Professional Advice Needed! Sapphire Ering with chip!

[Ladybugz]

Hey Everyone,
I posted a little about this in my previous post but I'm still stuck on what to do. Long story short- Fiance bought gorgeous sapphire ering online, I had a glimpse when it arrived but it was then put away (a few months) for the right time After a few days of me wearing it (I only wore it when I went out and was very careful not to hit it on anything, I'm a worrier!) I noticed a glint that looked out of place. On further inspection I noticed that it was a small chip. I'm not sure what to do, sadly the ring was not insured as I'd only had it a few days before noticing the chip.
I LOVE my ring, the stone is such a beautiful colour so I don't really want to change it but I'm worried that the chip will lower the durability of the ring. The chip is just above the bezel setting.
Any advice is welcome, I considered getting it polished/recut however the stone would need to be removed from the bezel which migjt damage the stone further or the setting.
Here's some photos!
Any help is welcome!

 

[Ladybugz]

Update- Still unsure of what to do. Aesthetically, it really doesn't bother me, as it's barely noticable, but structurally, will it greatly increase the risk of further damage?

 

[chrono]

Ladybugz,
Forgive the question but are you sure it is a sapphire? If you are 100% sure, I'll simply answer your questions as best I can. Being that the stone is bezeled, it will not be an easy task to remove the stone to polish out the chip. At this point, I would wear it as is since it isn't noticeable. It will not affect the durability of the setting or the stone to leave it as is.

 

[LD]

I too would leave well alone. It won't affect the durability. However, I had the same thought as Chrono - are you sure this is a sapphire?

 

[Edward Bristol]

Whatever it is, it won't break from a little chip.

 

[katharath]

I just wanted to add from an aesthetic point of view - I recently had a similar issue with a gem bezel set in a ring getting chipped. I decided to do nothing and leave it set and just live with it, as I really like the gem and ring. I was worried about damaging one or the other with trying to fix it. Like yours, the chip is small. It's unfortunate but I like it enough that I prefer to leave it as is, if that makes sense. So maybe you'll feel the same way, upon hearing that it should still be ok for wear.

 

[Ladybugz]

Hey Everyone!
Thanks for the replies! Just out of interest, is there anything that makes you question it being a sapphire? It was appraised by the jeweller who sourced the stone and made it, the jeweller had great testimonials, but I guess there's a possibility that it's not a sapphire.
I actually believe that the chip happened due to removal from a bezel setting. The jeweller mistakenly created the ring in white gold, rather than rose originally. The ring had been set and finished when they realised the mistake. I have a feeling that the stone may have been damaged when the stone was removed from the white gold setting.

 

[Ladybugz]

Could anyone tell me why they might have doubts its a sapphire? I don't know much about gemstones so would be grateful for any information. Might get it valued at a local jewellers to be sure!

 

[RSargent]

I am guessing they are questioning because generally sapphires with a mohs hardness of 9 are usually hard to chip.

 

[LoversKites]

Sapphires are hard and are therefore not prone to chipping. It could've chipped while being set or perhaps it went through some treatment which made it more fragile. Either way it's a beautiful ring and if the chip doesn't bother you, I would just leave it.

 

[LD]

Bezel setting a gemstone can cause a chip to occur (especially if a stone is mounted, dismounted and then mounted again which I think has happened here). I had a jeweller chip a diamond and that was with a prong setting!

The overall look of the stone is the reason why Chrono and I questioned whether it was a sapphire. It could be a parti sapphire or a Montana Sapphire but it'd be interesting to see clearer photos.

Whatever it is, it's pretty and a lovely gift. The chip won't harm the stone at all unless further damage happened when it was chipped but honestly it doesn't look like that. If I were you I'd relax and enjoy wearing it. x

 

[PrecisionGem]

I would think that it is not a chip, but rather a "natural". Often when cutting a stone you are faced with this dilemma. There is one spot that to fully cut out will greatly reduce the diameter of the stone. So you have the option of leaving it, or cutting the whole stone down smaller. For less expensive material such as quartz, it's a no brainer, just cut the stone down, but for ruby, sapphire, tsavorite etc. often it makes more sense to leave the small "natural" in the stone and go for the larger size. In normal viewing this are almost never seen.

 

[minousbijoux]

I have a small chip in my favorite sapphire from smacking it on the edge of the dryer when I was taking clothes out. At the right angle, its easier to chip than you might think. I would agree that the color looks unusual for a sapphire and more zircon/tourmaline-ish. It is a lovely ring.

 

[Starzin]

Could anyone tell me why they might have doubts its a sapphire? I don't know much about gemstones so would be grateful for any information. Might get it valued at a local jewellers to be sure!

It's the colour of the first photo that's rarely found in a sapphire, however the second photo shows more of the grassy, yellow-green normally associated with them. Which colour do you see most?

Unfortunately a jeweller's valuation doesn't help much, to be very sure you would need to send it off to (preferably) AGL for a lab report. Yes, they can test mounted stones without damaging them and I believe a gem brief is about $50.