Advice on this sapphire ring please!!

[Seekingsapphires]

Hello all - I’m new here and would be super grateful for you advice.

I’m looking to buy a sapphire ring (as a replacement for my engagement ring that was stolen a few years ago). I have a smallish budget and don’t care about a perfect ring (ie, it can have some wear), but just want something beautiful.

I’ve found this ring for sale at auction - can’t see it in person, but I love it. Auction house has said they think it’s a natural sapphire but don’t know what treatments have been done to it.

Does it look natural and like a good quality sapphire?? There are some small chips to the diamonds apparently and a ‘nibble’ to the sapphire. I’m not fussed about that, if it doesn’t affect the integrity of the stone. Grateful for any advice!!

 

[PinkAndBlueBling]

They think it's natural??? Yikes! That can really impact the price.

Do you have any more information about the stone, including the size and price? It will help us. It's so hard to tell from your photos, but a good part of the stone is darker than the rest - the bottom half and a triangIe-shaped area on top. I can't see the faceting, either.

 

[Seekingsapphires]

They think it's natural??? Yikes! That can really impact the price.

Do you have any more information about the stone, including the size and price? It will help us. It's so hard to tell from your photos, but a good part of the stone is darker than the rest - the bottom half and a triangIe-shaped area on top. I can't see the faceting, either.

Thanks so much for the reply! This is the info I’ve been given:

Condition:
Three of the diamonds have a small chip to the table facet edge and one other has a few minute chips to the table facet edge. Sapphire dimensions are 9.3mm by 6.7mm, with a depth by 5.3mm. Tiny nibble to the table facet edge of the sapphire. Diamonds approx. 3mm in diameter.

We cannot comment as to whether or not the sapphire has been subject to any treatment. UK hallmarked but date letter rubbed, would suggest within the last 30 years.

Price guide is $1000 - $1500 USD.

Thanks so much!!

 

[Seekingsapphires]

One other thing, I can see what appears to be few tiny air bubbles in first photo - is that a sign of a synthetic stone? Thanks!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think there are too many unknowns to even begin to determine value, and the setting doesn’t look in great shape and repairs can mount up.

 

[Avondale]

There isn't much that can be judged from a photo alone, but there are some reasonable assumptions one might make.

First of all, that sapphire is in the ~3ct range. That's considerable for a sapphire. As @PinkAndBlueBling mentioned above, the price difference between a natural 3ct sapphire and a synthetic one is significant. If the sapphire was natural, it would cost a lot more and the seller could sell it for a lot more. Therefore we must ask the question, why didn't the seller submit the ring to a gem lab for identification? They could very easily do that.

Blue sapphires are usually just heated. Other treatments are very uncommon. So, for a natural sapphire you basically have the two options, heated or untreated. Again, significant price difference. Again, why doesn't the seller want to verify?

When you're shopping from someone you don't know and can't trust, it's safest to assume the worst in order to protect yourself. The worst here would be that the sapphire is synthetic. That makes the value tank. The seller could very well know this and represent the stone as "we think it's natural" as a way to attract unsuspecting buyers. They have been very careful as to avoid stating it's natural in their listing description.

Furthermore, I found the original listing and looked closely at the condition of the ring. A number of diamonds from the halo are not at all secure in their prongs, and, to be honest, the prongs on the sapphire itself look hideous. Like someone just polished the rough edges off of them after cutting them and didn't bother shaping them any further. Almost seems like whoever was creating that ring didn't put much effort in it.

Usually, when you have a valuable stone, such as a 3ct sapphire, the finished piece of jewellery, whatever it is, would cost a pretty penny. But, you see, the people who would be willing to spend that kind of money on a single piece of jewellery are usually quite particular about the quality they want to wear. And they can also afford that quality. So, even though it's not impossible, it's unlikely that the sapphire is worth much given the questionable quality of the setting.

Another reason I believe that is the wearer was clearly not taking much care of it. We're talking decades of daily wear through every activity possible in order to accumulate all that chip damage to the stones. People usually do that with rings that aren't that valuable. They want to wear something pretty and enjoy it without regretting later that they ruined a rare gem.

Last but not least, I imagine the price range you gave was your own budget because the seller's estimation is lower than that. Which further makes me believe even the seller doesn't have much faith in that ring's value.

In conclusion, I'd say that if you're not particular about whether you want to wear a natural stone, you could go for this one and just not consider what the sapphire actually is. It's likely to fall neatly within your budget. You'll have to consider the ring will need some work done in order to secure the diamonds, though, and take that into account when budgeting. Plus, you can always send it to a lab yourself to verify what it actually is, if you're curious.

 

[Bron357]

For $1,000 I’d consider it.
Pros - good price point. Will be a good size on the finger.
Cons - the sapphire could be lab. Chipped small diamonds have virtually no value, the main cost replacing them is in the labour. A number of the prongs look like in need of attention, again the cost of re tipping them will quickly add up.
You might spend $1,000 (likely $1250 with buyers premium) only to spend another $500 plus replacing chipped diamonds and re tipping most the prongs. Sending it away for a lab report will be another $200 or so and it might come back as lab.
I am a long time auction buyer and not being able to view in person is not an insignificant risk as there is no return in an auction environment.
So I’d only spend $1,000 on the ring if my intention was not to replace the diamonds or get a lab report and I’d be hoping that the prongs don’t need work.

 

[Seekingsapphires]

Thanks so much for your advice all! Really grateful for you taking the time.

Just to clarify, the cost estimate I included was the auction price guide plus the almost 40% tax (buyers premium), which is why it was higher than indicated on the website. Also, on checking my emails I think the language used when I enquired as to whether it was synthetic or natural, was they ‘believed’ it to be natural (rather than ‘think’). Not super compelling either I suppose!

I can see I’m probably a bit out of depth with this one and don’t have a full sense of what’s involved, so will probably need to pass.

Many thanks again!

 

[Autumn in New England]

This is a particularly attractive halo design, IMO. If you really love this piece, it is a must that you tell the auction house that the sale is contingent on a lab of your choice certifying that all stones are natural (treatment tolerance is up to you). So the length of your return policy must be adequate, and a full refund must be offered. If any of those parameters are not met, then I would most certainly move on. Lots of pretty sapphire rings for all budgets out there. So sorry about the theft of your original ring... good luck in your hunt!!