Questions on buying online

[esbee]

Ok, so hopefully this is the best subforum for these questions since they involve sapphires, but if not, please move it to the appropriate place.

My girlfriend and I looked at engagement rings recently and she picked out a type of setting she likes and decided she wants a sapphire as a center-stone instead of a diamond. We just went to a local jewelry store so she could try on rings and find out what style she liked and looked good on her finger. The setting style she picked out was a split shank design and I found one I really liked online at James Allen.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/ring/item_412-2225.asp

I still need to find a sapphire, but have been looking around at TNSC which seems to have a good selection.

So, my questions are:
1) If I buy the JA setting and a sapphire online, can you give me suggestions on where I can go locally (Raleigh, NC) to get it set and appraised? OR should I send in the stone to JA to have it set with them?
2) Any suggestions on any local shops that carry sapphires or other online vendors -- I looked at the list on this page and went to a few sites, but none seemed to have the selection of TNSC and lets just say that some of those websites weren''t very user friendly.
3) With that setting, what size stone would you recommend? It says it can be set with 0.50-3.00 cts. I was thinking around 0.7-0.8 cts. Her ring size is 7 1/4, but she has very small hands, so she didn''t want anything too big. What I don''t want is something that will look lost in that setting.

Thanks for you help.

 

[LD]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I can''t answer your questions about where to have the gemstone set because I''m not in the US but I''m pretty sure that somebody will be along who can help. However, I may be able to help with some other practicalities.

1. First up, have you researched Sapphires? The reason I ask is that you can get totally natural sapphires, ones that have been heated (i.e. finishing off in an oven what nature started or didn''t get a chance to do) and then BE diffusion which is a way of improving colour by adding chemical to the process. Most people on this forum prefer totally natural gemstones and some (including me) don''t mind heat but we draw the line at anything else. The reason for that is we generally prefer to see gemstones as nature intended. BE diffused sapphires can look beautiful however and do give you great value for money. There are not many vendors on this website that stock them but Ebay is littered with them if you take a look there. As you can imagine, it does make a difference in price with totally natural and untreated being the most expensive. So, that should be your starting point.

2. The second consideration is colour. Do you want dark, medium or light? Sapphires come in a huge range of blues and it might be an idea to speak with your intended to find out what blue she prefers. The most expensive sapphires are ones that look like royal blue velvet and are vivid in colour (a generalisation but you get what I mean I hope). Paler and much darker sapphires are cheaper by comparison.

3. Next - is the locality from which the Sapphire comes from important to you? If so, then you''re narrowing your choice further. I tend to buy gemstones on their beauty irrespective of locality because you can get good and bad from each mine! However, if you want a Kashmir Sapphire and nothing else will do, your search will most probably take longer.

4. Size. I know you''ve got an idea in mind of carat weight but have you thought about actual mm size? Think in terms of what will suit the ring and her hand and have a wide range if you can. That will widen your search. Sometimes gemstones are cut very deep and so they face up smaller for carat weight and vice versa so it''s best to think in terms of mm if possible.

5. NSC do have a good choice of Sapphires and it''s most certainly a starting point but they can also be pricey. Take a look at the sticky thread at the top of this page and have a look at the Vendor websites for comparison. One other place that has excellent customer service is www.simplysapphires.com

6. Do a search on this forum for sapphires and you''ll certainly see some wonderful sapphires, get an idea where they were bought and your girlfriend and you can look at "real" colours if you know what I mean!

Sorry if all that is a bit overwhelming but it''s best to go into this with your eyes wide open!

Happy shopping.

 

[chrono]

LD has covered many considerations but one that I noticed more frequently with those coming from the colourless diamond world is concern about cut and shape. I presume you both have decided on a particular shape/outline or are you not fussed about it? The other thing is about the cut quality itself. Some people are fine with very good "native" cutting where the meet points aren''t perfect but at least the polish & symmetry are fine with no other cutting issues (window, extinction, zoning, etc). Others are rather particular and insist on having their e-ring stone precision cut. Which camp do you fall under?

 

[esbee]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yes, I have done some research on sapphires, but plan on learning some more before pulling the trigger. I think my first choice is to go with natural, but am not opposed to heat as it seems to be accepted. I don''t think I would look at the BE infused stones.

As far as color, she wants a medium to med-dark stone.

Location is not important.

Size - the one we looked at in the ring she tried on locally was around 6mm IIRC. I think that fit that particular ring and her hand about right. As I mentioned, she has small hands and doesn''t want anything too large.

I noticed NSC was a little pricey for some of the other ones. Looking at SS now. Looks like they have some nice selections for reasonable prices. Thanks!

I''ve been looking around this forum for sapphires set in engagement rings and others as well, but I''m going to keep looking to see more real world photos.

As far as cut, going to go with round. I don''t think either of us are too fussy with precision cutting, but I don''t want something that looks "off." That''s one thing I need to learn a little more about, but she will be happy as long as it looks nice.

 

[Ilovegemsstones]

Hi Esbee,

There are two jewelers in Raleigh NC who might set it for you , best is to call and ask them.
they both do Custom Jewelry / Design / Wax.

MB Gold Smith
5959 Triangle Town Blvd
Raleigh, North Carolina
USA, 27616
(919) 792-9545

Anfesa''s Jewelers, Inc.
1466 Garner Station Blvd
Raleigh, North Carolina
USA, 27603
(919) 773-0013

As for the sapphire have a look at finegemsonline.com they had a fine 6mm round sapphire listed a few days back.
Hope this helps