I've been looking at buying a sapphire online, but my local jeweler won't set a stone unless I buy it from him. He assured me he could get sapphires from his supplier at trade prices and would find some nice ones, plus I liked his semi mounts and they seemed fairly priced, so I thought I'd give him a chance. I was incredibly disappointed - not a single one of the stones he produced was decent, they were all poor quality and ridiculously overpriced.
Stone #1 - $4300 for 2.5ct heated Ceylon sapphire, very shallow and spready with a huge window covering about 75% of the stone. It was so pale it looked like an aquamarine and I could read my newspaper through it.
Stone #2 - $6000 for 2.1ct heated Ceylon sapphire, deep blue but darker than ideal, with a really obvious navy colour zone right across the table of the stone.
Stone #3 - $6800 for 2.2ct heated Ceylon sapphire, very dark navy blue, a few lighter blue flashes when tilted but mostly extinct.
The jeweler proceeded to tell me that these were excellent quality stones, especially the windowed one because the light coming through the back makes it sparkle. Erm, no it doesn't! He didn't point out the flaws or explain them honestly, or even explain what I was getting for my money and why the stones were different prices. He claimed the stones had only been heated and had no other treatments, but he had no proof of this and no proof of their origin; the stones were completely uncertified. While I realize they won't be certified in the same way as diamonds, for that price I'd at least expect certification of their origin and treatments, and proof that they actually are sapphires and not just blue glass!
I'm not an expert but I'd guess that every single one of those stones would cost less than $1.5k if bought from an online gem vendor, which would mean the jeweler has at least trebled the price. I understand he has to make a small profit to keep his business running, but his mark-up just seemed ridiculous. At his prices I can't actually afford a decent stone with no major flaws, and he isn't willing to set a stone if I buy it myself (obviously because he can't charge a ridiculous markup on the price!) Also he suggested that if a stone didn't fit my chosen semi mount he could have it recut to fit - I don't see the point of paying for a well cut stone of a certain weight and then chopping off a few points of a carat and throwing them away! I actually think he just tried to sell me whatever he had in stock, as he couldn't source sapphires at 24 hours notice and the stones didn't fit what I asked for in terms of color or shape.
So, I think I've pretty much given up on local jewelers. Maybe my expectations were too high? I probably expect more information than the average customer would, and I certainly expect prices which aren't marked up so much.
Stone #1 - $4300 for 2.5ct heated Ceylon sapphire, very shallow and spready with a huge window covering about 75% of the stone. It was so pale it looked like an aquamarine and I could read my newspaper through it.
Stone #2 - $6000 for 2.1ct heated Ceylon sapphire, deep blue but darker than ideal, with a really obvious navy colour zone right across the table of the stone.
Stone #3 - $6800 for 2.2ct heated Ceylon sapphire, very dark navy blue, a few lighter blue flashes when tilted but mostly extinct.
The jeweler proceeded to tell me that these were excellent quality stones, especially the windowed one because the light coming through the back makes it sparkle. Erm, no it doesn't! He didn't point out the flaws or explain them honestly, or even explain what I was getting for my money and why the stones were different prices. He claimed the stones had only been heated and had no other treatments, but he had no proof of this and no proof of their origin; the stones were completely uncertified. While I realize they won't be certified in the same way as diamonds, for that price I'd at least expect certification of their origin and treatments, and proof that they actually are sapphires and not just blue glass!
I'm not an expert but I'd guess that every single one of those stones would cost less than $1.5k if bought from an online gem vendor, which would mean the jeweler has at least trebled the price. I understand he has to make a small profit to keep his business running, but his mark-up just seemed ridiculous. At his prices I can't actually afford a decent stone with no major flaws, and he isn't willing to set a stone if I buy it myself (obviously because he can't charge a ridiculous markup on the price!) Also he suggested that if a stone didn't fit my chosen semi mount he could have it recut to fit - I don't see the point of paying for a well cut stone of a certain weight and then chopping off a few points of a carat and throwing them away! I actually think he just tried to sell me whatever he had in stock, as he couldn't source sapphires at 24 hours notice and the stones didn't fit what I asked for in terms of color or shape.
So, I think I've pretty much given up on local jewelers. Maybe my expectations were too high? I probably expect more information than the average customer would, and I certainly expect prices which aren't marked up so much.
If you let some of the pros on here go on a sapphire hunt for you, they're sure to come up with some great stones at great prices. Tell us what you're looking for in color, shape, clarity, and treatment?
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