Pear Sapphire Halo Pendant Big Enough?

[prs]

First post, I've been lurking here for a couple of weeks and very much appreciate all the wonderful people who are so helpful with their advice and expertise. I thought I knew a little about diamonds but now I know I didn't, and I've discovered a whole new world of colored stones!!! However I do think this site should have its own warning sign on entry

THIS SITE IS A GRAVE THREAT TO YOUR WALLET, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK !!!!!!

A few years ago my wife and I went shopping for a pear shaped sapphire pendant but eventually gave up because she felt that, even for very serious money, the stones we were being shown just weren't big enough to have any "bling" factor. Anyway just before Christmas I was thinking it was about time my wife got something "diamondy" to wear around her neck, and whilst surfing the net looking for ideas I came across a pear sapphire pendant with a diamond halo. I don't know why we didn't think of the diamond halo last time!! I notice there are not many pendants discussed on this site and I wonder if that's because a pendant just has to be so much bigger than a finger ring or an earring, and so requires a considerably larger financial commitment?

The pendant I found is a 4 ct 12x8mm pear surrounded by a halo of 2mm diamonds, so the final dimensions of the pendant are 16x12mm. My question to you all is do you think such a pendant would be big enough to be worth the outlay?

Here's a photo:

?

 

[Bron357]

Yes, that’s a decent size pendant but I’m not liking the look of that sapphire. Hopefully the “guru” sapphire experts will be along soon.
Sapphires can have colour zoning ie parts lighter than others, it’s a natural attribute, however a well cut gem will be cut to minimize the “face on” effect as much as possible, or emphasis it if it is a distinct colour change (they are called parti sapphires). Sapphires, as you will learn, can be fake ie man made corundum, glass filled (to repair fissures / enhance colour) be heat treated or be natural. Certified Natural are usually in a price bracket up there! So heat treated is pretty normal and acceptable.
Even man made is fine, just so long as you’re paying the low low price such gems are worth!
The other thing about blue sapphires is the photos can be misleading. A medium dark sapphire can look almost black in low lighting. Someone love dark ones, others are horrified by what they thought was bright blue and sparkly (which it is under special lighting and with a “tweaked” photo) turns out flat and blah in person in ordinary lighting.
And no “mall jeweler” is going to have great quality sapphires.
If you put up a question re “where to find a nice blue sapphire big and under $xxx” the experts will point you in the right direction. And it isn’t much more expensive to have a pendant made to your exact specs. You might choose white sapphires rather than poor quality sad little diamonds for the same price. So don’t rush in and buy the first thing, get some tips and pointers and you’ll be wowing your wife and saving your hip pocket from too much pain.

 

[chrono]

Coloured gemstones cost serious money too. It is more than size. Colour is key, first and foremost and sets the price. There's also treatment, cutting, clarity and the works as well.

Pendants are not as discussed because the wearer is unable to view it unless on a long chain or looking at themselves in the mirror. I have no issues wearing a 5 carat coloured stone on my finger and I do.

1. Please post a head on picture of the pendant rather than at an angle
2. Is the stone treated? I would presume so. Heat only or diffused or some other?
3. How does it change under various lighting? Does it become drab indoors?

 

[prs]

Bron and chrono, thanks for your replies. I was given a copy of a GCAL cert on the piece that states the sapphire is natural, heat treated, 4.02 carats, 12.25x8.12x5.73, pear mixed cut, with a bright polish. The 22 diamonds are E-F, VVS2-VS2, 0.66 tcw. There is a comment that it is "Cast and Hand Assembled" with "Excellent Craftmanship". The seller's description of the piece also mentions it has an extra facet.

I have learned a lot from my two weeks of lurking here, enough to also be concerned about the quality of the sapphire and asked for a better, head on picture. The new picture showed the piece was very symmetrical but didn't help much in determining color or cut, so I asked for a shot in natural light. I received a video that I'll try to post (I'm not sure from the FAQ if videos are allowed or not).

 

[LD]

I have lots of coloured stone pendants and in all honesty the size isn't important so long as you can see the colour. I personally like pendants that are on a shorter chain and sit just below the little hollow under the neck (not sure what it's called!). A diamond halo is a good idea because it gives a sparkle that a coloured stone may not.

In terms of the sapphire pendant in the picture, the statistics from the lab report sound good for the diamonds. I'm not familiar with GCAL so don't know how "accurate" their reports are. The photos don't do justice to the diamonds if they really are E-F and VVS as they look quite flat and dull but I suspect if the stats are correct then they would be much brighter in real life which also means the sapphire would look better in person I suspect. In terms of the sapphire, it does have half/half shadowing going on (ie the top half is darker than the bottom half) but that's just because of the cut and it's fairly common in pear cuts. The darker the gem, the more noticeable it can be. The cut also sees to be a little asymmetrical but hardly noticeable (unless you have cut ocd like I have)!

The sapphire's colour is not what would be considered a top colour but it's not too dark either. I think knowing the price would help as that would determine whether it was a good buy for the colour of sapphire or not.

 

[prs]

I can't post the video because the file size is too large, but it does show the piece with wonderful brilliance and the diamonds sparkle like crazy! However the top third of the sapphire, and a little sliver on the bottom are almost black, and show no blue (extinction and/or zoning?). If all the sapphire were the same blue as the middle section it would be a stunning piece. They are asking $13,600.

LD love your avatar!!! I know pears are generally considered best at a L/W of 1.50-1.75, but I'm thinking with a halo it might be best for the stone to be towards the top of that range as the halo might tend to make it look more squatty. The sapphire in my pictures is a 1.50 but with the halo it becomes 1.33. I'm guessing the stone in your ring is maybe 1.65?

 

[LD]

I can't post the video because the file size is too large, but it does show the piece with wonderful brilliance and the diamonds sparkle like crazy! However the top third of the sapphire, and a little sliver on the bottom are almost black, and show no blue (extinction and/or zoning?). If all the sapphire were the same blue as the middle section it would be a stunning piece. They are asking $13,600.

LD love your avatar!!! I know pears are generally considered best at a L/W of 1.50-1.75, but I'm thinking with a halo it might be best for the stone to be towards the top of that range as the halo might tend to make it look more squatty. The sapphire in my pictures is a 1.50 but with the halo it becomes 1.33. I'm guessing the stone in your ring is maybe 1.65?

It's actually just over 3ct! Unfortunately you can't tell carat weight by eye with coloured gemstones because they all have a different density so a 1ct Ruby will look quite different from a 1ct Tanzanite for example. Also with coloured gemstones, unlike diamonds, they are not always precision cut and therefore you can get deep or shallow stones and this makes the stone face up either bigger or smaller. My avatar is of an Alexandrite and it measures 11.17 x 6.53 x 6.57.

In terms of your sapphire there doesn't appear to be any zoning - this is a particular phenomenon and isn't present in your stone (I'll post a photo of zoning in a minute so you can see what I mean).

For a decent heat only 4ct sapphire (which is what the pendant appears to have) and with such good quality diamonds the price is more than fair - although I have to add a caveat here that I haven't been sapphire shopping for a long time and so I'm a bit out of touch wth pricing. I'm sure my learned forum friends will be able to comment on the price

It would help if you could upload the video to YouTube and then link to it from here - I'm pretty sure that's allowed now. Seeing the video will help to give you a much more informed opinion.

Zoning: Can you see the vertical stripes in the gemstone below? That's colour zoning.

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

I don't think you've said if this piece is in a store somewhere or online? What is their viewing/return policy? I don't think there's any way to truly know what it will look like, until you see it IRL. This stone looks a bit dark to me but, you need to view it under different lighting.
To your question about size, I think it's big enough. I have a just over 4ct sapphire ring (w/0.75ct diamonds, pave not halo). I agree the diamonds really set off a sapphire! I would happily wear another of the same size around my neck, but you could go bigger if you wanted to. On a chain no longer than 18", I would personally choose 16".
For your budget, you could choose your own sapphire and have a spectacular pendant made. There are many PSers who would help point you in the right direction.

 

[prs]

It's actually just over 3ct! Unfortunately you can't tell carat weight by eye with coloured gemstones because they all have a different density so a 1ct Ruby will look quite different from a 1ct Tanzanite for example. Also with coloured gemstones, unlike diamonds, they are not always precision cut and therefore you can get deep or shallow stones and this makes the stone face up either bigger or smaller. My avatar is of an Alexandrite and it measures 11.17 x 6.53 x 6.57.

Actually LD I was referring to the L/W of your Alexandrite rather than the ct. I see from your dimensions it's a 1.71, so my guess wan't far off. Did you deliberately chose that higher L/W?

I just created a Youtube account for the video so I hope this link works:

 

[qubitasaurus]

I don't know. I think the price sounds about right for a sapphire that size, and the accompanying halo (by the way I think they are totally overhyping the construction of the setting). But with that budget I would be mercilessly picky. For instance when I compare the video with this one, I just feel like the pear sapphire doesn't appeal to me as much.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

I too am having a bit of a hard time, but I'm not personally a fan of darker blue sapphires. Like @qubitasaurus said though, I think the price is about right for a sapphire of that size.

If it were my present, I'd 100% want this Paraiba (with the purchase contingent on an AGL Prestige Report verifying her info) and then go the custom necklace route.

Just to compare, I'd be super curious if Mayer & Watt has a blue pear sapphire you'd be interested in. They don't deal directly with the public, but I know Elle (from The Gemstone Project) has a relationship with them. Ignore their online prices - they sell to the trade. And their online inventory doesn't even come close to their actual inventory. Worth an ask/email.

 

[Sabrina31]

OP i'm not sure if you're also looking for a custom piece, but this sapphire is a really pretty color, and may be a good option in a pear. I dont see the color zoning that your orignal option has. I actually think the original option is beautiful, but if you're noticing flaws now, i wouldnt buy it because it will only stick out in your mind. Also at your price point i wouldnt rush or settle.
So heres another option,
https://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/unheated_ceylon_color_change_sapphire_2_86/10880/18562

 

[Sabrina31]

Oops sorry it may be smaller than what you're looking for.

 

[LD]

Actually LD I was referring to the L/W of your Alexandrite rather than the ct. I see from your dimensions it's a 1.71, so my guess wan't far off. Did you deliberately chose that higher L/W?

I just created a Youtube account for the video so I hope this link works:

The video works! Yeah! It definitely has a half/half thing going on with the top of the sapphire very dark indeed. Based on the video, I would hesitate as it is very dark. The bottom of the sapphire is lovely but if you think the overall look would annoy you (ie not seeing much blue in the top of the sapphire), then save your money. There's always another stone waiting for you somewhere!

I didn't specifically chose the size of the stone in my avatar. It is actually a very well cut Alex and they don't come by very often so it was a no-brainer and I didn't care about the cut proportions!

 

[prs]

Thanks for all the info, I'm learning a lot!

The seller, Italian Design Jewelers, has a huge presence on ebay with 9,000 pieces listed at prices up to $350,000 Here is their listing for the pendant:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ESTATE-LAR...d=162772595760&_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850

They maintain the pendant is a uniform, vivid blue despite the fact their photos and video all show the top third of the stone to be very dark, almost black. I would have thought an online jeweler of this size would have the expertise to take representative photos!

I don't think we can live with that stone as is, and I'm going to pursue having a custom pendant made with a similar design. Any advice you can give as to how to go about that would be very much appreciated.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Maybe start here. And see if the one chrono suggested is still available. Otherwise I think sparkliesluver's suggestion is spot on. The gemstone project may be able to source you a spectacular stone.

 

[prs]

I think given this is going to be a pendant that will require a certain size, the minimum dimensions for the sapphire need to be 12x8 mm, and our personal preference is for a L/W minimum of 1.50 and up to 1.75. The $13,600 was the asking price for that pendant and not my budget, and I'm pretty sure a heat treated sapphire is in our future

I have no idea what a setting might cost, but I'm thinking the 22 high quality 2 mm, 3-pointer diamonds would retail for less than $1,000, so maybe everything except the stone might be obtained for $2,500?

Looking at the various gemstone sites I am now able to spot the really awful stones, but am much less confident of my ability to separate the great sapphires from the mediocre, this sure isn't as easy as buying a diamond

 

[elle_71125]

I too am having a bit of a hard time, but I'm not personally a fan of darker blue sapphires. Like @qubitasaurus said though, I think the price is about right for a sapphire of that size.

If it were my present, I'd 100% want this Paraiba (with the purchase contingent on an AGL Prestige Report verifying her info) and then go the custom necklace route.

Just to compare, I'd be super curious if Mayer & Watt has a blue pear sapphire you'd be interested in. They don't deal directly with the public, but I know Elle (from The Gemstone Project) has a relationship with them. Ignore their online prices - they sell to the trade. And their online inventory doesn't even come close to their actual inventory. Worth an ask/email.

How could you?! I just stopped thinking about this beauty and you had to bring it up again. Why????

 

[Bron357]

Hi again, I just checked the eBay link and spotted this necklace also for sale with them.
The little pendant, nothing eye catching - just your standard type sapphire with diamond pendant - with a “measles” .66 diamonds and nice but “meh” sapphire is over $13.5K and this number is under $10K!!!!
No points for guessing which one I’d be buying!

 

[qubitasaurus]

I think given this is going to be a pendant that will require a certain size, the minimum dimensions for the sapphire need to be 12x8 mm, and our personal preference is for a L/W minimum of 1.50 and up to 1.75. The $13,600 was the asking price for that pendant and not my budget, and I'm pretty sure a heat treated sapphire is in our future

I have no idea what a setting might cost, but I'm thinking the 22 high quality 2 mm, 3-pointer diamonds would retail for less than $1,000, so maybe everything except the stone might be obtained for $2,500?

Looking at the various gemstone sites I am now able to spot the really awful stones, but am much less confident of my ability to separate the great sapphires from the mediocre, this sure isn't as easy as buying a diamond

Sorry but I think you need to reassess the cost of the setting. It might need to be custom and with that much pave you will need more than 1 k. If the stone genuinely is that big I would expect to pay at least 1.5 k (I think maybe 2k, maybe a bit more depending on the diamond quality and size). Why not find a jewler and ask them for a quote before proceeding?

In terms of stones this is the closest I know to what you are describing
http://www.thegemtrader.com/Feb16BSapphirePage.htm

A good quality sapphire in the 1-2.5 ct range might set you back 1-2 k per ct. (The one above is a bit cheaper due to the large amount of silk which is going to give it a muted appearance. You can trade quality for size a little bit. But it becomes unproductive at some stage.) Unfortunately the stone you are describing will need to be 4+ ct. Typically these jump up in price and cost more like 3 k per ct -- hence why 13 k would probably be a fair price if it was a really nice sapphire.

How about a tourmaline or a zircon? They come in gorgeous blue green colours and will give you more presence. And in a pendant it really doesn't matter about durability as much.

 

[prs]

In regard to finding a good jeweler to make our custom pendant; last night I stumbled across your Victor Canera thread in "Show Me The Bling". Look what I found on the first page:



Here's the link to the story of this stunning piece: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...from-swala-in-a-halo-by-victor-canera.165988/

My wife was Googling Mahange Spinel when she saw this...I'm in big trouble!!

 

[prs]

A good quality sapphire in the 1-2.5 ct range might set you back 1-2 k per ct. (The one above is a bit cheaper due to the large amount of silk which is going to give it a muted appearance. You can trade quality for size a little bit. But it becomes unproductive at some stage.) Unfortunately the stone you are describing will need to be 4+ ct. Typically these jump up in price and cost more like 3 k per ct -- hence why 13 k would probably be a fair price if it was a really nice sapphire.

How about a tourmaline or a zircon? They come in gorgeous blue green colours and will give you more presence. And in a pendant it really doesn't matter about durability as much.

I think looking at alternate, less expensive materials might be a good idea. We could hopefully move up to a stone more appropriately sized for a pendant, maybe 18x12 mm, and still not break the bank. I see lots of tanzanite on ebay, would that be something to consider?

 

[prs]

Hi again, I just checked the eBay link and spotted this necklace also for sale with them.
The little pendant, nothing eye catching - just your standard type sapphire with diamond pendant - with a “measles” .66 diamonds and nice but “meh” sapphire is over $13.5K and this number is under $10K!!!!
No points for guessing which one I’d be buying!

My wife has her heart set on a pear, but I sure see your point!!!!

 

[qubitasaurus]

In regard to finding a good jeweler to make our custom pendant; last night I stumbled across your Victor Canera thread in "Show Me The Bling". Look what I found on the first page:



Here's the link to the story of this stunning piece: https://www.pricescope.com/communit...from-swala-in-a-halo-by-victor-canera.165988/

My wife was Googling Mahange Spinel when she saw this...I'm in big trouble!!

Lol yes, but on the plus side she has exquisite taste . This one is on sale at the moment -- also spinel is something the gemstone project may be able to help you with.

I think I might owe you an apology -- I misread your earlier post as only having a 3.5 k budget for the entire piece. I didn't realize you meant 2.5 k just for the setting. I always think it never hurts to have options, so I would probably still consider lots of different stones. However if your budget is not so tight, it does not really matter as much. (I would still get a quote for the setting though, if you would like to use Victor Canera then you may need to allocate a higher portion of the budget to the setting).

Tanzanite is soft (you will need to make sure your jeweler is skilled enough not to chip it during the setting process) but pendants are much safer than rings, and it could turn out quite spectacular. I would look at everything, the more trouble the better . Then decide what you want most!

 

[prs]

I think I might owe you an apology -- I misread your earlier post as only having a 3.5 k budget for the entire piece. I didn't realize you meant 2.5 k just for the setting. I always think it never hurts to have options, so I would probably still consider lots of different stones. However if your budget is not so tight, it does not really matter as much. (I would still get a quote for the setting though, if you would like to use Victor Canera then you may need to allocate a higher portion of the budget to the setting).

Yes, 3.5 k for a 4 ct custom sapphire pendant would have been a bit off, but you did try to set me straight very gently

I've never seen a tanzanite or a spinel in real life, so a lot more research is required before that decision gets made. However this tanzanite just happened to catch my eye: https://www.ebay.com/itm/13-23-Cara...hash=item2efb7f5ac6:m:mMGfMVRBOyxNlA7P4rGjmAQ

What do you think? All opinions welcome.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Yes it is lovely albeit a little dark, I would take a good look around though and contrast it to what an equivalent budget will buy you in a sapphire

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/gemstones/?sku=G85699

and what you can get elsewhere in a tanzanite as well

http://www.paraibainternational.com/product_info.php?product=3390
By the way I would deal with Leibish directly through their website, they are having a sale at the moment. And furthermore I am feeling really edgy about some of the photos on their ebay

i.e. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-88-Carat-Blue-Sapphire-Loose-Gemstone-Cushion-Cut-GRS-Certified-/202114364602?hash=item2f0ef474ba (is it just me? Or do the first 3 photos look like the exact same picture with different editing on the background -- and a 90 degree rotation on photo 1.)

 

[prs]

qubitasaurus, I share your concerns about Leibish, although they do have more decent size pears than most.

DW or as I prefer, SWMBO, has let it be known in no uncertain terms that tanzanite is out. We are definitely back to a pear sapphire in the region of 4 carats. Mahenge Spinel is also a possibility, but my limited research indicates that finding a pear in this size would be difficult, and we actually need to see one IRL before it could become a definite possibility.

We have to be in Downtown LA next week, so if anybody knows of a store that might have some good quality Mahenge Spinels in stock, we could get that part of the conundrum sorted.

 

[prs]

Just to compare, I'd be super curious if Mayer & Watt has a blue pear sapphire you'd be interested in. They don't deal directly with the public, but I know Elle (from The Gemstone Project) has a relationship with them. Ignore their online prices - they sell to the trade. And their online inventory doesn't even come close to their actual inventory. Worth an ask/email.

I was just googling Mahenge Spinel and hit Elle's non-Etsy website https://thegemstoneproject.com/ It's very impressive and I'll definitely be in contact once we know for sure exactly what we want.

 

[chrono]

To further tempt the good lady, my avatar is an almost 5 ct Mehenge spinel too.

 

[prs]

To follow up; we were able to look at a couple of smaller pear shaped sapphire pendants last week, and were able to determine that a halo pendant with a 12x8 mm centre stone would be plenty big enough. In fact maybe just about perfect in the "not too small, but not too big" debate

Unfortunately we are coming to the conclusion that blue sapphire might be the gemstone least conducive to being cut into a pear. Every stone we saw had dark areas to a lesser or greater extent, the only exceptions were the really pale stones. Plenty of great looking sapphires in more symmetrical shapes but no pears! Interestingly we saw a couple of pear shaped pink sapphires with uniform color and some great looking red spinel pears.