Seeking opinions - 3 ct blue sapphire

[cookies]

TL, thank you for the pictures. I now understand what a hidden basket is. It's a really neat setting technique. I am going to poke around to see if there's one I like more than the Kretchmer I've tried on.

I slightly prefer cushion over oval, but the 4898 is really lovely. I also cannot decide between the two cushions (5613 and 5590). I guess I will have to wait for my vendor to get more information about these stones.

It sounds like I couldn't go wrong with 5613. Its corner-to-corner distance is about 5.9mm according to my measurement, so the shank probably only needs to be about 6mm wide to protect all four corners of the stone (assuming it's set EW). I might be able to pull off a 6mm wide ring....my sausage finger is of size 8.75-9 after all.

 

[cookies]

My vendor is still waiting to hear back from the source. The color of 5590 is growing on me. I also cannot help but notice that 4898 and 5613 appear to have a vertical dark strip in the center as well. Could that be zoning too, or perhaps a bow-tie?



In the meantime, I am also ogling Gary's 3.37ct fancy sapphire. It's been reserved though .

 

[LoversKites]

Doesn't look like zoning. It'd make sense as a bowtie since its an oval cut. Its hard to know how distracting it will be from an image.

They are beautiful by the way!

 

[cookies]

Thank you LoversKites! I hope I will hear from the vendor today. Maybe I could see a couple of them next week.

I am trying to get my sapphire fix by going through the websites of colored-stone vendors in the sticky list. These look really dreamy to my eye:

4.03 ct, 8.9 x 7.4 x 6.5 mm:


2.96 ct, 9 x 7.6 x 5.6 mm:

 

[Truthstar]

Cookie, Just to add about the shadowing you saw. I purchases a roval that had noticeable shadowing. Once set, it was gone.

 

[T L]

Cookie, Just to add about the shadowing you saw. I purchases a roval that had noticeable shadowing. Once set, it was gone.

That horizontal strip of shadowing is also often seen in ovals, pears, and radiant cuts, and is known as a "bow tie."

 

[cookies]

I have some update! My vendor got the 5590 today, and took some pictures under different lighting. It looks promising to me. What do you think?

Direct sunlight:


Indirect sunlight:


In the shade:


Indoor, natural daylight, away from window:

 

[FrekeChild]

Out of all the stones listed though, I think this one is the best combination for saturation, hue and tone. It just lacks the nicer faceting of the others I just pointed out, and it appears to have zoning, but if color is king on your list of attributes, this one is worth looking at. It depends on what your favorite attributes are.

The vertical stripe you're seeing is a bowtie.

 

[cookies]

The vertical stripe you're seeing is a bowtie.

In the vendor's hand shots that I just posted, I don't see an obvious vertical stripe. Maybe I am overlooking it?

 

[T L]

Out of all the stones listed though, I think this one is the best combination for saturation, hue and tone. It just lacks the nicer faceting of the others I just pointed out, and it appears to have zoning, but if color is king on your list of attributes, this one is worth looking at. It depends on what your favorite attributes are.

The vertical stripe you're seeing is a bowtie.

Yes, I know the dark vertical stripe is a bow tie, but the stripes across the top, on a diagonal, look like zoning.

 

[pregcurious]

I have some update! My vendor got the 5590 today, and took some pictures under different lighting. It looks promising to me. What do you think?

Direct sunlight:


Indirect sunlight:


In the shade:


Indoor, natural daylight, away from window:

I like it in the first 2 pics. Can you take a picture under diffuse light?

Do you like it? You should love it.

 

[cookies]

I like it in the first 2 pics. Can you take a picture under diffuse light?

Do you like it? You should love it.

I am waiting anxiously for the package to arrive. The pictures above were taken by the vendor.

 

[mariedtiger]

Those pictures look promising in my eyes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you love it on first sight.

 

[cookies]

OK, I got the package. I like this one more than the original one. The color is lighter and more even, I think. It's a medium blue-blue outside, and medium violet under fluorescent lighting. At the right angle and under the right lighting, I see an ocean full of blue or violet. The vendor did a better job at capturing the true color. Below are some photos I took. They are a little blurry, but that's the best I could do for now with a phone camera.

The cutlet is not the typical kind. I cannot remember what this type of cutlet is called, so I attached a picture to show the culet (under indoor daylight). It doesn't form a sharp point at the very bottom. It's a line parallel to the table. I can see the cutlet line through the table. I am trying to figure out if there's a small window.

I also see a bow-tie at certain angle. If I tilt the stone very slightly, the bow-tie seems to go away completely. I attached a picture that shows the bow-tie (under outdoor daylight). I don't think it's bugging me much as I don't see it all the time.

Sometimes I see shadowing. It's not as distracting as the first stone, perhaps because it shows up less often in this stone. I attached a picture that shows the shadowing (under fluorescent lighting).

Indoor, near windows, natural daylight:





Outdoor, overcast, natural daylight:




Fluoscent lighting: (the first one is near windows, the other three are in window-less rooms.)

 

[T L]

I do like it better than the first stone that you picked out because it's not as dark, and the color looks pretty even. Do you think it's a keeper though? That's what matters, or do you want to look at some more before you make a final decision?

 

[cookies]

I do like it better than the first stone that you picked out because it's not as dark, and the color looks pretty even. Do you think it's a keeper though? That's what matters, or do you want to look at some more before you make a final decision?

I think it's a keeper. However, I still need to get a quote from the vendor. I think the price per carat will be less than the first stone since the color is lighter, i.e. not trade ideal. Once I make sure the price is reasonable, I will ask the vendor/ the source to get an AGL report. This sapphire doesn't have any report at the moment to confirm it's heat-only.

Do you think an AGL Brief report is good enough, or should I ask for a Prestige Full-Grading report when I still have the chance, before the stone gets mounted into a ring? I don't know who would pay for the cost of getting a lab report, but many other sapphires listed on the source's website already have a lab report, some of which are from AGL (usually not a full report though).

 

[T L]

I do like it better than the first stone that you picked out because it's not as dark, and the color looks pretty even. Do you think it's a keeper though? That's what matters, or do you want to look at some more before you make a final decision?

I think it's a keeper. However, I still need to get a quote from the vendor. I think the price per carat will be less than the first stone since the color is lighter, i.e. not trade ideal. Once I make sure the price is reasonable, I will ask the vendor/ the source to get an AGL report. This sapphire doesn't have any report at the moment to confirm it's heat-only.

Do you think an AGL Brief report is good enough, or should I ask for a Prestige Full-Grading report when I still have the chance, before the stone gets mounted into a ring? I don't know who would pay for the cost of getting a lab report, but many other sapphires listed on the source's website already have a lab report, some of which are from AGL (usually not a full report though).

Unless you're paying an enormous sum per carat, and you need to know it's origin because that's part of the premium on the stone, an AGL gem brief should suffice. Just make sure you tell them that it needs to be tested for diffusion, which may cost extra if its a heated stone. I forget if it's heated or unheated, but if its unheated, then no further testing for diffusion is required.

 

[chrono]

I, too, prefer this one over the first stone posted. If you aren't fussed about origin and etc, AGL brief is sufficient. It doesn't hurt to ask the vendor if he/she is willing to absorb the cost of the brief, given the higher cost of the sapphire. This is a heated stone, right? If so, I would also ask AGL if they can check for signs of diffusion without having to break out the high level equipment.

 

[T L]

Also make sure with the vendor that if it does come back not as advertised from AGL, will they will they issue a refund or a lower price per carat?

 

[T L]

I, too, prefer this one over the first stone posted. If you aren't fussed about origin and etc, AGL brief is sufficient. It doesn't hurt to ask the vendor if he/she is willing to absorb the cost of the brief, given the higher cost of the sapphire. This is a heated stone, right? If so, I would also ask AGL if they can check for signs of diffusion without having to break out the high level equipment.

That's an extra cost if they have to. I paid $100 extra for testing a 2.4 carat sapphire with the mass spectrometer.

 

[cookies]

Thank you TL and Chrono!

The source says the stone is heated, and the origin is Ceylon. I will ask to test for diffusion, and make sure to add a contingency to my purchase. I will also ask the vendor if they (or the source) can absorb (or share) the cost for the lab report.

 

[T L]

Thank you TL and Chrono!

The source says the stone is heated, and the origin is Ceylon. I will ask to test for diffusion, and make sure to add a contingency to my purchase. I will also ask the vendor if they (or the source) can absorb (or share) the cost for the lab report.

Sounds good. Good luck! Can't wait to see what you do with this stone. It's lovely.

 

[Acinom]

Wow, I love this stone. What a mesmerizing colour.
Are you inclined to keep it? If you do, I am so looking forward to see how you will set it. It's going to be a dream ring.

 

[cookies]

Thank you TL!

Acinom -- yeah, I am inclined to keep it. I just need to work out some final details with the vendor, i.e. the lab report, the setting's shank width, and of course, the pricing.

I also need to decide on the finish for the setting. The options are polished or matte. Which finish do you think would look better with a blue sapphire? The setting will be in 18K rose gold.

The manufacturer of the tension setting that I've chosen says that they can easily change a polished finish to a matte finish later on, and vice versa, if I ever change my mind. So I just need to decide which finish I should get initially. The top half of my Van Crayenest 14K red gold band has delicate matte flowers with tiny diamonds. I like that look very much, but I don't know if I will like a plain matte shank as much.

 

[Acinom]

Thank you TL!

Acinom -- yeah, I am inclined to keep it. I just need to work out some final details with the vendor, i.e. the lab report, the setting's shank width, and of course, the pricing.

I also need to decide on the finish for the setting. The options are polished or matte. Which finish do you think would look better with a blue sapphire? The setting will be in 18K rose gold.

The manufacturer of the tension setting that I've chosen says that they can easily change a polished finish to a matte finish later on, and vice versa, if I ever change my mind. So I just need to decide which finish I should get initially. The top half of my Van Crayenest 14K red gold band has delicate matte flowers with tiny diamonds. I like that look very much, but I don't know if I will like a plain matte shank as much.

Yay!!! How exciting for jou!
I think I would prefer polished for this particular stone in RG. Luckily you cannot go wrong since you can switch to a different finish later.

 

[T L]

Thank you TL!

Acinom -- yeah, I am inclined to keep it. I just need to work out some final details with the vendor, i.e. the lab report, the setting's shank width, and of course, the pricing.

I also need to decide on the finish for the setting. The options are polished or matte. Which finish do you think would look better with a blue sapphire? The setting will be in 18K rose gold.

The manufacturer of the tension setting that I've chosen says that they can easily change a polished finish to a matte finish later on, and vice versa, if I ever change my mind. So I just need to decide which finish I should get initially. The top half of my Van Crayenest 14K red gold band has delicate matte flowers with tiny diamonds. I like that look very much, but I don't know if I will like a plain matte shank as much.

You're welcome.

The thing with matte finishes is that they tend to show scratches more easily than polished finishes, and you have to keep them up more maintenance wise. I think you can't go wrong with any metal for this stone. Rose gold sounds great though. I love sapphires in high karat yellow gold too. Keep us posted.

 

[cookies]

I probably should go with polished then, at least for the bottom half of the shank, since that's where the scratches are most likely to occur, I think.

Some update about the setting:

The tension-setting manufacturer studied the face-up picture of the sapphire today, and recommended to set the sapphire east-west, with the ring shank being 7mm wide at the top, tapering to 5mm at the bottom. It's going to be a heavy ring. 7mm is almost as wide as the sapphire (8.6x7.5mm).

My ring size is US 9 (for middle finger), but I am petite and skinny. My fingers are kind of short. I don't know if I could pull off such a wide ring! I was hoping for a 5.5mm (or so) shank.

I am now studying the 3mm and Up thread.

 

[chrono]

Do a paper cutout and wear it. I, too, have short and stubby fingers and wide rings look atrocious on me.

 

[cookies]

Do a paper cutout and wear it. I, too, have short and stubby fingers and wide rings look atrocious on me.

Good idea!

Does this 7mm band look ridiculous or what?