Sapphire: GOOD News From AGL

[iLander]

We were recently in New York and I dropped off my sapphire ring for analysis by AGL, which took over 3 weeks. This is the sapphire that I purchased from GemRite a couple of years ago, and it was sold to me as unheated and untreated. I took John's word for it.

But I started to worry about the stone, because it was acting strangely. It flashes a bunch of different colors: green, red, blue, white, all in different lights. I started to think that maybe it was a synthetic of some kind. Even on PS I hadn't heard of sapphires flashing various colors. If yours do that, please tell me about it.

Then I started to see a bunch of purple to blue shift garnets. I saw the inclusions in the crown (see pic), but synthetics sometimes have fake inclusions. More worrying.

So, for $75 (gem brief, mounted stone), I decided to find out for sure. If you've never been in their building, it is VERY high security. Your license is scanned by an armed guard in the lobby (long line for that!), you take a special "layman's" elevator, and every office door (it's a maze!), on every floor, is locked tight. The AGL receptionist buzzes you into a vestibule, and if there is another customer at the desk, you are locked in the vestibule. Only when the customer is gone will you be buzzed again, to approach the desk. It's quite a production! I'm convinced the going down elevators are extra slow, just in case they need to catch you there.

I was so relieved when I got the email that my "sapphire is ready". I noticed they didn't say "blue stone", so that was good news! And it came back unheated, and untreated, just like John said. Yay! Now the brief doesn't say it's a color shift. I had asked the receptionist about it when I dropped it off, and she said that "if they notice a color shift, they will note that in the brief". Apparently they didn't notice it. I blame the New York lack of light (latitude)! I live in a Southern latitude, and it makes a definite shift. I know they use all kinds of lamps and bulbs, but the ambient light creeps in somehow, and I couldn't see the shift up there either!

So I feel much better now, and I am newly appreciating that my stone came from the earth exactly as I see it.

More pics: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ok-ilander-where-is-it.183597/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ok-ilander-where-is-it.183597/[/URL]

 

[athenaworth]

Holy crap that may be the most amazing sapphire I've ever seen! Congrats on the happy ending.

 

[chrono]

I'm very happy for you that the sapphire checked out as expected and thank you for the AGL security write up. It's a sweet stone and it looks great on you.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

So glad it turned out well for you. Its a beautiful ring.

Annette

 

[derbygal]

That is one amazing sapphire! Love the setting, too. Glad it came back untreated.

 

[JewelFreak]

GREAT news, iLander! I'm glad it puts your mind at ease about your gorgeous stone. Love hearing about AGL's security, too -- quite an experience; my eyes would have been popping the whole time.

Wear your beautiful ring happily!

--- Laurie

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I'm very glad AGL had some good news for you after some recent disappointing news. Kudos to Gemrite, too.

Gorgeous stone and ring.

I've often wondered about the AGL standard for labeling something a "color-changer." I've certainly seen stones that most on this board would insist should properly be called a "color-shifter," but AGL has no such nomenclature so they call it a "changer." I have no idea what their exact criteria is for labeling something a "color-changer", what lighting it must be exhibited in, what kind of incandescent lighting they use, etc.

On the flip side, I inquired after a stone once that AIGS called a "color-changer," and the vendor insisted that in his opinion the shift was almost quite subtle and was exaggerated by that lab.

I tend to be of the opinion that with the inconsistency of incandescent lighting and possibility of ambient sunlight, different criteria among labs, and lack of any transparent standard, that an AGL gem brief, and AGL in gereral, might not be the final authority on what is and isn't a shifter. I'd trust my eyes on making that judgment.

To my laymen's eye, it looks to go from a beautiful slightly violetish blue in the sunlight to a warm purple indoors. There is a distinct and easily perceived move it makes along the color spectrum that I would certainly refer to as a color shift. My $0.02.

 

[pregcurious]

I visited AGL and GIA about a month ago, and I went in there with my 2 kids, one in a stroller. It was funny going in with all the gem dealers, while my kids were just being kids. It's similar to the security you see at a court house, or a federal building.

 

[NKOTB]

It's funny you should post this today, I've been looking at the pics in your thread from when you set it a LOT over the past couple of days, as I was considering a Gemrite colour shifter/changer (spinel, though, not sapph). Anyway, it looks really beautiful, both the stone and the setting. Glad you got confirmation on what you wanted to hear.

 

[Lula]

Beautiful stone and gorgeous setting!

 

[iLander]

Athenaworth: I don't know, there have been some amazing sapphires on this forum! But thank you, that's very kind.

Chrono: I like to include details like that, because I figure that others are just as curious as I am.

Smithcompton: Thank you, I appreciate the nice comment.

Derbygal: Thank you, it was set by ID Jewelry, with their super-sparkly diamonds (to which I am now thoroughly addicted).

JewelFreak: My eyes were popping! The whole building seemed to be populated by either burly, big guys or Hassidic Jews and cameras were just everywhere. It was really kind of cool.

Corundum: Yes, the last go around with AGL made me worry about this stone. It's so easy to be fooled, SOOO glad this one was fine. I'm with you and your 2¢. I see the color shift plain as day, but I guess their lighting doesn't vary enough to catch it.

Pregcurious: Isn't it an odd place? I felt so conspicuous and obviously a layman. I haven't been to a courthouse or federal building (knock on wood) for many years, so I was surprised.

NKOTB: I've seen that stone, to me it seems worth a look. Honestly, I don't think John is much of a photographer, and I thought my stone looked nicer than his photos indicated. But color shifters are very odd, they don't consistently show up in different lights. I've returned a couple over the years, including one to Barry who swore he got a purple that I never saw (his outside light is very different than mine). So, you really have to order it and see it for yourself. I like color shifters; to me, they're more interesting than a stone that just stays the same color all the time. To help you with your spinel decision, here's a link showing his original photos, so you can compare them to my RL photos: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/color-shift-sapphire-finally-set.179027/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/color-shift-sapphire-finally-set.179027/[/URL]

Lula: Thank you, that's very nice of you!

 

[pregcurious]

What I thought was odd was knowing that everyone there was dealing with very expensive goods. I saw some people with small packages and zippered fabric envelopes that must have held something precious (e.g. gems, metal, money, important paperwork).

 

[chrono]

On the flip side, I inquired after a stone once that AIGS called a "color-changer," and the vendor insisted that in his opinion the shift was almost quite subtle and was exaggerated by that lab.

CC,
Standards will vary from lab to lab and I think AGL has a tighter tolerance than AIGS.

 

[iLander]

pregcurious: I didn't see any packages, but I did see a lot of people giving me suspicious looks!

Chrono: I agree with that; AGL would be much more strict. A question for you; do any of your sapphires flash odd colors? I scoured the internet, and can't find anything on that, which is part of what motivated me to get the cert. It's very pretty, but odd.

Anyone else able to answer the flashing color question? I wonder if it's unique to my southerly latitude . . .

 

[NKOTB]

I'm not Chrono, but I have an unheated pink sapphire that is sometimes a HOT purplish pink (grocery store), sometimes a delicate rose colour (outside, cloudy day), can be almost a parti sapphire with a mix of lilac/lavender and light pink (diffused sunlight), and at work, in the fluorescents, it shows flashes of orange within, too.

 

[iLander]

I'm not Chrono, but I have an unheated pink sapphire that is sometimes a HOT purplish pink (grocery store), sometimes a delicate rose colour (outside, cloudy day), can be almost a parti sapphire with a mix of lilac/lavender and light pink (diffused sunlight), and at work, in the fluorescents, it shows flashes of orange within, too.

Thank you, NKOTB! I feel better hearing that. Yours is obviously a wonderful color-shifter. Is your stone from Umba, Tanzania too?

I'm trying to figure this out . . .