Fair price for a 4 ct heated yellow sapphire

[deuteriumhusky]

So I recently acquired a 4 carat heated yellow sapphire that's eye clean and oval cut. The stone was listed as being natural and I was the only person who bid on the stone and I won it at $49.99. Was this a good deal for the stone? How much do eye clean yellow sapphires typically go for?

 

[T L]

So I recently acquired a 4 carat heated yellow sapphire that's eye clean and oval cut. The stone was listed as being natural and I was the only person who bid on the stone and I won it at $49.99. Was this a good deal for the stone? How much do eye clean yellow sapphires typically go for?

For that price, it's more than likely beryllium diffused and therefore, not particularly valuable. The color is also not bright yellow, but brownish, which is also not as desirable/valuable.

An unheated/untreated, bright yellow, eye clean sapphire can go for maybe $1K/ct or more.

It depends, but definitely not $12.50/ct like yours.

 

[LD]

The way to look at this is:-

If you were a seller, selling gemstones, would you ever let a valuable stone potentially be sold for a tiny amount when it could be worth thousands?

So basically if you see cheap stones on Ebay, there's a reason why unfortunately.

 

[Marlow]

O.K. - sometimes it happens that the starting bid is very low and if you are the only bidder a very good deal is possible.

But - a heated only 4 ct clean yellow sapphire for 50 $ - is like playing russian roulette with five bullets and not one.

Think too it is a Be sapphire !

 

[deuteriumhusky]

I contacted the seller and he said that the stone was not Beryllium diffused but just heated, the seller claimed that a nearly identical stone that he sold on ebay went for $260. He claimed that if he didn't sell the stone on ebay then he would sell it wholesale to a dealer for $125.

 

[Marlow]

I don' t know how much experience you have. In my opinion a Be treated 4 ct would cost more then 125 $! You need a natural 4 ct cut stone or a larger rough - the sapphires they usually use for Be treatment have an unattrative color ( grayishgreenish blue) - but even such a 4 ct would cost more then 125 $ course it is a large stone!!!

Believe me - only an idiot would sell a clean, only heat treated 4 ct yellow sapphire for total 125 $ wholesale. You made a good deal if the stone is natural and Be treated.

If you want to sell you have to check the treatment - otherwise it would be unethical.

PS:

Ebay Nr 321514018116

Negative and neutral feedback!!! The claim he is selling faked stones!!!

AND!

His message : If the auction ends with no bid ....

This is stupid - if he gets 125 $ WHY the risk of losing money! If there is no bid he could cancel the auction!

 

[minousbijoux]

No surprise that I agree with the other posters. Most of us have done that at one time or another - buy what they represent it as because we think we're getting a good deal. Then we start to read between the lines as to what they don't say in their gem listings. They don't say you can drive a Mack truck through the window, or that it is really only the color they claim if you squint and discount all the grey/brown thats in it, or that it has that one big fracture that goes all the way to the edge and will prevent it from ever being set. The MacDaddy of them all is that they will not mention any more invasive treatment, but leave it at "heat." Not all sellers are this way, but you can't count on those that are dishonest not to sin by omission, unfortunately.

 

[chrono]

I am sorry if this sounds like a pile on, given all the replies above, but the first thing I would do is:
1. Make sure it is a sapphire
2. Verify whether it is a natural or synthetic sapphire (can be a bit challenging to differentiate the two).
3. Verify whether it is treated or untreated
4. If treated, as mentioned, whether it is heat only or heated with minerals added (titanium, beryllium, etc).

From there, you can determine whether you paid a good price for it. As of now, I am not assured that you received a 4 ct heated yellow sapphire.

 

[Andelain]

I contacted the seller and he said that the stone was not Beryllium diffused but just heated, the seller claimed that a nearly identical stone that he sold on ebay went for $260. He claimed that if he didn't sell the stone on ebay then he would sell it wholesale to a dealer for $125.

You can report him for this. He's supposed to homor the winning bid, unless he had a reserve that wasn't met.