Pricing on marching pair of 2 tcw Blue Sapphires

[sparkle_zo]

Dear experts,

I am in search for a matching pair of Blue Sapphires for my next studs

(my new project after I successfully purchaced amazing pair of diamond studs from BGD, ear shot is on the way...

). I am thinking about 2 tcw, around 6 mm. What is the price I should be prepaired to pay for nice cutted, meddium-deep blue collored stones? I''ve been browsing for a while and prices are so different, starting at $800 going to $3500

for heat-treated stones.

 

[chrono]

The prices vary because there is a difference in markup from various places as well as subtle differences in hue, saturation and tone. That said, it should NOT cost you anywhere near $3K for the pair. How vivid a colour are you looking for? Do you have an example picture?

 

[sparkle_zo]

Chrono thanks for your reply!!!

I like the color of these stones (atached), aren''t they amazing?

I came across this pair from concavegems: http://www.webgraphicsengineering.com/Gemstones/detail.cfm?zNum=6035
it''s 1.75 ctw and priced $2400. Is it reasonable price? I would prefer a little deeper collor, but this one is OK as well (I realized how hard it is to find a matching stones!!!).

Any other sources that you would recommend me to give a look?

 

[chrono]

Anything from Simply Sapphires? AJS? They seem to have a good sized inventory although I have never purchased from them. The ones from Richard Homer are pretty but I am in agreement that you can find something with a richer colour for less. This pair is priced more than other places because of the reputation of the cutter. Not only that, I heard that he recently increased the price of all gemstones in his inventory by a good amount.

 

[vinkalmann]

They're going to be in the upper end of price, but the Natural Sapphire Company has nice stones (if only to look at). I recently got a pair of 0.9 total carat weight studs for my fiance there for Christmas. They were $500 for untreated medium saturated stones. They're definitely not the deeper shade of blue that commands a MUCH higher price.

There's a drop down for matched pairs and they also sell ready made studs. The hardware on the studs is really well made.

I'm new to this myself, but it appears that two matched stones costs more than two unmatched (but similar) stones of the same carat weight. I'm sure some of the more experienced people here can confirm whether that's correct or not.

It seems like the high end $3500 that you were seeing for heat treated stones is too much since one of the perks of heat treated stones is you aren't paying the premium that you would for natural untreated stones.

Good luck! The search is fun!

PS: I just looked at this page at All that Glitters and they don't seem to have anything in the carat weight you're looking for in matched pairs, but this is another fun place to drool:

http://www.atggems.com/Photos_Sapphire.htm

 

[sparkle_zo]

Date: 1/15/2010 3:45:33 PM
Author: Chrono
Anything from Simply Sapphires? AJS? They seem to have a good sized inventory although I have never purchased from them. The ones from Richard Homer are pretty but I am in agreement that you can find something with a richer colour for less. This pair is priced more than other places because of the reputation of the cutter. Not only that, I heard that he recently increased the price of all gemstones in his inventory by a good amount.

Just checked both vendors (Simply Sapphires and AJS) and their inventory is limited to
Natural Sapphire Company has some bigger options but stone cut is terrible (I am not an expert but could easly spot an offset cullet)!

 

[vinkalmann]

Date: 1/15/2010 4:40:48 PM
Author: sparkle_zo

Date: 1/15/2010 3:45:33 PM

Author: Chrono

Anything from Simply Sapphires? AJS? They seem to have a good sized inventory although I have never purchased from them. The ones from Richard Homer are pretty but I am in agreement that you can find something with a richer colour for less. This pair is priced more than other places because of the reputation of the cutter. Not only that, I heard that he recently increased the price of all gemstones in his inventory by a good amount.

Just checked both vendors (Simply Sapphires and AJS) and their inventory is limited to <1 ctw matching stones. (...as well as ATG...)


Natural Sapphire Company has some bigger options but stone cut is terrible (I am not an expert but could easly spot an offset cullet)!

Pretty much across the board on colored stones (at least in my limited experience), the cuts are nowhere near as precise as they are on diamonds. I could be wrong about that, but when it comes to colored stones the emphasis is on color and clarity over cut. It''s this fact that seems to open up the niche market of the precision cutters that are on this board. They can definitely take some good stones and make them sing

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I''d contact jeff white, dan stair, or barry bridgestock and ask them to cut a pair if they have, or can source, the rough.

 

[sparkle_zo]

Date: 1/15/2010 5:03:28 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
I''d contact jeff white, dan stair, or barry bridgestock and ask them to cut a pair if they have, or can source, the rough.

I was thinking about it but would it be possible to predict the final result in terms of color?

 

[chrono]

Date: 1/15/2010 4:53:20 PM
Author: vinkalmann
Pretty much across the board on colored stones (at least in my limited experience), the cuts are nowhere near as precise as they are on diamonds. I could be wrong about that, but when it comes to colored stones the emphasis is on color and clarity over cut. It''s this fact that seems to open up the niche market of the precision cutters that are on this board. They can definitely take some good stones and make them sing

Correct, the emphasis is in colour over cut. Clarity is a little up the rung over cut too, but colour trumps all. That said, the stone does not have to be precision cut. I''ve seen many very good native cutting on a variety of stones. I''d rather a nicely cut native stone of excellent colour than a precision cut stone with poor saturation. Sometimes, the precision cutter is able to source very nice rough and sometimes, he/she can''t get what a customer is looking for.

 

[chrono]

Date: 1/15/2010 5:32:19 PM
Author: sparkle_zo

Date: 1/15/2010 5:03:28 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
I''d contact jeff white, dan stair, or barry bridgestock and ask them to cut a pair if they have, or can source, the rough.

I was thinking about it but would it be possible to predict the final result in terms of color?

To some degree of accuracy, yes. Usually an experienced cutter is able to do this well and consistently.

 

[Sagebrush]

Sparkle,

Interesting discussion of price. I frankly do not agree with Chrono''s assumptions concerning price, simply not the case. Yes, it all depends on quality, and color coupled with transparency will be the two most important factors.

Heat treated sapphires tend to be turbid or as one of my clients says, "have a heart of darkness." Burmese blues will often command a premium because they are more "open" and transparent.

Well cut 6mm sapphires will be over a carat each. 6mm is like the Holy Grail of sizes and you will pay an additional 15% for matching. Perhaps you should lower your expectations to .75-.90 each, they tend to be 5.8 or so and don''t carry the carat premium.

 

[AustenNut]

Lisa Elser just published her January catalogue and in it she has a pair of round sapphires in a blue similar to the color you posted. Her price is $992 for 1.25 tcw (4.81mm each). So that would be a gauge that you would probably need to spend more.