out from the ground and not man made (synthetic). A treated stone is still a natural stone because the “base” material is still unchanged.
Heat = heat only treatment which is common in 95% of sapphires and thus acceptable in the market.

Untreated colour change sapphires exist so I don’t know where she’s getting this information. As for spinels, there are natural (and always untreated) and also the synthetic version. Many class rings use synthetic spinels and long ago, synthetic spinels were sold as aquamarine which could be what she was thinking about. There are also many natural untreated spinels available and I love collecting them.

When it comes to gemstones, colour is TOPS. Colour is what sets the price. Windowing is when you can see all the way through the stone instead of seeing the facet pattern of the pavilion. Not that if the stone is tilted, it doesn’t count because that is a window tilt. For coloured gemstones, it is not necessary to be loupe clean; eye clean is good enough and acceptable because the criteria for coloured stones are so different from colourless diamonds. If the stone has huge black areas that don’t light up or shift when you tilt the stone around, that is extinction and it’s a stone that you should pass on. Dull looking is probably due to cut not allowing the stone to sparkle. Sleepiness is when the stone looks cloudy or “oily” where it looks like there is a film of something on it that cannot be removed. There is no way to distinguish a fake spinel or sapphire from a real one by the naked eye.

 

[Edward Bristol]

Yep, it is amazing what non-sense people are being told in some shops. No wonder off-line retail is dying.

 

[gingersnap]

Date: 3/30/2010 9:45:48 AM
Author: Edward Bristol
Yep, it is amazing what non-sense people are being told in some shops. No wonder off-line retail is dying.

Hah, on-line is full of non-sense too. You can''t trust 90% of what you read on the internet

Buying a stone is actually very exciting. Do your research so that when you do finally decide on a stone you understand exactly what it is you ended up with. It will make the stone that much more special! I found these forums to be the biggest and best source for understanding what you are looking for/what you should pay for it. I learned a lot just by lurking; most of my questions had already been asked.

I love the lighter colored blue sapphires myself

Good luck!

 

[VapidLapid]

This light blue unheated burma sapphire might be just the thing for you

www.preciousgemstones.com/178pasapfs.html

 

[Edward Bristol]

Date: 3/30/2010 10:42:26 AM
Author: gingersnap

Date: 3/30/2010 9:45:48 AM
Author: Edward Bristol
Yep, it is amazing what non-sense people are being told in some shops. No wonder off-line retail is dying.

Hah, on-line is full of non-sense too. You can''t trust 90% of what you read on the internet

Buying a stone is actually very exciting. Do your research so that when you do finally decide on a stone you understand exactly what it is you ended up with. It will make the stone that much more special! I found these forums to be the biggest and best source for understanding what you are looking for/what you should pay for it. I learned a lot just by lurking; most of my questions had already been asked.

I love the lighter colored blue sapphires myself

Good luck!

Exactly. But before the web you could only trust the guy in the shop. No PS to check-up either. And such non-sense is rare even on-line.