Thoughts on this sapphire?

[Green with Envy]

I need some advice from the experts... I have looked at so many blue sapphires that they are all starting to look the same! I can post my own pictures this weekend and they are taking stone out of this setting on Monday so I can see it loose.

Here is dealer pic and cert... advice appreciated.

 

[MollyMalone]

I'm sorry you have not yet found a "keeper" after so many months. If you share why you ultimately decided against the stone in the ring in this February thread (or are now looking to trade it in), that info could help folks help you.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-25-blue-sapphire-possibly-the-one.210585/

 

[minousbijoux]

MM: thanks for the link to the other thread, as I had forgotten all about that other stone.

Green: do note that this sapphire is a straight blue - no violet modifier. Actually, based on the photo on the Prestige Report, I even thought it would be described as having a percentage of green. Just bear this in mind when you are deciding about it, that it is a different color than the other stone.

 

[minousbijoux]

I assume it has good clarity? While it might be stunning in person (I hope it is), it is priced close to a top quality Burmese without appearing like one from the photos. I hope they are just not great photos.

 

[arkieb1]

It's probably going to be a bit paler than the last one you liked. You need more real life pics taken inside and out so we can see the true colour of it.

 

[Green with Envy]

The original one that I looked at back in February was awesome in the perfect light... but it did not hold its color well and I felt a majority of the time it looked like the darkest pictures. That frustrated me. I thought I could find better... and I have seen3 or 4 since that are pretty darn nice, but not better. I guess this newest one seduced me because it is unheated Burma while all the other have been heated.

 

[Green with Envy]

I assume it has good clarity? While it might be stunning in person (I hope it is), it is priced close to a top quality Burmese without appearing like one from the photos. I hope they are just not great photos.

Do you have the website from the actual dealer with price? A local jeweler brought this one in for me and I am curious what was the mark up.

 

[minousbijoux]

I assume it has good clarity? While it might be stunning in person (I hope it is), it is priced close to a top quality Burmese without appearing like one from the photos. I hope they are just not great photos.

Do you have the website from the actual dealer with price? A local jeweler brought this one in for me and I am curious what was the mark up.

Are you asking me to share the dealer, or are you asking me if I know? Sorry, I'm not clear what you are asking. I am happy to post the link, but also don't want to do anything which might jeopardize it for you, so I'll wait for clarification from you before I post.

 

[Green with Envy]

It is ok... wont jeopardize anything. I wanted to see the link. you can post.

 

[MollyMalone]

* * * A local jeweler brought this one in for me and I am curious what was the mark up.

* * * [T]hey are taking stone out of this setting on Monday so I can see it loose.

Wow, I am astounded that the dealer who owns such a ring, or has it on consignment, is permitting your local jeweler to bust the bezel, so you can examine the stone loose. This seems to me quite an unusual opportunity for you.

 

[Green with Envy]

i will wait until the link is here or I am told where I can find it... but I think it is an old posting and has already changed hands. the stone was taken out of the ring just a few months ago when sent to be certified. No one is going to damage the mounting.

I am just curious because last time a local jeweler (not the same one as this ring) showed me a stone... I found the exact same stone on the Natural sapphire company website for over 20k LESS than what the local guy price.

this is why i want to see the posting that was found by another ps'er. Thats all!

 

[MollyMalone]

Don't know if this is the same 'net page minous saw it on, but here's the one that popped up for me; listing represents sapphire has been assessed by AGL:
http://www.rauantiques.com/item/Art-Deco-Burma-No-Heat-Sapphire-Ring.RG37474.html

 

[Green with Envy]

Thanks for posting. I usually look at that site all the time and I'm surprised I did not see it myself! Lets just say that price is WAY WAY WAY more than my budget. The ring was offered to me for around 1/3 the price. And I can see how the stone looks sort of greenish in pic... but that is not what I see at all with my eyes.

I am going to upload my pics tonight.


And if anyone followed the original thread with the stone I considered back in february....

This stone looks darker blue in sunlight than my first one... but it holds the color much better in low lighting. It is more royal blue in low lighting rather than black like the other stone.

 

[Green with Envy]

 

[minousbijoux]

* * * A local jeweler brought this one in for me and I am curious what was the mark up.

* * * [T]hey are taking stone out of this setting on Monday so I can see it loose.

Wow, I am astounded that the dealer who owns such a ring, or has it on consignment, is permitting your local jeweler to bust the bezel, so you can examine the stone loose. This seems to me quite an unusual opportunity for you.

You are so right, MM, I hadn't even thought about the fact that its a bezel setting. That is surprising.

 

[minousbijoux]

Don't know if this is the same 'net page minous saw it on, but here's the one that popped up for me; listing represents sapphire has been assessed by AGL:
http://www.rauantiques.com/item/Art-Deco-Burma-No-Heat-Sapphire-Ring.RG37474.html

Yes, that's the one.

 

[MollyMalone]

* * * A local jeweler brought this one in for me and I am curious what was the mark up.

* * * [T]hey are taking stone out of this setting on Monday so I can see it loose.

Wow, I am astounded that the dealer who owns such a ring, or has it on consignment, is permitting your local jeweler to bust the bezel, so you can examine the stone loose. This seems to me quite an unusual opportunity for you.

You are so right, MM, I hadn't even thought about the fact that its a bezel setting. That is surprising.

Well, "bust" is dramatic (but hey, I like alliteration ). Still, the bezel is what is keeping the sapphire securely in place, so removing the stone unquestionably means that the bezel cannot remain undisturbed. And even if it were prong-set, removing and then resetting the sapphire are not 100% guaranteed risk-free procedures.

Were the ring in question a G, VS1 MRB diamond in a Stuller setting, it would be easy enough to quickly replace the diamond and/or duplicate the mounting at relatively little cost if misfortune befell. That's not true here & even if either/both of the respective "jeweler block insurance" policies cover tampering with business-to-business, memo'd goods, Rau Antiques would be without a comparable stone or marketable ring in inventory for X amount of time.
So altho' I've long thought Rau's prices are almost always eyebrow-raising (e.g., they currently are listing a 64" rope of what they acknowledge are freshwater "potato pearls" for $3450!), think they would be entirely justified in telling GWE's jeweler, "if your customer wants to see the stone loose, you or she needs to first make the purchase".

 

[MollyMalone]

The ring itself is very different from what it seems, based on past posts, you're drawn to, GWE. Are you thinking that you might like to purchase the stone alone, and if so, is that indeed a possibility?

 

[Green with Envy]

I got confirmation that my local jeweler is the current owner of the ring now and it is not on consignment. I would NOT be buying the setting... just the loose stone. if I pass on this stone... it will probably be gone from the store in a month... they sell a LOT of blue sapphires, more so than diamonds.

I would set in a rather traditional three stone setting with two old mine, cushion, or oval sides... something like that. For a stone under 4 ct... it really does have amazing spread and can sit very low to the finger- which I like for an every day RHR.

In the brightest sunlight i dont love love love the stone because it more obviously has areas that are darker... but in diffused sunlight, shade outside, driving in the car... it looks really nice to my eyes. We we for a walk at 7pm under the trees and it just glowed. It is like my OEC.. which looks the prettiest on cloudy days. i tend to like darker stones with hints of violet. This stone looks better than any other I have seen when viewed inside ... it holds its color better and looks more like a pretty nautical blue.

 

[Green with Envy]

 

[minousbijoux]

It does look much better in your handshots compared to the other photo and the AGL report pic. It sounds like you really like it and thats what should be the deciding factor. By any chance, was this from Joe Escobar?

 

[Green with Envy]

No... i am no longer on West Coast. The dealer I am working with is in Kentucky and because of "BIG BLUE" Kentucky... I guess he moves a lot of sapphires.

I really like the stone and agree it looks better on my finger than the dealer shots, but I am always worried I am going to spend the money to set it the way I want with diamond sides and then suddenly a better stone will show up on my doorstep. I guess if my budget was bigger I could find the perfect stone, but I feel with every stone i see i have to make some sort of compromise. Size, zoning, so-so cut, too dark, etc.

And I find on different days I am in the mood for different shades of blue!

 

[chrono]

Difficult decision indeed. The stone is not perfect but perfect CS is incredibly rare. There are both very good points and not so good points about the sapphire.

Pros:
Very nice colour even though it doesn't have a touch of violet
Holds colour well
Good size
Unheated

Cons
A fair bit of extinction in almost all the pictures, both indoors and outdoors
Shallow but I think it doesn't seem too affected negatively. Perhaps the bezel setting helped it look less obvious?

It looks hazy in a few pictures. Does it appear so in person?

 

[drruby]

DId they get you a percentage of the table? It looks small for an oval.

L to W is ok 1.169

Depth a little short under 60%

I myself like a deeper blue myself, but it does look lovely, I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Green with Envy]

The stone sometimes looks hazy in just the right light/angle, but it feels like you are looking in a deep pool of water. It is not cloudy and no visible inclusions. What causes haze?

I know it has extinction in parts in all types of lights and trying to decide if I should pass because of this, but it seems like the extinction is not as dark or black as other stones... sometimes I actually really like the color when the whole thing appears dark. I have never felt that about other stones I have seen- they were ugly when dark. The stone I saw back in february that is linked in the beginning of this thread had this great vibrant blue with little extinction in natural light, but only when you had it at the perfect angle... This stone is very different, more consistent.

the stone is shallow and i was wondering if it will look any different (in a bad way if i take out of the bezel) once I set it in a cathedral type setting with prongs. I like that it can sit so low because many of the stones I have seen just seem very deep and will sit high on the finger.