Opinions on this pink sapphire?

[evergreen]

Hi, lovely PSers! I wanted to get a sapphire for a sterling bezel RHR (e.g. http://www.etsy.com/listing/110514409/green-tourmaline-ring-sterling-silver ) and have been mulling over the many color choices. I considered a padparadscha for an engagement ring stone a while ago, and have always loved that color. But jeepers, it's expensive to get a good, natural and unheated one (and my budget for this stone is about $500), in a carat size appropriate for about a 6-7mm band width.

I bought this sapphire from www.planetarygems.com (kind of mixed PS reviews, I know, and fewer reviews than I'd expect for a seller of natural/unheated stones!); here's its website photo and description:



It looks like a gentle pad, doesn't it? Sweet and sparkly and gently orangey pink? That's just the color I wanted, more pink than orange, and not in-your-face.

Then, I played in PhotoShop a little and came up with how I'd set it -- the setting above (that Etsy artist works with customers' stones), with a yellow or rose gold bezel and maybe some pretty milgrain (which, I know, looks yucky in the picture -- try to use your imagination!). This image is fairly well-scaled to my ring size.



So, going off the photo more than the description, I got a stone that looks more like the description than the photo. Of course. I didn't pay $480, but close.

In person, it's a pretty light pink color without much orange modifier at all. (These photos were taken on a background that's sort of a greyish Tiffany blue.)



It does have a pretty big window when tilted.



So, my questions are...
1. Well, what do you think? This is my first time seeing a non-blue sapphire of any description in person, unset.
2. Is this a normal window, or a bad one?
3. Would the window close if bezeled?
4. Could I encourage it toward a more pad color with a YG bezel (maybe even 22k)?

I think I like the stone. (I don't LOVE it, but I'm not sure I can find the pad of my dreams for $500. ) If the window mostly closes when set and a yellow gold bezel brings out just a little more orange, I think it'd be what I was looking for! I'd love to hear your thoughts -- thanks in advance.

 

[minousbijoux]

I want to start by saying I love your post. You are informed. You have done your homework. You are coming with a stone that is different than you anticipated and showing photos to support that (which is really informative for us, as we are always seeking to know more about vendors and the accuracy of their photos and descriptions). Your questions about setting are excellent. At this point, it seems that the critical questions are:

1. Is it worth keeping given the large tilt window - i.e., will it close up with the proper setting;

2. If it will close up and you will keep it, is there a way to set it such that you encourage any orange and downplay the pink.

Those are great questions! I do see a big difference in the coloration and can completely see why it would disappoint you, as from your photo, it does read as a lovely blush pink - and while lovely, not what you sought. I believe the experts on setting and color are TL, Chrono, LD, VL and NKOTB, so hopefully, they can pop around at some point and provide some insight as to whether there is a way you can set it to encourage the warmer, orange side of the stone to show.

Now I'll take a shot at answering the first question about the tilt window. I will admit that I am getting absolutely intolerant the more I learn about stones. There are real experts here who would say that they would take museum grade specimens with gaping Bay Door type windows just because the color in the non-windowed area was so beautiful. I am not one of those individuals. Windows drive me crazy. I wish I could help it but there it is. I hate them. So that said, you know where I'm coming from when I say that its a dealbreaker to me if that photo is accurate. The tilt window looks quite pronounced, and it does not look to me like the stone is tilted much. That means if you were to be wearing it, unless you were looking straight down, you'd likely see it. For me, that would not work. Could that work for you? I'm sure there are ways to lessen the window, but I doubt very much you can eliminate it entirely. Sorry, because I love blush pink stones and think that one is a good price for an unheated, untreated stone.

 

[LD]

Mmmmmm, if you were going for a Padparadscha colour then I'm not sure this meets that criteria (as you say). It's too pink and hardly any orange although I do see a tiny smidgen of orange.

The face on photo you've provided shows that there is not much of a window evident. However in the second two photos you can see a small and then a very large tilt window. Unfortunately paler gemstones show this much more commonly than others. What you have to consider (especially with a gem like this - less so with others) is that you don't, in reality, look at the gem head-on all the time so the chances are you WILL see the tilt window fairly frequently.

What you have done is chosen a bezel setting with deep sides that will most definitely help because the yellow gold may be reflected back through the gem. My only hesitation is that if the tilt window is too pale or lacking in facets, what you'll actually see is the inside of the bezel setting very clearly. This may not be attractive. It's very difficult to tell without having the stone and metal to hand. This will be difficult to test as well. One thing you could do is get a fairly wide yellow gold band and sit is on your hand. Put the stone butting up next to it and see how it looks. It's not a perfect test of course because this will end up being a balancing trick.

For me, without actually having the stone in hand I'm a little bit at a loss as to say one way or another whether your vision will work although its a good choice for the stone I think. One moderation I might make is to slim down the sterling shank a bit. It overpowers the design a little and you want the central part to be the focus - but that's purely a personal choice.

 

[chrono]

You have made keen and honest observations on this sapphire. Yes, you aren't going to get what you want within your budget so a compromise needs to be made. Are you willing to compromise on having barely any orange? The window is almost non existent but the tilt window is large, due to sacrifices in cut to retain weight in a shallow stone. A bezel setting in yellow good could add a touch more orange, especially since it is likely to show through the tilt window. Do you have yellow jewellery to test this with?

 

[evergreen]

Aw, thanks, Minous! I am a very dedicated lurker (haven't got anything to say, most of the time!); you have all taught me so much!

Yeah, no sense in beating around the bush -- it is a pretty substantial tilt window. (I guess I'm kind of glad it's not "normal", because that watery look is kind of a let-down after staring at my e-ring hourly. ). I have another fully-enclosed oval amethyst that has an even worse tilt window (bought in a set of stacking rings), but I do tolerate it. LG, the faceting in this stone won't do much to break up reflections of the bezel -- I could see the texture of the background through the stone while I was staring at it in contemplation... :/

For giggles, here's an example showing its "lacking in facets"-ness...



I don't have enough yellow gold jewelry (and definitely no *real* YG, heh) to make a good mock-up of the stone near a YG bezel... I tried. It didn't quite click in person, but I'm not sure that's the fault of the yellow-toned metals I was playing with.

On some Duracell batteries, which kind of look like a reasonable RG simulant, it does pick up a little orangeyness in some photos but, in person, grips tight to its blue tones. If PSers were the type to give people the answers they want to hear -- i.e. that window will close and you'll have a beautiful "pad" in 22k gold! -- I'm afraid I'm taking away all the ammunition.



So, I'll try and return this stone. Yup! It seems like the right thing to do, poor little thing, because while I might not be as window-intolerant as Minous, this one's pretty bad, and the color just isn't what I'd hoped.

Can you guys help me pick a new one? LD, I'm pretty wedded to the idea of a big, thick, solid, smooth RHR. My wedding set isn't petite, and I sometimes wish it were thicker. A 6=7mm sterling Tiffany Etoile-style semi-bezel solitaire is my first choice if a pretty round 6-7mm something-or-other falls into my lap, but went with something a little different in the mock-up for this oval.

For a new stone, I'd think about starting with sapphires from planetarygems.com if they can vet them for cut (I bet they can), so I can do an exchange instead of a return and give them a chance. What about this one? 6.02mm, 0.91ct color-change (blue->purple) sapphire, with its little blurb at http://www.planetarygems.com/rare%20gemstones7.htm about 2/3 of the way down the page.



But if there isn't enough info on the site for you to make recommendations -- and why would there be, since cut can't really be evaluated on there? -- maybe the avid stone-finders out there could suggest options from other sites. My budget for the stone is $500. Color-change is cool (I spent ages looking for an e-ring stone with SBF; I like stones that do something extra ). A pad would be awesome, but maybe unaffordable. I generally like greens and blues. And Mohs 8 and above, please, for a daily-wear ring. If it's round, it'll go into an Etoile-style solitaire, mostly sterling but possibly with a YG or RG bezel if needed to complement the stone's color. So... Thoughts?

 

[chrono]

I am surprised this one shows a tilt window as well, but much smaller than the previous one. Tone is quite light but saturation is fine. Hue isn't cornflower blue because it shows too much purple. Other than my disagreement with their description, it seems a decent purchase. Expect it to be heated for the price.

 

[Rosebloom]

There are spinels available at several of the vendors on the recommended list that are peachy/pinky. I just looked at the spinel inventory of each vendor yesterday (searching for Mahenge comps!) so unfortunately they're all muddled in my head right now and I can't immediately recall which vendors had the good ones. But if you like a hunt that could be a way to get the lovely pale orangey pink color in an every day durable (and sparkly!) stone.

 

[minousbijoux]

Rosebloom has a great suggestion in looking at spinels as well. If the Planetary Gems photo is accurate, I find that color to be super appealing. But it is small - especially with a simple setting. You may want to figure out approximately what stone size range you'll find acceptable before you start falling in love with stones

Also, and this is a tough one, keep in mind that there are many lurkers who'd be happy letting you do the work and then snatching the stone. So if you think you've found one, put it on hold before you show us...you probably know that already.

Now on to the search. When you're ready, you may want to check out the other vendors up top. Barry Bridgestock of AC Stones and Gene of Precision Gems have amazing stones (they go really fast though) at good prices. Others who often have great stones at good prices are Brad at The Gem Trader, Michael at Litnon, Jason Brim of Select Gem, Jeff Davies, and Tan's ebay stores. A step up pricewise, but excellent vendors and precision cutters are Roger Dery of Spectral Gems, Peter Torraca, Gary Braun, Lisa Elser. There are so, so many on the list and so many good ones that I've undoubtedly neglected to mention (I apologize to those I've missed and I know there are many).

You're off to a great start and remember that we're here to help!

 

[minousbijoux]

Hey and fwiw, I love the photo of your pink sitting on the Duracell batteries...now there it really does look padparadscha-ish in color.

 

[evergreen]

I went right "out" (heh, not actually out, but to a WHOLE NEW WINDOW! ) and looked for a orangey-pink spinel (thanks, Rosebloom! ). Found one I'm mulling over, though it isn't round (I'd prefer round, or rounded) and I'm not sure about the color. But it's interesting enough to be sneaky about (thanks for the warning, Minous!) for now, til I collect more information.

Fundamentally, I've only found stones that I 70% like so far, and I wouldn't mind if a lurker stole them out from under me (cute blue-purple color-change sapphire, anyone?) because that'd save me the trouble of taking a risk on a 70% stone. I was more like 95% on the pink-but-not-really-orange sapphire... wouldn't have posted it here before I met it in person, but now, anybody looking for a tilt-windowed light pink?

I'll definitely check out those vendors Minous suggested and give spinel the consideration it deserves.

Are there any everyday-ring-hardness gems that have neat properties like dichroism, fluorescence, phosphorescence... in other words, anything that looks like jewelry by day, and a science project by night (or UV light, or a 90-degree turn, or whatever)?

 

[iolitedreamer]

I am not sure exactly the color you were looking for but I thought the light orange spinel here was pretty. There is also a pink spinel along with it. I know nothing about the seller.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/310335198708?redirect=mobile

 

[minousbijoux]

I went right "out" (heh, not actually out, but to a WHOLE NEW WINDOW! ) and looked for a orangey-pink spinel (thanks, Rosebloom! ). Found one I'm mulling over, though it isn't round (I'd prefer round, or rounded) and I'm not sure about the color. But it's interesting enough to be sneaky about (thanks for the warning, Minous!) for now, til I collect more information.

Fundamentally, I've only found stones that I 70% like so far, and I wouldn't mind if a lurker stole them out from under me (cute blue-purple color-change sapphire, anyone?) because that'd save me the trouble of taking a risk on a 70% stone. I was more like 95% on the pink-but-not-really-orange sapphire... wouldn't have posted it here before I met it in person, but now, anybody looking for a tilt-windowed light pink?

I'll definitely check out those vendors Minous suggested and give spinel the consideration it deserves.

Are there any everyday-ring-hardness gems that have neat properties like dichroism, fluorescence, phosphorescence... in other words, anything that looks like jewelry by day, and a science project by night (or UV light, or a 90-degree turn, or whatever)?

This is a great position to be in. By all means, keep posting them then. Unless that is your normal practice in life, and you are slow to warm up to things, I would tell you never to buy something you only liked 70%. So on the assumption that you won't buy any of the 70% stones that you post in the future, you can post them and we can discuss them. That way, you'll know more and be ready when Mr. Right comes along (and of course, you'll put a hold on Mr. Right first then rush right here and post him for all to see)

 

[chrono]

Spinel is a lovely choice in every way. Sapphire and some spinel have fluorescence. Some colour shift / change. Both are rough and tough enough to be worn everyday with care. I agree with your assessment that you should love the stone at least 95% in order to keep it. 70% is where one might wear it occasionally and eventually fall out of love with it. Chrysoberyl is another fun one where it shifts quite a bit (green to yellow) and is great as an everyday wear ring stone.

 

[NKOTB]

A little late to the game here, and while I actually blushed at Minoubijoux's high compliment, lumping me in with some of the top dogs around here, I am FAR from an expert on much, but will pipe in anyway.

I am glad you decided to return that stone, since it didn't seem quite what you were looking for, and was going to suggest spinel as well, for a more budget-friendly option. I will keep an eye out for rounds or ovals that might work. There doesn't seem to be a lot available right now, this is the only one I could find that might warrant further exploration. Others are better at reading pictures, though, and there isn't even a description of the colour.

http://www.ajsgem.com/gemstones/spinel/spinel-1.22-carats.html-0

You could also ask Dana at Mastercutgems, he often has spinels of different colours.

And there is a beautiful looking one that fits your budget exactly, that might be a little deeper than your looking for in colour, and not rounded, but that might be the one you are being sneaky about, so I won't post the link.

 

[evergreen]

Iolitedreamer, I looooove the color of the orange one you posted. A little bigger or unwindowed (at least from top-down) and I would've definitely taken the chance on it, unknown Ebay seller notwithstanding.

Speaking of Ebay, what's up with the rainbow in this Ebay stone? Is that a crack?



Chrono, do you mean all sapphire fluoresces, or just some? Can I see the fluorescence of sapphires and/or some spinels with the little LED UV light I bought for my diamond? (Long-wave UV, I guess.) A fluorescent stone would be glorious!

And, I heard from the planetarygems.com representative about returning my stone. He said that he agrees the picture doesn't look much like the color of the stone (and says they've changed their photography guy, so new pictures are more accurate) and is happy to process a return/exchange. I asked him to take a look at future stones to determine whether there was a tilt window, but he didn't know what I was talking about... then, when I sent a nice pictorial explanation, said all gems have a tilt window. It makes me sad to think there are big gem sellers who believe that!

 

[evergreen]

Without knowing anything about these -- carat, price, vendor, and I'm not even going to tell you what species they are (though I'm sure you can all figure at least a couple of those things out ) -- which appeals to you most? Obviously, they're within a certain limited color range, except for "G", which I found surprisingly appealing. Photos are vendor-size; I'm not sure why some were made large and others small.

Any red flags from these images? Any of them you would NOT take a chance on? How much consideration do you give to the impact of incandescent vs cooler/daylight lighting?

 

[ChrisA222]

Tilt window was a term invented by PSr's...and, all gems will have a tilt window...its just the degree of tilt window that could be an issue.

 

[Roger Dery]

Tilt window was a term invented by PSr's...and, all gems will have a tilt window...its just the degree of tilt window that could be an issue.

Hi Chris,
Not wanting to be a spoil-sport, but the phrase "tilt-window" has been in faceters lexicon for quite some time - maybe 20 years or so. I will say though, that it is my experience that folks on this forum are more familiar with the term than many gem sellers. If a gem seller happens to also be a faceter, they are likely already in the know.

 

[LD]

............. Thank you for that Roger. Most appreciated.

The other thing to add is that not all gems have a tilt window.

 

[LD]

Iolitedreamer, I looooove the color of the orange one you posted. A little bigger or unwindowed (at least from top-down) and I would've definitely taken the chance on it, unknown Ebay seller notwithstanding.

Speaking of Ebay, what's up with the rainbow in this Ebay stone? Is that a crack?



Chrono, do you mean all sapphire fluoresces, or just some? Can I see the fluorescence of sapphires and/or some spinels with the little LED UV light I bought for my diamond? (Long-wave UV, I guess.) A fluorescent stone would be glorious!

And, I heard from the planetarygems.com representative about returning my stone. He said that he agrees the picture doesn't look much like the color of the stone (and says they've changed their photography guy, so new pictures are more accurate) and is happy to process a return/exchange. I asked him to take a look at future stones to determine whether there was a tilt window, but he didn't know what I was talking about... then, when I sent a nice pictorial explanation, said all gems have a tilt window. It makes me sad to think there are big gem sellers who believe that!

The rainbow flash, if this is a sapphire, could be evidence of filing. It's most likely to indicate that but there are one or two other explanations. If this is cheap then my bet would be on fracture filing.

 

[evergreen]

Well, ChrisA, you're right, my collection of gem-related knowledge is VERY PS-skewed. But words are useful when they have reproducible meaning -- and the huge "tilt window" in this otherwise unwindowed gem proved a deal-breaker. "Tilt window" provides a description for something the vendor didn't yet know how to describe, I guess. So, it will be helpful to me in the future when this vendor vets potential stones that he now knows what I (and PS) consider(s) a "tilt window".

It worries me more that you, and the vendor, say "all gems will have a tilt window." I would guess that isn't true (after all, you only need one example to disprove it), but I'm pretty inexperienced. I do think that if one could magically remove the middle section from this oval sapphire and turn it into a round, the tilt window would be gone. Or mostly gone. I do see small tilt windows in a lot of beautiful stones on PS, and absolutely do not expect to have an utterly un-windowed stone myself. But shouldn't it be theoretically possible to cut an unwindowed gem?

 

[LD]

Without knowing anything about these -- carat, price, vendor, and I'm not even going to tell you what species they are (though I'm sure you can all figure at least a couple of those things out ) -- which appeals to you most? Obviously, they're within a certain limited color range, except for "G", which I found surprisingly appealing. Photos are vendor-size; I'm not sure why some were made large and others small.

Any red flags from these images? Any of them you would NOT take a chance on? How much consideration do you give to the impact of incandescent vs cooler/daylight lighting?

These are all from the same vendor who takes photos in a specific lighting condition (if you look on the website it even describes the type of bulb used etc). I have bought a high number of gemstones from this vendor and overall think that photos are amped up a few shades and are usually less vivid in real life. Customer service is excellent though. In order of the ones I personally like:

B - nice colour and cut - has a small window or open culet (can't see well enough due to size of the photo). The only thing I don't like is that it's a fat pear (I like long skinny ones).

E & C - these both have an appeal. Both have mini bow ties. The pear is better saturated.

D - this actually would be the first choice for me BUT it has a huge window and will need to be set well to minimise it. I'm not too frightened by windows but you may be which is why I've ranked it lower. I adore seeing the pink and orange in the colour.

F & G - don't like these (sorry). Huge bowties and the colour just doesn't appeal to me.

Just to be clear - a tilt window is NOT a window. A window is when you see an empty space when you're looking at the gem head on. A tilt window is nothing to worry about UNLESS it's huge (like in the stone you had). There are many gems that won't show tilt windows because the facets reflect back light much more effectively. In darker gems it's also much less noticeable. HTH

 

[evergreen]

LD, I think this vendor does vary the color temperature of his lighting for pink and red stones. The site did specify that A and F were taken under cool lighting; do you think that means those stones are orangier than the others (photographed with incandescent light) despite looking similar in the photos we have?

Also, is a bowtie from head/camera obstruction? It does show up prominently in the ones you mention, but will those facets be permanently "off"? In these stills, I prefer the bowtie to windows (improves, rather than detracts, from the contrast that makes a gem interestint).

 

[LD]

I have absolutely no idea how lighting would affect the colour of the gemstones IRL and wouldn't even hazard a guess. There are too many variables. If you are serious about buying one of these, pick the one that's most pleasing to you, with a cut you can tolerate and assume that the gem will be less vivid and then you probably won't be disappointed.

In terms of bowties etc - many pears and oval exhibit this. It is due to cut and it's actually more common to see than not. If it's too large it can be a real distraction. It is not head obstruction causing extinction.

When buying a pear or oval if you only limit yourself to finding one without a bowtie (and I know you're not) you would undoubtedly miss out on some lovely gems. A bowtie is only a bowtie if it's in the middle of the gem and basically looks like a smaller area in the middle with two triangles either side (ie think of a real bowtie) or a stripe with the triangles less obvious. F is an example of a very wide bowtie and E is a much skinnier version (almost like a line).

 

[chrono]

I would be very cautious with regards to that rainbow reflection of the eBay stone, suspecting fracture filling.
Speaking of Ebay, what's up with the rainbow in this Ebay stone? Is that a crack?

Not all sapphires or spinels fluorescence but some do. Some rubies and red spinels fluorescence pink under a UV light source.

I have to agree with the vendor that all gems have a tilt window but in most stones it is barely visible if well cut. There are several factors that will make this more easily or harder to see.
1. Higher refractive index makes this harder to see (garnet versus beryl)
2. More complex cut design makes this harder to see (busy facets versus large step cut)
3. Better cut (correct corresponding angles versus maximizing carat weight at all cost)

I strongly disagree that the term tilt window is a PS created terminology. Take a look at all the precision faceting websites and you'll see plenty of it being used.

 

[chrono]

E seems to be the best balanced in terms of colouration and cut.

A: The giant bowtie in the middle is too distracting in a light toned stone and stands out like a sore thumb.
B: Neither dislike it or like it. Nothing great but nothing that bad about it. Just too mediocre all around.
C: Stronger colouration but the unevenness of colour is likely to bother me in the long run. If not, then this will be my second pick.
D: Too brownish and skinny for my taste.
F: The dark ends and wide bowtie is a deal breaker.
G: Too brown, too off symmetry and the cut is too poor.

Once I've narrowed down my choices, I would go back to the vendor to ask about any potential colour shifts under different lighting and a hand shot.

 

[NKOTB]

How firm is your budget? There is a vendor who posted a gorgeous looking spinel in the colour range that I think you would like, but it is about twice what you were thinking of. It's a round 7.3 mm.

 

[ChrisA222]

Tilt window was a term invented by PSr's...and, all gems will have a tilt window...its just the degree of tilt window that could be an issue.

Hi Chris,
Not wanting to be a spoil-sport, but the phrase "tilt-window" has been in faceters lexicon for quite some time - maybe 20 years or so. I will say though, that it is my experience that folks on this forum are more familiar with the term than many gem sellers. If a gem seller happens to also be a faceter, they are likely already in the know.

Roger and all...apologies. It was a cutter who told me about not knowing what a tilt window was until a PS'r told him, and then went on to explain to me about how all gems will exhibit that 'feature'. I was just relaying what I had learned.

It wouldn't be the first time that I've learned something in this field and then have someone else tell me that what I had learned was incorrect. Go figure. Not a big deal, I was just passing on what I was told.

 

[LD]

Tilt window was a term invented by PSr's...and, all gems will have a tilt window...its just the degree of tilt window that could be an issue.

Hi Chris,
Not wanting to be a spoil-sport, but the phrase "tilt-window" has been in faceters lexicon for quite some time - maybe 20 years or so. I will say though, that it is my experience that folks on this forum are more familiar with the term than many gem sellers. If a gem seller happens to also be a faceter, they are likely already in the know.

Roger and all...apologies. It was a cutter who told me about not knowing what a tilt window was until a PS'r told him, and then went on to explain to me about how all gems will exhibit that 'feature'. I was just relaying what I had learned.

It wouldn't be the first time that I've learned something in this field and then have someone else tell me that what I had learned was incorrect. Go figure. Not a big deal, I was just passing on what I was told.

If it's the same person who's posted the very same thing on his blog then he's not a cutter. Apologies if I've got the wrong person!

 

[evergreen]

Thanks, everyone, for your opinions -- and not only opinions, but reasoning behind them as well! It's incredibly helpful for a (compulsive?) data-collector like me. If I go the spinel route, I'll definitely talk with that vendor and see what he thinks about the potential stones, in sum with your very thoughtful comments.

NKOTB, my budget isn't firm-firm, but it's not readily extendable to 2x unless I could reeeeally talk myself into something. I am curious, though, about what stone you're referring to. A light peachy-pink, well-cut, glowing pad-colored spinel? 7.3mm diam sounds delicious. How else can you hint at its source without entirely giving it away? Of course, probably being $1000 means I should be open to letting a shy lurker with a generous budget steal it away... in hopes it'll spur them to create a PS account and post about it! I will leave it to you, NKOTB.

Can I ask for your collective patience in offering opinions for another set of stones? These are all sapphires, 1.25-1.55ct, $460-$521, all "unheated" per their description (but skepticism is invited). The green one is a Montana, and the purple/blues are color-shift (mostly subtle, though the lower-right stone goes from "bluish-platinum undertones in daylight, changing to a pastel platinum-pink color in incandescent light". (The "platinum" -- or, presumably, greyish -- descriptor actually does appeal... I don't mind subtlety sometimes.) Color zoning, as in the lower-left stone, is fine too. I had a crush on a bicolor sapphire a little while ago, which is what started this whole search.