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2 different pairs of yellow sapphires - which is better?

snoopkat

snoopkat

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
203
ok, so I've been on the hunt for awhile now for a pair of yellow sapphires to be custom made into some fun earrings. With an upcoming wedding, I don't want to spend too much money (preferably under $500 all up). I came across 2 very different pairs of yellow sapphires, 1 from AJS Gems and the other from Simply Sapphires. Both appear to be respected vendors on PS. Both stones are heated and one has been advertised as having lattice diffusion (though I'm not a fan of treated stones, I admire AJS for their honesty).

First up is are the AJS stones. I absolutely :love: this colour but having never bought from them before, I don't know how close this colour will be IRL. Also, the price is only $250 for a 2.57ct which to me seems rather cheap. I'm still somewhat of a rookie with CS so is this a reasonable price to pay given that the stones are both heated/treated?

http://www.ajsgem.com/sapphire/yellow-sapphire/yellow-sapphire-2.57-carats.html

The 2nd pair is from Simply Sapphires. If I'm reading the ad right, it's now advertised for $299. It's smaller in weight at 1.87ct and again, the stones have been heated. No mention of treatment though, does anyone know if Simply Sapphires normally treat their stones? I don't love the colour as much as the AJS but this is a more unique cut for earrings me thinks.

http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesyellow2005/yellowtns187-sm.html

So the $300 question is - which would you pick?

AJS yellow sapphire.jpg

simply sapphire yellow sapphire.jpg
 
"Lattice Diffusion" is as treated as you can get and still call it a natural sapphire. Many of us on this board wouldn't buy them. However, the foreign substance that they diffuse it with, such as berylium, can result in those exceedingly bright and saturated colors, such as the yellow. They are also generally much cheaper than undiffused but good colored sapphires. Others on this board can tell you what diffused sapphires are worth, but I believe that AJS price is high. If the SS sapphires are really heat only, then from a value perspective, I would say they are the better value. I personally like the trillion shape. But frankly, I would suggest you might want to keep looking...
 
Thanks minousbijoux, love your avatar btw! :)

Ideally, I would like my stones to be unheated/untreated but given my paltry budget I have to be realistic with what I can get. So in this instance, heat and possibly treatment is ok (I know it's not recommended but unless treatment is going to break the stone or something, I don't really mind). On the other hand, while I want to get the best bang for my buck I don't want to pay $400+ for what is essentially costume jewellery either. AJS has actually come back offering a further discount so it's even more tempting now. Would be interested to hear what some other PSers have to say, there are so many experts here and I've learnt so much from them.

Found this mixed lot of yellow beryl and the price is simply unreal. It's advertised as unheated, I've asked AJS about treatment and I won't be surprised if they come back and tell me it's been treated.

http://www.ajsgem.com/beryl/yellow-beryl/yellow-beryl-7.56-carats.html

yellow-beryl-byl-00272.jpg
 
I have a bought a few yellow sapphires in the past and I can't say that any of them looked like their photos in terms of color. I purchased from both of the vendors you are suggesting and both provided a refund when I returned them. I would suggest you describe the color you are looking for and ask both vendors for their description on weather the stones are near that color. As I say, of the 10 or so yellow sapphires I purchased not one of them looked remotely like their photo. Yellow seem to be really difficult to capture.
 
Good advice from Chel.
 
You might also want to check with Dana at Mastercut Gems, as he is listing a bunch of pairs, melee, etc. this week.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest you consider yellow zircon. The color can be quite saturated, more so than sapphires costing thousands more. Also with their higher RI and dispersion they make more sparkly stones. And they should be cheaper.

http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1489806332
 
Personally, I would stay away from diffused as I have a mind issue about dyed stones no matter the price. As a note, I noticed that AJS' pricing for diffused stones are very high. The trillionsfrom SS aren't bad and may be worth a look.

The yellow beryls are rather brownish and unattractive. Add the fact that they have low RI, I doubt they are going to knock your socks off.

I take it you are looking for a matched pair? Are these for earrings or sidestones?
 
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I take it the AGS stones are no go then. Mr snoopkat said he prefers the trillion cut sapphires from SS too but I haven't heard back from them and I really want to see some real life pictures before I make the purchase.

VapidLapid - I did consider zircon but all the stones I've seen so far have green/brown/orange undertone which is not what I'm after. I want a vivid yellow colour, like a sunflower.

Chrono - these are for earrings. These are meant to be my fun earrings but mr snoopkat said he'll buy them for me as our anniversary present (5 years on Easter, woohoo!) I still would prefer not to go over the original budget of $500, I found a simple 3 prong martini setting from ID Jewelry for $100 so that leaves me with around $400 to find a pair of trillion cut, vivid yellow stones, approximately 5.5mm in width/length.

I've had a look at the CS vendors thread and there are so many! I've looked at most of them, but they don't seem to have the stones I'm looking for :cry:
 
I just did a quick search and Gene at Precision Gem seems to be the go to guy for yellow circon. I've sent him a query with what I'm after, fingers crossed he comes back with some positive news!
 
I notice that a gemstone dealer on ebay, Srilankagems and its sister store, often has pairs of small yellow sapphires for sale - heat only. You might want to reach out to them if there are any the color of which you like.
 
Sigh, Gene hasn't got any matching pair of yellow zircon. Any other recommended vendors I should try?
 
I wouldn't stay away from diffused, as long as you know what you're getting, and you don't mind such invasive treatment on a gemstone. However, knowing that, it is important to not pay too much for them.

I also think the yellow beryls are very unattractive and brownish, and have a low RI. Yellow beryl is often irradiated as well (another invasive treatment).
 
snoopkat|1332490286|3154937 said:
Sigh, Gene hasn't got any matching pair of yellow zircon. Any other recommended vendors I should try?
Click to expand...

Zircon is quite soft and will not hold up as well as sapphire. You have to be very careful about who sets them, even if they are in earrings.
 
For earrings the durability of zircon should be fine. They are as hard as tourmaline, but brittle so prone to chipping when handled roughly. As long as you're not going to be rock climbing or mud wrestling you should be ok.
I would ask David at Multicolor if he could put together a pair, he seems to have a big inventory. Also Gary Braun of Finewatergems.com might have some.
 
None of the vendors I've contacted so far have yellow zircon, this is beginning to seem like a Mission Impossible project :(
 
Did you check out Dana's website, or ask him? He also listed a few pairs of chrysoberyls, which might not be a bad option?
 
I did consider chrysoberyl, but the stones I've seen so far all seem to have some sort of brown undertone which I didn't want.

Vapid, you're a legend! Gemcal was one of the few vendors I didn't really check and I found 2 pairs that might be contenders! :appl:

http://gemcal.com/zircon-matched-pair
http://gemcal.com/sweet-champagne-color-zircon-pair

The stones are advertised as champagne colour, I'm assuming that means there's no brown undertone. Most importantly, they will pay for return shipping if I'm not happy with the stones (a big bonus for me as I live in Sydney and Fedex shipping is gonna end up costing as much as the stones itself).

Are there any questions I should ask before making the purchase?
 
never assume, ask about the brown, champagne can mean less saturated which could play up any brown. ask about others they may have and look into putting a pair together if you have to.
 
I don't know if you have a size minimum, but Gary at Finewater just posted a tiny pair of yellow sapphires (3.8 mm, 0.45 ctw). I have some little tsavorites that are slightly smaller than that in studs, but the colour on them certainly stands out. Just another thought...Maybe even in combo with another pair of whatever else, in drop earrings?
 
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