BaileyC
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2015
- Messages
- 91
Hi there everyone! 
I’ve been lurking and finally have mustered the courage to post. The knowledge and help you all impart to members is extraordinary, and so I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring and see if you all would be willing to offer your opinions on a sapphire I just received.
I don’t know much about colored stones (or any gem) beyond what looks pretty to me, so please forgive a newbie for my ignorance! I’ve been reading here about color, cuts, windowing, tilt windows, zoning, shadows, etc., and it’s been quite informative, though I believe it’s through experience that these concepts become more clear to someone new to it like myself. You all have a wealth of experience and knowledge here - it’s impressive!
I’m looking for a very good quality sapphire for a white gold setting, with many pave diamond accents on the band and around the center stone (prong) - it’s a custom setting. I know that pave diamonds come with risk and require extra care and caution, but it’s just so darn beautiful I’m willing to take the extra care. I need the perfect sapphire to be the showcase and stand out amongst the diamonds, and that’s where I could use your help.
I came across a lot of discussion and pictures of Richard Homer stones, and I must say that I’m drawn to his unique and beautiful concave cut that seems to make stones glow with such brilliance. I couldn’t help myself, and so I contacted Richard, who for anyone else that’s new and reading, is a consummate and patient professional who has educated me quite a bit. Seriously, he’s the nicest guy you could ever want to deal with your first time out (or any time!)- he really knows his craft and I truly believe he’s the absolute best at what he does. This guy is an artist, and it’s very clear he adores what he does - if only we could all love our work that much!
Anyway, I received a 6.4mm round stone of his yesterday and boy oh boy do pictures NOT do these stones justice! They are so much more beautiful in person - they simply glimmer and shine like you wouldn’t believe, and that’s something I’ve rarely seen in sapphires (at least the ones I’ve seen, which are probably mostly commercial grade now that I know a *bit* more). I think I will be going back to Richard for other beauties in the near future, and I'm confident a new obsession has been born.
I truly am in love with it’s soft glow, and it looks particularly good under fluorescent lighting believe it or not. My only *slight* concern is in the bright outdoors, where it takes on more of a pastel blue color. Is it common to have such a wide spectrum of color differences in different lighting? I tend to prefer medium-to-dark sapphires, with a leaning towards the darker rather than the lighter. Having said that, I’ve seen many sapphires that have a great rich color in certain lighting, but go really dead in most others (almost black) - and I wanted to avoid that as best as possible. I want something with character and presence, and this stone certainly has that in spades!
I can say that this stone has no dead spots and is always lively and brilliant, has no grey tones, no windowing or zoning, no extinction…and in nearly every condition the color is absolutely STUNNING. In some lighting it even has a slight violet edge that is truly remarkable and beautiful.
I’d be anxious to hear what you all think, though please do forgive my horrible pictures. I would have never guessed the difficulty in capturing the beauty of these tiny little gems with a camera - hats off to photographers everywhere!
Here's an indoor shot under LED lighting in my hand (yowza!):
Here's an indoor evening shot, with only a little light coming through the window:
Here's a morning indoor shot in indirect lighting from the window (OMG!):
Here's a morning shot, outside but in the shade:
And here's a morning shot, outdoors in the sunlight where it goes pastel:
I'm anxious to hear your thoughts! Thanks everyone!
I’ve been lurking and finally have mustered the courage to post. The knowledge and help you all impart to members is extraordinary, and so I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring and see if you all would be willing to offer your opinions on a sapphire I just received.I don’t know much about colored stones (or any gem) beyond what looks pretty to me, so please forgive a newbie for my ignorance! I’ve been reading here about color, cuts, windowing, tilt windows, zoning, shadows, etc., and it’s been quite informative, though I believe it’s through experience that these concepts become more clear to someone new to it like myself. You all have a wealth of experience and knowledge here - it’s impressive!
I’m looking for a very good quality sapphire for a white gold setting, with many pave diamond accents on the band and around the center stone (prong) - it’s a custom setting. I know that pave diamonds come with risk and require extra care and caution, but it’s just so darn beautiful I’m willing to take the extra care. I need the perfect sapphire to be the showcase and stand out amongst the diamonds, and that’s where I could use your help.
I came across a lot of discussion and pictures of Richard Homer stones, and I must say that I’m drawn to his unique and beautiful concave cut that seems to make stones glow with such brilliance. I couldn’t help myself, and so I contacted Richard, who for anyone else that’s new and reading, is a consummate and patient professional who has educated me quite a bit. Seriously, he’s the nicest guy you could ever want to deal with your first time out (or any time!)- he really knows his craft and I truly believe he’s the absolute best at what he does. This guy is an artist, and it’s very clear he adores what he does - if only we could all love our work that much!
Anyway, I received a 6.4mm round stone of his yesterday and boy oh boy do pictures NOT do these stones justice! They are so much more beautiful in person - they simply glimmer and shine like you wouldn’t believe, and that’s something I’ve rarely seen in sapphires (at least the ones I’ve seen, which are probably mostly commercial grade now that I know a *bit* more). I think I will be going back to Richard for other beauties in the near future, and I'm confident a new obsession has been born.
I truly am in love with it’s soft glow, and it looks particularly good under fluorescent lighting believe it or not. My only *slight* concern is in the bright outdoors, where it takes on more of a pastel blue color. Is it common to have such a wide spectrum of color differences in different lighting? I tend to prefer medium-to-dark sapphires, with a leaning towards the darker rather than the lighter. Having said that, I’ve seen many sapphires that have a great rich color in certain lighting, but go really dead in most others (almost black) - and I wanted to avoid that as best as possible. I want something with character and presence, and this stone certainly has that in spades!
I can say that this stone has no dead spots and is always lively and brilliant, has no grey tones, no windowing or zoning, no extinction…and in nearly every condition the color is absolutely STUNNING. In some lighting it even has a slight violet edge that is truly remarkable and beautiful.
I’d be anxious to hear what you all think, though please do forgive my horrible pictures. I would have never guessed the difficulty in capturing the beauty of these tiny little gems with a camera - hats off to photographers everywhere!
Here's an indoor shot under LED lighting in my hand (yowza!):
Here's an indoor evening shot, with only a little light coming through the window:
Here's a morning indoor shot in indirect lighting from the window (OMG!):
Here's a morning shot, outside but in the shade:
And here's a morning shot, outdoors in the sunlight where it goes pastel:
I'm anxious to hear your thoughts! Thanks everyone!
300x240.png)