some advice please? light sapphire

[mermaidhair]

Hi, I hope everyone is well.

I wonder if I could gain some advice/insight from the community..

I have a light color sapphire ring which was received as a gift that I'd like to sell. I went by Circa in NYC and was made an offer of $800, which I did not feel so comfortable with.

I don't know much about gemstones, but I was told the stone is 11 carats/untreated/flawless by the standard. Was the offer reasonable? I've been considering having it appraised b the Natural Sapphire Company... would this be worth the $250? Or is GIA certification preferable??

There is a photo attached of the ring-

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

 

[chrono]

All gemstones are first measured by colour first, then rarity, size, treatment, cut, and etc. Flawless is actually not super important but being eye clean is. In this case, the advice of an independent appraiser will come handy. How would you describe the colour? It also seems like you do not have any paperwork or lab certification for the stone, which makes it even more difficult to access its value over the monitor to get a ballpark value.

 

[rocks]

is it a reinstein ross ring? if so, it should be hallmarked/stamped on the inside.

 

[Edward Bristol]

Looks like a serious gem to me.

1. Have a GIA cert done (not an appraisal)
2. Sell it private via an auction or on consigment (online)

If it is untreated and as the image shows, it should be no less than 400+/carat.

 

[RevolutionGems]

I agree with Edward. An offer of $800 is ridiculous almost to the point of insulting for a stone like that not to mention the gold weight. I would definitely follow Edwards advice.

 

[mermaidhair]

Hi, Chrono,

Thanks for your response.

I hope the photo helps as far as color... but the color changes in different light, which I was told is unusual for a sapphire. Is this a bad thing? Sometimes it seems pale icy blue, and other times much richer.

It is eye clean, I believe?? So you would recomend GIA certification in this case?

Rocks,

It is Reinstein and Ross, but the stone was purchased separately, just the setting done by R&R...

Thank you!!

 

[chrono]

A sapphire showing a small degree of shift under different lighting is normal. Does it do a purple (indoors) to blue (outdoors) change? I’d say it looks eye clean. And yes, I highly recommend GIA certification which will prove that it is untreated as well as give the potential buyer (and you) a very good idea of its value with regards to the colour (hue, saturation and tone). The name of the setting tells me that it is worth something (more than the price of the gold alone). Based on the information you have shared so far, your best bet to get the maximum dollar amount is by private sale or auction (if it is of very high value).

 

[mermaidhair]

Edward/Jeff,

I will look into GIA certification for the ring- it''s good to know that my intuition wasn''t off. It is really quite a lovely stone.

So If I opt for GIA vs the Natural Sapphire Company appraisal as recommended, would I be able to discern at that point without the NSC appraisal what a fair sale value would be for the ring? Is the NSA appraisal valuable at all as far as attempting to sell the ring?

I hope it is not against forum etiquette to post several photos but this photo seems have to have the most accurate color.

Thanks kindly for your help!!

 

[rocks]

i''m swooning.....i have a 2ct raspbery color oval in an rr setting.....

i know of dealers who might be interested...but i am not sure about the ettiquette here. that said, they are all leaving for tuscon now.

 

[Gailey]

I should think that an 11ct colour changing sapphire ought to be worth a small fortune. $800? The guy will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Thank goodness you stopped by Mermaidhair.

Yes, GIA or an independent appraiser such as Richard Sherwood. Don''t ask anyone who might have a financial interest to appraise the stone.

Please keep us posted.

 

[rocks]

you need someone who specializes in color. it just isn''t the same animal.

 

[mermaidhair]

Thank you all for your kind help!!!!

I''m glad I stopped by as well. I will take it to the GIA office here next week and see what the certification documents say... and keep you posted... much appreciation to you all!

 

[mermaidhair]

Hi, Rocks-

I do find Reinstein and Ross's work beautiful as well

Do you mean that because the stone changes color, it affects the value of the stone? Could it run the spectrum from positively to negatively? In more subdued light the ring can look very pale, like this shot from beneath, though it is exaggerated from that angle without the facets on the face.

All the way to the brighter tone of blue from the previous photos.

How would I go about finding a color specialist??


Chrono,

The ring never appears purple, just shows a range of icy blues. I mean that seems to be the word that sticks, it's 'icy'...? As I experience it.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 1/28/2010 1:34:07 PM
Author: mermaidhair
Hi, Chrono,


So you would recomend GIA certification in this case?

If you are going to sell the ring as a whole, then it would not be possible to get a cert from a major lab, as the stones must be loose. If your intention is to seell the ring to TNSC, then I can''t see why they would be charging you to do an appraisal/make an offer. I agree with others that the offer of $800 is unreasonable for a natural stone such as this. If Richard Wise doesn''t show up here with a comment, you might consider contacting him privately about how to accurately value this and get his opinion on venues for selling it.

 

[mastercutgems]

What a sapphire.....

Yes by all means get a GIA certificate; that way you know exactly what it is and you can shop around to see what a gem like that is going for these days...

I think it is an awesome gem; love the colors and the clarity...

You may want to keep it after you find out the value

Most respectfully;

 

[winternight]

I don''t have anything to add on the value, but have you thought about resetting it for yourself?

 

[lelser]

Honestly, I think you''d get a better offer at Circa the restaurant on 33rd St

I find it telling that in the FAQ Circa says

Q Will you tell me what my jewelry is worth?
A We can examine the items and make an offer to purchase.

An more honest site would say "no we don''t. If you need an evaluation an appraiser can do that. We can only tell you what we would pay."

Get a real appraisal. That looks like a yummy stone and lovely setting.

Cheers,

Lisa

 

[haagen_dazs]

11 ct is nice and big! should be worth some amount of money here..

 

[haagen_dazs]

is this stone considered a cushion kind of cut?

 

[oddoneout]

It''s a beautiful sapphire and I''m sure many a person here would gladly take it off your hands (including me but I''d have to win the lottery first).

 

[mermaidhair]

Lisa,
Your comment made me laugh. Thank you. I have to say I didn''t enjoy my experience with Circa very much, and am glad to have everyones advice.

Winter-
It just doesn''t feel right on my finger anymore, so I think it will have to go! It does pull at my heartstrings to let go of something I so appreciate aesthetically.

I am taking it to the GIA office tomorrow, they said the turnaround time is about 9 days... so I expect to have more information by then...

Sorry I am such a novice at this, I have no idea what kind of cut it is.

 

[rocks]

still swooning.....

gia is a good option. they are "consumer friendly". for them to certify your stone you will have to remove it from the mounting. also, understand that they will tell you what they think you have.....and they will not appraise or value the stone.

 

[mermaidhair]

Hi Rock,

So I dropped the ring off at GIA today, for the identification-

Unfortunately they can''t give the weight with it being mounted, but said it would be ok for the rest- identification & heat treatment Y/N- but now I am seeing that they also offer analytics... which includes the following information

"RI, SG, visual spectroscopy, fluorescence, inclusions, color distribution, plus UV/visible/NIR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy and chemistry as appropriate"

Should I have opted for this instead?

 

[T L]

That is a serious piece and they were trying to rob you with an offer of $800. Most of the time people come on here looking for values of pieces they think are exceptional, and they end up being worth very little. This is one of those rare instances where someone has something very special indeed.

 

[Burberrygirl]

Date: 1/30/2010 12:07:42 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
That is a serious piece and they were trying to rob you with an offer of $800. Most of the time people come on here looking for values of pieces they think are exceptional, and they end up being worth very little. This is one of those rare instances where someone has something very special indeed.

Ita! It''s absolutely stunning! I''m glad you didn''t accept their offer

 

[rocks]

hi mermaidhair,
that would be a full cert. i think the critical point for you is whether it is natural or heat treated. they can test for that in the mounting. selling it will not be easy. it is hard to say definitively, but that color may be considered a "fancy" color sapphire, not a blue sapphire. light blue/purple will sell at a discount to blue. it is very much a "reinstein ross" stone.....have you offered it to them?

still swooning....

l

 

[Lovebaubles]

I''ve always loved Reinstein and Ross'' work. They have some of the most amazing pieces I have ever seen. That is one gorgeous rock you have there.

I purchased a light pink sapphire from The Natural Sapphire Company awhile back and had it set by a designer who used to work for R&R. They have some gorgeous Sapphires.

$800.00 is definitely a joke, they were trying to rob you, so it''s good you didn''t accept the offer.

It''s a good idea you took it to GIA, and can just take it from there.

 

[rocks]

lovebaubles,
who set your sapphire? which style did you get? i have a 3ct cushion (natural light pink) that i want to set, and am on the fense about how it will look...

 

[Lovebaubles]

Hi,

Annie Fensterstock set it for me. I wish I could show you a picture, but I need the software to set up my new digital camera. I would take one with my cell phone, but you would never be able to see the detail. My sapphire is around 3 carats and light pink also, it''s an oval cut.

I thought this creation up in my mind awhile back and really wanted to bring it to life, and Annie did a wonderful job. The sapphire is bezel set in 22k yellow gold. The band is hammered pretty thick and I have some other stones "scattered "around on either side. They are flush set. The scattered stones are 2 small rose cut diamonds, a pastel yellow and blue sapphire and a green diamond.

I can post a picture of what the band looks like from her website.