What do you think of this sapphire?

[winternight]

I''m looking for advice and opinions. I know I want a rich, saturated color. And I''d like something well cut. As for heating vs. not I don''t think I care too much about that.

http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluerno315-sm.html

Since this is for a first project I don''t want to spend too much. The other options I''m thinking over are contacting Jeff White and/or Richard Wise (but his stones look like they are out of my price range).

I''d like something over 6mm. And here is the ring I''m thinking of having made with a sapphire center. I have a 1 ct engagement ring and this would be an everyday right hand ring.

http://www.tiffany.com/shared/media/products/14669191_M.jpg

 

[Upgradable]

I think it looks beautiful! I love the color. Exactly what I like, a deep velvety royal blue. And I love the cut too. I''m a sucker for a good native cut. There doesn''t seem to be any window. I''m not an expert at all, but I really like it.

 

[VapidLapid]

I think it''s expensive for a cooked stone

 

[stepcutgirl]

I paid close to that for a 2.00ct 7.3mm stone from Jeff White. With that one being a carat more I bet most of the weight is in the belly. Pretty color though.

 

[winternight]

Date: 4/7/2010 8:32:52 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
I paid close to that for a 2.00ct 7.3mm stone from Jeff White. With that one being a carat more I bet most of the weight is in the belly. Pretty color though.

Thanks, that is very helpful. Can I ask about the color of yours? From the pics it looks similar to my eye --- love the color on yours, it looks very saturated.

 

[chrono]

I agree that it seems to face up quite small for a 3 ct sapphire. You are paying the price of the weight, not the face up dimension; hence it appears rather expensive for a heated blue sapphire.

 

[vsol]

I just spent about two months looking for a good Sapphire so I thought I might share some of my findings to help you out. The first is if you want a commercial cut, heated sapphire, gemselect is like the mcdonald''s of gemstones. You''ll get windows, rounded pavilions, suspect quality, but gosh darn it they''re cheap (note I have never actually purchased from this website so I cannot vouch for them with personal experience). Also The Natural Sapphire Company has some good deals from time to time but note they''ve been coming under scrutiny lately for various practices -- not necessarily a deal breaker but you might want to do some research on them here on the forums before you buy from them (also I have not [purchased from them personally, but they have more of a solid reputation than gemselect).

But really my advice is to start emailing custom cutters. You''ll get some surprisingly good deals. If you go here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vendor-pictures-and-owner-pictures-of-ps-stones.109420/ you can pretty much just scroll through all the posts and write down every name they mention (there are about 5 or 6 that pop up a lot).

You might not have much luck right now stumbling on a good Sapphire just by browsing the internet since, from what I can tell, there''s a little bit of a shortage on sapphires right now -- the conspiracy theorist part of me thinks sapphire mines are about to turn sapphires into the next diamond by creating a shortage and then inflating the prices... I sure hope I''m wrong though. If you''re willing to go a little smaller, however, Montana just started pumping out a lot of rough. These won''t be the esteemed Yogo untreated sapphires that Montana used to be known for, but there are some very nice heated stones coming out of there. Finding one much more than 5mm might be tricky though.

Good Luck!

 

[Jim Rentfrow]

Date: 4/8/2010 9:39:05 AM
Author: vsol
I just spent about two months looking for a good Sapphire so I thought I might share some of my findings to help you out. The first is if you want a commercial cut, heated sapphire, gemselect is like the mcdonald''s of gemstones. You''ll get windows, rounded pavilions, suspect quality, but gosh darn it they''re cheap (note I have never actually purchased from this website so I cannot vouch for them with personal experience). Also The Natural Sapphire Company has some good deals from time to time but note they''ve been coming under scrutiny lately for various practices -- not necessarily a deal breaker but you might want to do some research on them here on the forums before you buy from them (also I have not [purchased from them personally, but they have more of a solid reputation than gemselect).

But really my advice is to start emailing custom cutters. You''ll get some surprisingly good deals. If you go here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vendor-pictures-and-owner-pictures-of-ps-stones.109420/ you can pretty much just scroll through all the posts and write down every name they mention (there are about 5 or 6 that pop up a lot).

You might not have much luck right now stumbling on a good Sapphire just by browsing the internet since, from what I can tell, there''s a little bit of a shortage on sapphires right now -- the conspiracy theorist part of me thinks sapphire mines are about to turn sapphires into the next diamond by creating a shortage and then inflating the prices... I sure hope I''m wrong though. If you''re willing to go a little smaller, however, Montana just started pumping out a lot of rough. These won''t be the esteemed Yogo untreated sapphires that Montana used to be known for, but there are some very nice heated stones coming out of there. Finding one much more than 5mm might be tricky though.

Good Luck!

There is a lot of rough coming out of Montana right now that is larger and will finish stones over 2-3 carats. In the past I know there was not much selection but it seems like the last two years have produced some larger, cleaner and better saturated stones. The yogo miine is also open and under new management producing some nice size yogo''s.

 

[vsol]

Date: 4/8/2010 9:48:26 AM
Author: Jim Rentfrow

There is a lot of rough coming out of Montana right now that is larger and will finish stones over 2-3 carats. In the past I know there was not much selection but it seems like the last two years have produced some larger, cleaner and better saturated stones. The yogo miine is also open and under new management producing some nice size yogo''s.

That''s good to hear! Maybe there''s no need for conspiracies

 

[T L]

Date: 4/8/2010 9:39:05 AM
Author: vsol
I just spent about two months looking for a good Sapphire so I thought I might share some of my findings to help you out. The first is if you want a commercial cut, heated sapphire, gemselect is like the mcdonald''s of gemstones. You''ll get windows, rounded pavilions, suspect quality, but gosh darn it they''re cheap (note I have never actually purchased from this website so I cannot vouch for them with personal experience). Also The Natural Sapphire Company has some good deals from time to time but note they''ve been coming under scrutiny lately for various practices -- not necessarily a deal breaker but you might want to do some research on them here on the forums before you buy from them (also I have not [purchased from them personally, but they have more of a solid reputation than gemselect).

But really my advice is to start emailing custom cutters. You''ll get some surprisingly good deals. If you go here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vendor-pictures-and-owner-pictures-of-ps-stones.109420/ you can pretty much just scroll through all the posts and write down every name they mention (there are about 5 or 6 that pop up a lot).

You might not have much luck right now stumbling on a good Sapphire just by browsing the internet since, from what I can tell, there''s a little bit of a shortage on sapphires right now -- the conspiracy theorist part of me thinks sapphire mines are about to turn sapphires into the next diamond by creating a shortage and then inflating the prices... I sure hope I''m wrong though. If you''re willing to go a little smaller, however, Montana just started pumping out a lot of rough. These won''t be the esteemed Yogo untreated sapphires that Montana used to be known for, but there are some very nice heated stones coming out of there. Finding one much more than 5mm might be tricky though.

Good Luck!

Does gemselect provide lab memos with their sapphires? If very cheap, suspect be-treatment. I know I keep harping on that, but if you don''t get a reputable lab report with a sapphire, you risk getting a stone with enhancements that are not disclosed. I recently purchased a 2.59 carat pear cut sapphire, in a lovely shade of medium light blue, and I believe I got an excellent price on the stone. I bought it from a dealer on ebay who also sent it to the AIGS and obtained a memo for the stone. This memo cost $25, but it''s a small price to pay for peace of mind. My stone has only been treated with traditional heat treatment, and this is a more accepted practice on sapphires, and does not lower their value like be-treatment. Sapphires are one of the most synthesized, simulated and drastically enhanced gems on the market.

I do agree that buying a poorly cut sapphire and having it recut may be more economical as well. I am considering some badly cut stones with nice color since I found a lapidary who is willing to recut them. However, if you do that, you do run the risk of losing some saturation of color as well.

 

[vsol]

Date: 4/8/2010 10:57:21 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Does gemselect provide lab memos with their sapphires? If very cheap, suspect be-treatment. I know I keep harping on that, but if you don''t get a reputable lab report with a sapphire, you risk getting a stone with enhancements that are not disclosed. I recently purchased a 2.59 carat pear cut sapphire, in a lovely shade of medium light blue, and I believe I got an excellent price on the stone. I bought it from a dealer on ebay who also sent it to the AIGS and obtained a memo for the stone. This memo cost $25, but it''s a small price to pay for peace of mind. My stone has only been treated with traditional heat treatment, and this is a more accepted practice on sapphires, and does not lower their value like be-treatment. Sapphires are one of the most synthesized, simulated and drastically enhanced gems on the market.

Gemselect says they will provide certification but they do not disclose the price until you request it upon checkout; but, it is AIGS. I was just browsing around a bit on the site and found some gems without windows so if you spend some time on there you might happen upon a good deal. But definitely getting a pro to cut it for you is the way to go imo.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/8/2010 11:11:15 AM
Author: vsol


Gemselect says they will provide certification but they do not disclose the price until you request it upon checkout; but, it is AIGS. I was just browsing around a bit on the site and found some gems without windows so if you spend some time on there you might happen upon a good deal. But definitely getting a pro to cut it for you is the way to go imo.

Thank you Vsol, that''s good to know.

 

[winternight]

Thanks for the input regarding price and size.

 

[T L]

One more buying tip on sapphires, they tend to have large areas of zoning (areas of uneven color and no color), and it''s important to view them from other angles than just the table, to ensure you have even color throughout. Some sapphires may face up really blue, but have bad zoning if you view them from the pavillion. This can be distracting when you tilt the stone back and forth in a ring for example.

I am not a sapphire expert, but I just wanted to impart that tip.

 

[stepcutgirl]

I'm at work so I have to be quick but mine is a medium royal blue. I feel medium to dark is a better description of the color and if you go through my pasts posts there is one called introducing my jw and one called what would you do (see later pages of that one) that you can see my photos of it.

Date: 4/7/2010 10:16:42 PM
Author: winternight

Date: 4/7/2010 8:32:52 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
I paid close to that for a 2.00ct 7.3mm stone from Jeff White. With that one being a carat more I bet most of the weight is in the belly. Pretty color though.

Thanks, that is very helpful. Can I ask about the color of yours? From the pics it looks similar to my eye --- love the color on yours, it looks very saturated.