Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement Ring

[GregS]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

ah, im not crazy about the color in that lighting, gets a bit grey

I forgot, Tiffany also attached a few photos. One, a higher resolution version of what's on their site, and another of the stone in her hand. Looks like that second one was taken indoors, although it's obviously impossible to know what type of lighting it might have been. In both shots, they show the color I prefer.

I think this stone will black out an awful lot but look spectacular at times as well. It's too dark in tone for my tastes and I'd be afraid it'd be off more than on.

 

[shulaibaoma]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

It is a great learning experience.

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

I think the last stone from Tiffany looks promising, but it may be dark in some light sources. Do they have a good return policy?

 

[chrono]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Even if the vendor has a good return policy, will they give you grief should you need to return it? That's the tricky/risky part for me when spending $$$ with an unknown/unvetted vendor.

As for the Finewater sapphire, I personally prefer a violet shift indoors over it becoming gray/dark.

 

[ChrisPowers]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

I think the last stone from Tiffany looks promising, but it may be dark in some light sources. Do they have a good return policy?

Thanks for the opinion, pregcurious. Their return policy is pretty fair on paper: 100% "no hassle" refund within 14 days. I would just have to pay the shipping costs. Of course, a return policy is only as good as the honesty and integrity of whoever's offering it, but I'm relatively confident in my dealings with Tiffany so far that they would be true to their word. Unfortunately, they don't offer much in the way of sales or discounts, and the wire transfer discount isn't enough to warrant losing the protection of a credit card, so pretty much the price you see is the price you pay.

 

[ChrisPowers]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Ok folks, if I can bug you again for some opinions, I'd love to know what you think of this stone:

http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/18351
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=18351

Ignoring the price momentarily, do you guys think it's also too dark? Although Ed gives it the same Tone rating as the previous one that interested me, which many felt was too dark, this one does seem to be a hair brighter, as mentioned by Ed in his description. What worries me, however, is the relatively lower Cut rating that he gives it, which is difficult for me to appreciate from the images offered and my low level of expertise.

And in other news, how about this beauty:

http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/19036
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=19036

What a beautiful glow. It's well outside my price range, but with a discount, I'm almost compelled to rethink my setting considerations and nab this guy. What do you think? Am I missing something about the cut? Shallow crown, too deep overall, etc.? I don't see the dents Ed refers to, but I'm not sure I know what to look for.

 

[Arcadian]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Chris, the top one looks to be much darker than the bottom.

 

[T L]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Ok folks, if I can bug you again for some opinions, I'd love to know what you think of this stone:

http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/18351
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=18351

Ignoring the price momentarily, do you guys think it's also too dark? Although Ed gives it the same Tone rating as the previous one that interested me, which many felt was too dark, this one does seem to be a hair brighter, as mentioned by Ed in his description. What worries me, however, is the relatively lower Cut rating that he gives it, which is difficult for me to appreciate from the images offered and my low level of expertise.

And in other news, how about this beauty:

http://wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10880/19036
http://wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=19036

What a beautiful glow. It's well outside my price range, but with a discount, I'm almost compelled to rethink my setting considerations and nab this guy. What do you think? Am I missing something about the cut? Shallow crown, too deep overall, etc.? I don't see the dents Ed refers to, but I'm not sure I know what to look for.

The first one appears to have a window that is being cleverly covered up in the photos. It's also rather dark, and I wouldn't consider it "deep Kashmir blue," but metaphors are speculative. I don't trust AIGS for corundum. AGL has caught heated sapphires that were deemed unheated by them, and for that price, I would want to be absolutely sure.

Never heard of the gem lab, CGI, for the second one. He talks about a color shift on this one, but he "cannot capture it on photo," so you might not like the shift.

 

[MollyMalone]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

I think the last stone from Tiffany looks promising, but it may be dark in some light sources. Do they have a good return policy?

Thanks for the opinion, pregcurious. Their return policy is pretty fair on paper: 100% "no hassle" refund within 14 days. I would just have to pay the shipping costs. Of course, a return policy is only as good as the honesty and integrity of whoever's offering it, but I'm relatively confident in my dealings with Tiffany so far that they would be true to their word. Unfortunately, they don't offer much in the way of sales or discounts, and the wire transfer discount isn't enough to warrant losing the protection of a credit card, so pretty much the price you see is the price you pay.

Were I in your shoes, think I'd give it a shot -- and ask Tiffany about the mechanics of ordering it on approval, an option mentioned on the web site (e.g., will they send it to an independent appraiser here in NYC where you would inspect the stone at his office before your credit card is charged; if so, I can recommend David Wolf). It's the stone you keep coming back to; it has an AGL report; and there's nothing quite like seeing a stone for yourself in real life.

I understand why chrono is leery about making a purchase from "an unknown/unvetted vendor", but
* many of the vendors recommended here on PS don't have reviews elsewhere on the 'net (or if some do, they are buried in Google, aren't readily apparent) & it's only through purchases by PSers that they became known here; some PSer had to be the first to buy from them
* we did not see for ourselves any bad behavior by AstrologicalGem (their response on RipoffReport was unobjectionable), and for a number of reasons I won't go into here, I put no stock in that poster's story
* AstrologicalGem is in the States, so a return, and the credit card chargeback routine (were that necessary), is easier than when dealing with a foreign entity

One other possibility (apologies if it was previously mentioned up-thread); have you checked Gem2000's web site? Gem2000 deals only with those in the trade, but a local jeweler should be able to bring in 1 or more stones on approval & we've seen that some of AfricaGem's listings are Gem2000 stones, so you could explore this further with them.

 

[ChrisPowers]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Hey guys,

I just wanted to take a second to thank everybody who took the time to read this thread, and especially those who responded with incredibly useful information and advice. I thought I owed it to you guys to give a final update on how things turned out.

After much hand-wringing and internal conflict, and considering that returning or exchanging a custom setting would be out of the question or at the very least quite painful, I decided to involve my girlfriend in the decision so as to ensure she gets exactly what she wants. Actually, considering that she had expressed equal interest in a diamond-like solitaire and a sapphire halo of the type described in this thread, I decided to go ahead and purchase the former with the option to return the ring if necessary. That way, I was able to at least preserve the element of surprise, while retaining the option to exchange for a sapphire halo if need be.

In the end, she very much liked the solitaire and has decided to keep it. That said, I still feel this thread was incredibly valuable, and I hope it will prove useful to others in the future. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to look at stones for me and answer dumb amateur questions. I very much appreciate it.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

So does that mean that congratulations are in order? If so, congrats! Hand shots!

 

[ChrisPowers]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

So does that mean that congratulations are in order? If so, congrats! Hand shots!

It does indeed. Thanks a lot!

 

[Arcadian]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Awesome and congrats! Where's the handshots?

 

[ChrisPowers]

Re: Advice on Finding Sapphire Center Stone for Engagement R

Awesome and congrats! Where's the handshots?

I'm gonna have to ask her for some! Hopefully she's not too bashful...