Hi all,
New here, and a bit afraid of what I've gotten myself into, looking at everything on the forums here.
I am a fine and knowledgeable buyer when it comes to wristwatches, but the world of colored stones and jewelry is new to me. I am looking for something meaningful to get my mother. She loved the jewelry (and person) of Princess Diana in the past, and that is something that has never changed about her. Her favorite stone is sapphire. Recently, my mother injured herself fairly severely in a fall, but is doing OK now. Unfortunately, the expenses from the treatment of this ate into her "jewelry savings jar," so I think I would like to find something for her myself that she can wear guilt and worry free about cost.
I had all intentions of finding a sapphire myself, and then getting it set; or, I also contacted Jeff White (who ha been an absolute pleasure to converse with). Then, I found this ring, and got to thinking that this might be an instance to obtain something that's a higher carat weight than I was otherwise looking at. I particularly love the color, at least in the seller photos.
I found the following ring, which comes with this description from the seller:
"This very fine early 20th Century sapphire and diamond ring flaunts a superb 5.10 carat oval, claw set unheated blue sapphire of remarkable brilliance at the center of a sparkling old cut diamond border. Sixteen fine quality H-I/SI antique cushion cut diamonds, together weighing an estimated 2.35 carat, form the halo. The shoulders feature a delicate pierced shank with raised center prong.
The sapphire, measuring 11.38 x 8.5 x 6.56 mm, is an unheated Ceylon beauty of rich cornflower hue, with superior brilliance and color saturation. Some natural inclusions can be viewed under 10 X magnification and somewhat with the naked eye upon very close inspection, but its liveliness and color intensity - together with the fact that it's a rare unheated stone - more than make up for a few crystalline inclusions and tiny surface pinpricks. "
I really love the way it looks. The asking price is $8,000, reduced from $11,500. Stated appraisal value, of course, is much higher than this. I have enquired for additional photos, but have already learned that there are some amazing experts here, and I would deeply appreciate the help to find my mother something nice. This seems very enticing, but if I can "do better" by searching for my own sapphire loose, I'm happy to spend time doing that - there is no urgency.
Any thoughts, red flags, etc much appreciated. - Please forgive my newness to this all.
New here, and a bit afraid of what I've gotten myself into, looking at everything on the forums here.
I am a fine and knowledgeable buyer when it comes to wristwatches, but the world of colored stones and jewelry is new to me. I am looking for something meaningful to get my mother. She loved the jewelry (and person) of Princess Diana in the past, and that is something that has never changed about her. Her favorite stone is sapphire. Recently, my mother injured herself fairly severely in a fall, but is doing OK now. Unfortunately, the expenses from the treatment of this ate into her "jewelry savings jar," so I think I would like to find something for her myself that she can wear guilt and worry free about cost.
I had all intentions of finding a sapphire myself, and then getting it set; or, I also contacted Jeff White (who ha been an absolute pleasure to converse with). Then, I found this ring, and got to thinking that this might be an instance to obtain something that's a higher carat weight than I was otherwise looking at. I particularly love the color, at least in the seller photos.
I found the following ring, which comes with this description from the seller:
"This very fine early 20th Century sapphire and diamond ring flaunts a superb 5.10 carat oval, claw set unheated blue sapphire of remarkable brilliance at the center of a sparkling old cut diamond border. Sixteen fine quality H-I/SI antique cushion cut diamonds, together weighing an estimated 2.35 carat, form the halo. The shoulders feature a delicate pierced shank with raised center prong.
The sapphire, measuring 11.38 x 8.5 x 6.56 mm, is an unheated Ceylon beauty of rich cornflower hue, with superior brilliance and color saturation. Some natural inclusions can be viewed under 10 X magnification and somewhat with the naked eye upon very close inspection, but its liveliness and color intensity - together with the fact that it's a rare unheated stone - more than make up for a few crystalline inclusions and tiny surface pinpricks. "
I really love the way it looks. The asking price is $8,000, reduced from $11,500. Stated appraisal value, of course, is much higher than this. I have enquired for additional photos, but have already learned that there are some amazing experts here, and I would deeply appreciate the help to find my mother something nice. This seems very enticing, but if I can "do better" by searching for my own sapphire loose, I'm happy to spend time doing that - there is no urgency.
Any thoughts, red flags, etc much appreciated. - Please forgive my newness to this all.