Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my list

[goldbandgirl]

So as some of you know, I'm trying to find an oval blue/green sapphire above two carats.

Here are some I'm looking at. I'd appreciate any insights into these gems - maybe I'm missing something (good or bad). I'm an amateur when it comes to gemstones, so even though I feel like I've done a lot of research over the past few months, there's a lot I don't understand. (Also, I read the sticky for newcomers). I'm hoping your trained eyes can help me choose the perfect stone.
I am also open to any suggestions.
Of course, my other option is to have a rough stone custom cut. I'm considering it, but it would certainly be easier to find one that's already cut and polished.
Also, I haven't contacted Andrew or Ed yet. I will once I've narrowed down my search.


Here are two from Wild Fish Gems:

1. http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/11078/16212

2. http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/18182 -bluer than I usually like, but it's a nice, icy blue that's still unique.


From GemFix:
Most of these are heated.

3.


4.


5.


6.


7.

 

[T L]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The Wildfish gems are way too expensive IMO, even though they are unheated. I think the gemfix prices are more in line with reality, but if you like the Wildfish gems, maybe he can negotiate them down. I personally think he's one of the most overpriced vendors ever. I really dislike the first one because I don't care for the cutting, color, tone, price per carat, or anything about it

I don't care much for Montana sapphires, so I won't vote, but I would just avoid anything overly dark. Check with each vendor on tone, and I wouldn't go darker than medium (don't do medium dark, or dark).

ETA:
Okay, if I had to choose, it would be #5, because I personally don't like greenish sapphires, and it's unheated, a fair price per carat, and light in tone.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

http://www.johnjbradshaw.com/index.php?page=product_details&product_id=3056

Custom cut, 2,66 ct unheated and only $ 665 !!

And NO Disco light picture!!!

A very good established vendor!!

A custom cut Montana - heated below 1K 2,13 ct

http://www.rarestone.com/index.php?page=product_details&product_id=1414

A high price is not automatical a high quality!!

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The Wildfish gems are way too expensive IMO, even though they are unheated. I think the gemfix prices are more in line with reality, but if you like the Wildfish gems, maybe he can negotiate them down. I personally think he's one of the most overpriced vendors ever. I really dislike the first one because I don't care for the cutting, color, tone, price per carat, or anything about it

I don't care much for Montana sapphires, so I won't vote, but I would just avoid anything overly dark. Check with each vendor on tone, and I wouldn't go darker than medium (don't do medium dark, or dark).

ETA:
Okay, if I had to choose, it would be #5, because I personally don't like greenish sapphires, and it's unheated, a fair price per carat, and light in tone.

I love the greenish sapphires, but I understand that a lot of people here prefer pure blue.

I'm also trying to avoid dark sapphires. My mom had a dark blue sapphire and it wasn't very striking IMO.

It's hard to figure out what kind of prices I should expect for a green/blue sapphire. Wildfish and Natural Sapphire Company charge well over $5000 for larger sapphires....and then I visit GemFix and other vendors and the sapphires are under $3k, sometimes only within the hundreds. I just don't know what to think.

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

http://www.johnjbradshaw.com/index.php?page=product_details&product_id=3056

Custom cut, 2,66 ct unheated and only $ 665 !!

And NO Disco light picture!!!

A very good established vendor!!

A custom cut Montana - heated below 1K 2,13 ct

http://www.rarestone.com/index.php?page=product_details&product_id=1414

A high price is not automatical a high quality!!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into both vendors. I like the second stone. I am looking for an oval, so the first one wouldn't work.

 

[deskjockey]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

. Wildfish and Natural Sapphire Company charge well over $5000 for larger sapphires....and then I visit GemFix and other vendors and the sapphires are under $3k, sometimes only within the hundreds. I just don't know what to think.

Can't speak to wildfish but from the last few years of casual browsing, I will say NSC seems to consistently price much higher than other sources for the same quality. I found a comparable stone to mine (a dark teal montana round), same size, worse cutting, looked a bit greyer in the video, and it was priced at almost $800 more than I got mine for. Sometimes when I browse, I will look there and compare, just for fun, and this seems to be a consistent trend.

I'm not a gem expert like some here, but it's like a lot of luxury things - you pay what you're willing to pay, and things are worth what you're willing to pay. That's why it's important to search as many sources as you can to find the balance of quality, cut, color, and price that feels OK to you, and to get a general sense of what the trends are in pricing. I think you have a really healthy budget for the type/color you're looking for, so you can afford to take your time and be REALLY picky.

 

[Marlow]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

I like the second one too!

I have a cushion chrysoberyl cut by them and seen many benitoites in Munich show. Four large facets in the middle of the pavillion - work like a mirror.

I have a similar sized chrysoberyl - same weight, length and wide - but the native oval has a window - the custom cut is maybe 0,02 mm deeper but no window.

Maybe you try it - you would save a lot of money and get a very good quality.

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

. Wildfish and Natural Sapphire Company charge well over $5000 for larger sapphires....and then I visit GemFix and other vendors and the sapphires are under $3k, sometimes only within the hundreds. I just don't know what to think.

Can't speak to wildfish but from the last few years of casual browsing, I will say NSC seems to consistently price much higher than other sources for the same quality. I found a comparable stone to mine (a dark teal montana round), same size, worse cutting, looked a bit greyer in the video, and it was priced at almost $800 more than I got mine for. Sometimes when I browse, I will look there and compare, just for fun, and this seems to be a consistent trend.

I'm not a gem expert like some here, but it's like a lot of luxury things - you pay what you're willing to pay, and things are worth what you're willing to pay. That's why it's important to search as many sources as you can to find the balance of quality, cut, color, and price that feels OK to you, and to get a general sense of what the trends are in pricing. I think you have a really healthy budget for the type/color you're looking for, so you can afford to take your time and be REALLY picky.

Yeah...I've stopped looking at NSC, but that's one of the places where I got the idea that sapphires are really expensive.

I'm definitely taking my time. I'm in no rush. There are just SO many vendors and it's hard to find things. And a number of them don't have the easiest to use websites. Which is probably part of the reason i'm drawn to wildfish. He goes into detail about the stones and offers numerous large pictures of them in different lighting. with other places, you're searching through a site that looks straight out of 2003 and all you get is 1 tiny picture of the sapphire.

 

[digdeep]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The descriptions used on Wildfish is creative writing at it's finest.....I'm not interested in adjective laden sentences, nor multiple Hollywood photo's of the stone. I want to know what it looks like against skin, in indirect light, and what the visual impression of the gem is. Many vendors post one picture because they are also the lapidary and may have a day job unrelated to gemstones. Wildfish is not the lapidary,he doesn't cut the stones, he's the sales transaction guy. Personally, the little guys are more my style..... Yes, you'll need to send an email, but ask questions.......it should be a part of this transaction no matter who you choose to do business with.
As mentioned before........higher prices doesn't mean you are getting higher quality. All gems have to be evaluated on an individual basis for their strengths/weaknesses. It's a long process, but you will get plenty of insight into what you are seeing online.......besides the price! Continue to ask for feedback from people here so you know what you are getting from someone other than the seller.............second sets of eye's on photo's? PRICELESS! (no matter who the vendor is........)

 

[digdeep]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

If Gemfix #3 is not too dark......that would be promising to me. I second looking at rarestone's oval as well to compare and contrast. I've bought from them and they were great.........

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

If Gemfix #3 is not too dark......that would be promising to me. I second looking at rarestone's oval as well to compare and contrast. I've bought from them and they were great.........

i was actually not sure if i wanted to post #3 because i thought it looked very dark blue. i would love to hear why it's currently winning on the poll. perhaps because it's the most blue?

i really like #7, perhaps because it's the largest. does anyone have thoughts on that one?

 

[T L]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

It's hard to figure out what kind of prices I should expect for a green/blue sapphire. Wildfish and Natural Sapphire Company charge well over $5000 for larger sapphires....and then I visit GemFix and other vendors and the sapphires are under $3k, sometimes only within the hundreds. I just don't know what to think.

Vendors can charge whatever they want for a colored gem. For example, there is no law against charging $10,000 for a cubic zirconia. It's up to the consumer to get educated about colored gems to decide what is a fair price. This forum is a great educational tool in that regard.

Also, just because someone posts a lot of pictures, that doesn't mean the gem will live up to your expectations or those photos will be accurate. You can always ask a vendor for additional pictures as well. The worst he/she can say is "no." I would ask the right questions instead of worrying about pictures. For example, it is important to ask questions about tone, saturation, hue, color shift in various light sources. I would also not worry about elaborate and metaphorical descriptions. Vendors can also say what they want about a gem, and they don't have to be truthful. There was someone who posted a sapphire the other day from NSC's website and the vendor called it vivid, but it was not vivid at all, in fact, it had very poor saturation.

Buying colored gems, especially corundum, is like trying to traverse a mine field. It is really important to get educated before you buy, due to all the treatments, and the need to obtain the proper color, cut, carat weight and overall aesthetics of the piece.

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The Wildfish gems are way too expensive IMO, even though they are unheated. I think the gemfix prices are more in line with reality, but if you like the Wildfish gems, maybe he can negotiate them down. I personally think he's one of the most overpriced vendors ever. I really dislike the first one because I don't care for the cutting, color, tone, price per carat, or anything about it

I don't care much for Montana sapphires, so I won't vote, but I would just avoid anything overly dark. Check with each vendor on tone, and I wouldn't go darker than medium (don't do medium dark, or dark).

ETA:
Okay, if I had to choose, it would be #5, because I personally don't like greenish sapphires, and it's unheated, a fair price per carat, and light in tone.

Why not medium dark? Do Montanas tend to black out?

I agree that Wildfish Gems tends to be overpriced. NSC is definitely overpriced, but they have a lot of unheated sapphires.

I did not vote because I think you can get nicer color than this, and they are so different in color. You must have a personal preference. You should wait for the color you love, that makes you stop. In my years of collecting, a good stone should do that. You will know it when you see it, and a poll will not sway you.

I personally like 3, but only if it does not go dark. Can you get to San Diego to see Andrew's stones in person?

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Also, just because someone posts a lot of pictures, that doesn't mean the gem will live up to your expectations or those photos will be accurate. You can always ask a vendor for additional pictures as well. The worst he/she can say is "no." I would ask the right questions instead of worrying about pictures. For example, it is important to ask questions about tone, saturation, hue, color shift in various light sources. I would also not worry about elaborate and metaphorical descriptions. Vendors can also say what they want about a gem, and they don't have to be truthful. There was someone who posted a sapphire the other day from NSC's website and the vendor called it vivid, but it was not vivid at all, in fact, it had very poor saturation.

Buying colored gems, especially corundum, is like trying to traverse a mine field. It is really important to get educated before you buy, due to all the treatments, and the need to obtain the proper color, cut, carat weight and overall aesthetics of the piece.

sound advice.
i have time to look around.

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Can you get to San Diego to see Andrew's stones in person?

I live across the country, so it won't be easy.

On GemFix's FAQ, they say it doesn't matter how many pictures you have of a stone...so I'm guessing asking for more pics of one stone won't get me very far. The thing is, I just want to see larger high resolution pictures because the ones on the site are so tiny. And also maybe videos if they exist. I can ask about all the different qualities, but it's hard to understand what someone's talking about without a visual. .

 

[T L]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Why not medium dark? Do Montanas tend to black out?

Because Montanas tend to be very greyish, and grey + dark means that it will end up looking like a piece of charcoal in most lighting. I don't mind a little grey in gems, but one thing I cannot tolerate, and I have never heard anyone on here like such a thing, is grey and dark. You would be better off buying a black diamond or black spinel if you wanted such a look. At least you would have some decent luster on an opaque stone. I have a greyish blue (like a denim blue) Tanzanian sapphire, but it's medium light, and well cut, and at least it's very pleasant looking and sparkles to the moon.

 

[chrono]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

1. http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/11078/16212
Probably will be dark in person. Note that it is described as a 80, which I think would be darker when not in an equatorial location.

2. http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/18182
Good size but that is the only positive. It is very pale and the saturation is low.

3. Looks like a contender. Very well cut with the supernova practically guaranteeing that you will not see a bowtie and have no 1/2 shadowing. A bit dark but I would follow up on this sapphire.

4. Very gray and I'm not sure whether the unevenness of colouration is apparent in person.

5. Maybe it's just me but it looks too silky for my preference.

6. Dark and gray - not something I would pick.

7. Are you sure you like this colour? It is showing yellow green.

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

thanks for the feedback.

i'm thought #3 would be too dark. am i wrong?

i like #5 a lot because it's lighter...although it has a cloud on one side that i guess contributes to it's silky appearance. it's hard to tell in the photos.

 

[T L]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

thanks for the feedback.

i'm thought #3 would be too dark. am i wrong?

i like #5 a lot because it's lighter...although it has a cloud on one side that i guess contributes to it's silky appearance. it's hard to tell in the photos.

He states that #3 is pantone 541c, which is this, and to me, that's a medium dark to dark tone.

http://scalemodeldb.com/paintimage/6552.png

Andrew's stones tend to also look brighter in his photos than IRL, according to people who have purchased from him. Therefore I would err on the side of caution, and try to go with the brightest stones in his photos. You can also ask him if the tone is medium dark or dark, and see what he says about that.

 

[chrono]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

I agree that Sapphire #3 may be darker in person.

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

wow that pantone color is quite dark. and very blue. i guess i'll have to ask him. it may be that none of these stones are right

 

[digdeep]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Another reminder....be sure and move your screen when viewing photo's. At vertical you will see a different color than when it is tilted. That last pantone color (on my screen) went from darkish to medium when the screen became vertical..........

 

[austinj]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Goldbandgirl, I agree with you about wildfish. I find his site very easy to use and he seems very honest about when the picture looks different from what it actually looks like in real life. My topaz I bought off him was exactly like the picture so I had a great experience. I have bought a stone of gemfix that I should be receiving in a month so I'll see what it looks like in comparison to the photos! I love green blue stones too. It's nice as they are usually way lower priced than the blues.if you are interested in a few from gemfix I think that (correct me if I'm wrong) he can send a few at a time so you can see them in person? I think? maybe I am thinking of a different vendor but it may be an option! I think when it comes to Montana sapphires the lighter colors are nicer in my opinion. More sparkle!

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

hm...this is pretty. not the color i've had my heart set on, but i still like it quite a bit. i do like violetish sapphires since my favorite color is purple, but i already have so much purple and purple is a little too girly for what i want in my e-ring. still this is definitely a possibility.

what i'm not sure of is if this stone is too dark. Am I looking at extinction here?

http://jefferydavies.com/inventory/product/312-1604-sapphire-3-52ct

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

i also kinda like this one. i'm NAF of dark blue sapphires because they're just so typical looking to me. if i go blue, I like the icy blues.

 

[MollyMalone]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The bow tie in that sapphire offered by Jeff Davies would bug me, but you may feel differently.

Gemfix has had more, and nicer, blue-green/green-blue Mintana sapphires in the size and shape you want than what's presently showing on his web site. So since time is not of the essence, think you'd be better off waiting & continuing to explore other options as you've been doing. Colored stones can really test one's tolerance for delayed gratfication

 

[T L]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

i also kinda like this one. i'm NAF of dark blue sapphires because they're just so typical looking to me. if i go blue, I like the icy blues.

Now that's more my speed as well. Nice stone!

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

The bow tie in that sapphire offered by Jeff Davies would bug me, but you may feel differently.

Gemfix has had more, and nicer, blue-green/green-blue Mintana sapphires in the size and shape you want than what's presently showing on his web site. So since time is not of the essence, think you'd be better off waiting & continuing to explore other options as you've been doing. Colored stones can really test one's tolerance for delayed gratfication

Okay, good to know. I can't remember what his inventory was like a few months back when i was looking. So I guess I'll have to be patient *sigh*
Do you think it will help to ask him what he has in store?

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Jeff Davies: I like that much more than the other stones. It has some minor cut issues...I see a small bow tie. It's up to you if you need a better cut. I wonder what it looks like with less light

Gemfix: better cut

 

[goldbandgirl]

Re: Found more sapphires. Help me condense and/or expand my

Jeff Davies: I like that much more than the other stones. It has some minor cut issues...I see a small bow tie. It's up to you if you need a better cut. I wonder what it looks like with less light

Gemfix: better cut

Do you know if settings help hide bow ties? I want to get a halo setting.