Need Help Deciding on a Color Change Sapphire

[SxS1980]

Hi everyone,

I have decided I would really like a color change sapphire for my engagement ring. I have narrowed it down to these four. I believe #4, the violet sapphire is more of a color shift. I am new to sapphires so I really don't know what to look for. I just know I would like something that is a good quality and one that sparkles. Any help and feedback on the cut/color or thoughts would be very much appreciated. TIA!

 

[SxS1980]

Here are the other 2:

For #3 on his site he says its a color change but I don't see it, can anyone else let me know what they think?

Thanks again!

 

[chrono]

All 4 are taken under different light conditions and different methods. To be fair, it is best to compare all of them side by side, more so because they are colour changers. Since this is often times cost prohibitive, a video is best and having some sort of light/hand reference might be helpful. Have you contacted the vendors to ask about the colour change?

 

[Marlow]

There are several very nice violett sapphires on Loupetroop!!!

Check this - much cheaper and really nice ( a beautiful cushion from THEGEMTRADER offered by a PSer)....

 

[EnsEntium]

This was just put up for sale by Yvonne and thought you may be interested.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/235054773/sale-unheated-ceylon-sapphire-142-ct

 

[SxS1980]

Chrono: I did purchase a couple of the sapphires so I could get a better look, I wish I could see them all but yes that would be $$! This is the one from NSC and still waiting on the one others. Gary from Finewatergems also emailed me with the color change, super nice of him.

Marlow: Did you mean to add a link? Would love to see it, or is it on gemtrader?

I can get in better pictures if needed but any thoughts on the cut and color/saturation?

Thanks!!

 

[SxS1980]

Thanks EntEntium! I will check it out now.

 

[SxS1980]

Here is a link for the NSC color change which has a video:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/p-55438-cushion-unique-sapphire-u5405/#AssetData6

This is from Finewaters and its about halfway under the 1.78 ct Blue Sapphire:

http://www.finewatergems.com/sapphire.html

 

[Marlow]

Your link....

1,34 ct UNHEATED - 320$ original from Thegemtrader!!!!

http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/1-dot-34ct-unheated-purple-sapphire;5784


Another one

http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/peter-toracca-2-dot-22-ct-unheated-purple-sapphire;5460

VERY NICE!!

http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/1-dot-38-ct-pinky-purple-color-shift-sapphire;5458

 

[SxS1980]

Marlow: Thanks so much for the links. They are all really nice but I think I really would like a color change.

 

[Marlow]

This was just put up for sale by Yvonne and thought you may be interested.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/235054773/sale-unheated-ceylon-sapphire-142-ct

Wow!!! A color change SKIN too!!!

 

[Marlow]

Marlow: Thanks so much for the links. They are all really nice but I think I really would like a color change.

Blue to violet or violet to violetish pink is a color shift....

A real color change would be green to red - not very attractive in sapphire. Try to find a stone with two attractive colors - esp. daylight!

A beautiful blue and then a shift to violet is a sensation!!! Good luck and post pics!!!

And do not overpay - 1000pct is too much for a 1 - 1,5 ct stone.

 

[SxS1980]

Marlow: Too funny about the skin color change, lol! I'm looking for a color change from blue to purple... I guess that's more of a color shift? Have you seen the picture I posted on this thread. Any thoughts on the quality or at least cut. For a ring around 1.7 to 2 ct what do you think is reasonable? Thank you!

 

[chrono]

I am not crazy about most of the cuts of Yvonne's stones.

 

[minousbijoux]

I'm one of these OCD types when it comes to taking photos of my stones. My camera is not the best, but I can devote hours to getting good representative shots of my stones. I do post process most of my photos (cutting the dimension down, reducing the ppi, and photo shopping for tone and hue in order to get the stone as accurate to what I see in hand). Sometimes, in order to get the stone accurate looking, other things in the pic are way off, like say green hands But most times, if I take photos in differing lighting conditions, my hands will look radically different. For example, this is the same stone (and the same hand, lol). One is taken in late afternoon cold overcast light, and the other in fairly low indoor light (typically a mix of incandescent and fluorescent). You can see how different my hands look (unfortunately, they don't look miraculously young in either pic, hmm). So just a warning not to dismiss photos if the hands vary a bit, though I DO get leery when someone is showing a beautifully saturated blue sapphire say, and the hand is a beautifully saturated blue as well.

 

[SxS1980]

Chrono: I know you mentioned the lighting is so different but any thoughts on the cuts on the ones I posted? I'm leaning towards #4, the purple color shift from Gemfix (still waiting on this one) and #3 from Gary Braun, who I've heard good things about and is so great to deal with. The color looks really good, he also has another one i'll attach too. I'll probably order this week to see them in person.

I'm slowing learning about what to look for in colored gems but still fairly clueless, haha. So, anyone reading this please feel free to comment as well! Thanks!

 

[SxS1980]

Minousbijoux: Thanks for explaining lighting in photos! I'm slowing learning and will be on the lookout for blue hands!

 

[chrono]

I do not observe any cut issues on CCS #3 and 4. Note that the stones are taken under optimal lighting so this is the best the gem will ever look. Sometimes this is easy to replicate and sometimes it is almost impossible to replicate. For GemFix, the handshots are generally closer to the actual stone than the glamour pictures.

 

[PieAreSquared]

I do not observe any cut issues on CCS #3 and 4. Note that the stones are taken under optimal lighting so this is the best the gem will ever look. Sometimes this is easy to replicate and sometimes it is almost impossible to replicate. For GemFix, the handshots are generally closer to the actual stone than the glamour pictures.

Hey Chrono,
Have you seen their stones in person or are you basing that statement on PSer photos?
Just curious, I would like to know.
Thanks.

 

[chrono]

PieAre Squared,
Partially based on experienced after reading GemFix and other vendors customer's review/comments on their photography versus actual stone in hand over the span of the past few years on PS. It is very easy to read the cut quality accurately but less so when it comes to colouration in photographs. For most, the colour is only slightly off. For some, the colour is much poorer in hand. Very few have found the colour to be better in hand.

 

[SxS1980]

Thanks Chrono! I appreciate all your feedback as you seem like you know your stuff!

So, I finally got the gemfix sapphires and here are pictures and specs below. Just looking at the purple oval, it seemed really sparkly and nice but when I englarge the pictures it seems pretty black, right? How can you tell if its just a dark purple vs extinction? Any thoughts on the round? Is VVS-VS still considered eye clean? Both, at least to me, don't seem like they have windowing at least.

Oval Color Shift:
1.77 ct
VVS
Enhancement: None
Its a color shift

Round Color Change:
1.32 ct
VVS-VS
Enhancement: Heat only

 

[SxS1980]

Additional photos. I just took another one of the oval, last picture in this post...is all that on the bottom right inclusions?

 

[PieAreSquared]

Of course just seeing pictures (for us I mean) is not the same as seeing them in person the way you can.
But...
If you want us to give you feedback...
Can you line up the sapphires you have and photo them:
1. under fluorescent light
2. under incandescent light
3. in shaded outdoor daylight
Post the pictures that look most like what you see with your eyes!
It is too hard to compare them scrolling up and down, and under varying lights.
Like Chrono said:

All 4 are taken under different light conditions and different methods. To be fair, it is best to compare all of them side by side, more so because they are colour changers...

 

[SxS1980]

PieAreSquared: Thanks for the reply and advice on taking pictures in the same lighting! Newbie mistake, haha. I definitely would like feedback, please! I don't have too much knowledge about sapphires (just that I would really like one) and seems like most places we go really just know about diamonds. It would be for an engagement ring so I would like to make sure I get the best quality for the price. I'm not much of a photographer as you probably can tell, let me know if better pictures are needed. Thanks again!

As requested here they the side by side photos. Purple color shift is the oval and the color change is the round.

The 3rd one (cushion cut) is the NSC color change, its rather dark and I was about to return it but thought I might as well get some input.
Here are the specs on the NSC:

Color change
2.09 ct
VVS2
No Enhancement

 

[SxS1980]

Here are some more...

 

[SxS1980]

and some more..

 

[PieAreSquared]

Better, but to see a color shift, you really have to do incandescent and fluorescent too. Or... maybe you are working on those right now?

 

[SxS1980]

Here are some more under artificial lighting and with the purple color changes.

 

[SxS1980]

PieAreSquared: haha yup, i'm working on getting some more in different lighting! So is indoor lighting considered incandescent or fluorescent? If not what would be the best way to do this? It is really hard to capture the color change that I see with my eyes into pictures. Thanks!

 

[SxS1980]

Indoor lighting different angles. Looking at them in person they seem to sparkle more than the photos. Is this normal or does this mean there is too much extinction, bad saturation or just bad photo skill?