Any Sapphire Mavens Out There?

[BEDAZZLED]

Do you have to be concerned with the shallowness and/or depth of a sapphire like you do a diamond?

Is a shallow or deep stone better?

Why would a square sapphire appear to have a white center?

Can you direct me to any sapphire education sites?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[tonysgeko]

Bedazzled, may you post a pic of the sapphire in question? Do you see the white center in all lighting conditions and when you move the stone can you see the white from underneath the stone and sides? Hopefully an expert will answer your questions.

 

[oldminer]

I handle lots of colored gems. Sapphires with good briliancy will be deeper than well cut diamonds due to their lower refractive index. Shallow sapphires will be more watery. You can have a wonderful looking sapphire that is so deep that it will difficult to even set it, but out of a setting it is very tempting as it looks so nice..

Sapphires will have a deep blue color concentration near the culet that spreads blueness around the entire stone. If you try to cut the stone more shallow you'd lose the color zone and ruin the beautiful color. Many sapphires are cut this way and really can fool the eye. Re-cutting can be very problematic.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

Does a square sapphire have a culet?

In cetain light, when I look into the center of the stone
I see white and an X? Is this a reflection or what? The sapphire has 4 baguettes on either side of it.

Also, the color changes in different light and also changes when I move the stone. What is a good color for a sapphire?

I read somewhere that a shallow stone has more saturation of color.

 

[oldminer]

All stones have a base facet or a point. These can be considered culets.

I cannot tell what the X comes from.

Some sapphire do have a color change from one light source type to another. Many don't. Some sapphires are color zoned. As you move the stone the amount of color may appear to change.

A good color for a sapphire is a strong, even, medium deep blue. What does that look like? It is about the same as aksing how does a steak taste? We all see thing differently. I have told you what the market values the most becuase of demand, apparanet beauty and rarity. Anyone is free to choose the color, hue, that they prefer the most. Philadelphians like dark blue sapphires that are generally not the greatest. That's their choice, I guess.

A stone cut shallow may have been cut that way becuase if it was cut deep it would have been so dark as to appear black. Yes, a shallow stone might have more color, too much to be cut for brilliancy. Who knows without seeing it?

One thing for sure, you don't cut a shallow stone from fine rough on purpose. You cut a well cut stone if at all possible from fine rough. You cut shallow stones as nature demands them to be cut or wasted. Flashy jewelry can make use of shallow stones with little weight and a big show. They may look very nice, but something is always lacking in a thin stone.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

Why would a sapphire look transparent and appear to have a window in the center in the sunlight?

Does this reflect a poorly cut stone or one with a poor color?

Please advise.

 

[oldminer]

A window in the center indicates the cutting was done that way to lighten a dark body color or because they wanted a large diameter with minimal depth due to the nature of the rough sapphire crystal. You cannot really tell WHY unless you saw the rough first.

Economics plays a large part in cutting decisions. Poor cutting, possibly an indicator of lack of knowledge about the material, is not a likely. These guys know what they are doing and we must assume this.

There is lots of poor quality cut colored stones bacause of poor quality rough or the cheap labor being employed in thrid world countries. Fine material, cut improperly, gets recut once it is imported to the USA or into Europe. Commercial material is not generally recut, but left as-is.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

So, does a window mean a "cheap" looking stone???? Can you find a stone w/o a window?

How much does a good quality sapphire (VS) run per carat for a square stone?

Which has a higher value a princess cut square or a step-cut square?
Which is more attractive in terms of brilliance and diplay of color?

Thanks for all the great info.

 

[oldminer]

A window does not make a stone cheap looking, it makes it watery looking. You will find few princess cut sapphires but many step cuts. What size do you need? That has an effect on price? Country of origin also has an effect?

 

[BEDAZZLED]

For those of us that are clueless about gemstones....

What does "watery" mean? Can you further describe or give an example?

I am looking for a 1 carat, VS, royalish blue sapphire.

Thanks again.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

Please define or show an example of a "watery" sapphire.

Muchas Gracias!!!!

 

[oldminer]

when you look through shallow water in a lazy lake, you don't see as clearly as through window glass, but there is no brilliancy, either. This is "waery". transparent with some distortions due to the facets, but not brilliant. A window effect kind of like antqiue glass having some distortions....

It does not sound very good and it isn't. However, watery centers on thin stones are commonplace and acceptable in commerical quality jewelry. Some very fine watery stones can be seen in cabochon cuts so it is n't always "bad".

Rose diamonds are "watery" also.

 

[BEDAZZLED]

How about this...

Is it natural to see relfections of the side stones (diamonds) through the sides of a sapphire that is set in the center?

Should the basket that a sapphire is set in have a hole on the bottom?

Would a basket w/o a hole on the bottom reflect through the center of the stone?

What are the common flaws in a sapphire?
Are flaws more apparent in sapphires than diamonds?

Thanks you are a wealth of help!

 

[BEDAZZLED]

I solved my window and watery sapphire dilema.

I went back to the jeweler and traded the shallower stone for a deeper one. The stone is lovely and it is set with 4 wide baguettes (that almost look like emerald cuts) on either side.

I am tempted to say that I even like this ring better than my beautiful diamond engagement ring. I think sapphires have a lot of character.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[tonysgeko]

Congrats on your purchase Bedazzled, are you going to post a pic of the ring?