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Anyone ever buy from IG seller leenagemslk?

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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5,520
I do understand the Sri Lankan and Singaporean gemstone industry/marketing strategies.

Yes, I do believe that anyone anywhere selling a gemstone which they describe as "unheated" and/or "untreated" should be backed up with an independent lab report.

It is my opinion that anyone marketing a stone as unheated and/or untreated without an independent lab report is not reputable. Since this is my opinion, it is not slander.

And, yes, I can apply my own standards to any industry/market in the world.
 
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deorwine

Shiny_Rock
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May 5, 2005
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348
I need to be very clear here. I have not suggested I know anything about this vendor and his practices.

In general terms, if a seller says something is heated or unheated that might be their opinion based on their experience BUT as we all know not all vendors are truthful and not all labs are equal. Of importance also is price. Typically unheated/untreated stones will cost more. If, as a buyer, treatments (or lack of) are important and then it makes perfect sense to verify the purchase with a lab report from a recognised lab. Once the full picture is known then you have a good indication of whether the price paid is fair.

From a gut reaction perspective any seller with beautiful looking gemstones, for sale at a level below you would find elsewhere, with no recognised lab reports gives me red flags. For an inexpensive purchase I might still go ahead (after getting assurances from the vendor I could return if I obtain a contradictory lab report). For an expensive purchase I would ALWAYS verify.

All of the above is just good practice but I hope it clarifies my position and I can’t emphasise that this is general and not directed at any seller in general.

Oh and something you may find interesting .... I’ve been looking at a particular stone and the lab report (where they have a LIBS machine etc) reported that the stone was heated BUT the lab phoned the vendor and said that the measurements for heat were so low that they barely registered but because it had registered they had no option but to declare it heated. Turns out the heating had been done with the traditional blowpipe method. Just thought you might find that interesting.

Thanks for being clear LD. I admit that from your previous post ("my bet would be that it's been treated as well") I also got the impression that you were singling out/accusing this vendor. Now that I see what you mean (when you see any vendor that has cheaper than usual gemstones and no recognized lab reports, you start worrying) I understand what you're saying. Thanks for coming back and clarifying!
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 18, 2020
Messages
930
@marymm When dealing with Sri Lanka sellers, there is no GIA report but local lab is possible if they have brought to the local lab. The Sri Lanka sellers used to come to Singapore too (before the pandemic) and even when I get stones through my jeweler, they are typically not certed and will only be sent in to my local lab (which I trust) if him or his clients are interested in a stone. Outside of Gubelin, SSEF and GIA which are recognized internationally, I can see even an AGL certified stone being recertified using a local lab due to lack of lab recognition factor in this part of the world (very unlikely scenario since stones are more expensive in the US and I can’t imagine them selling at those prices here). And people won’t send a cheap stone worth a few hundreds to Gubelin or GIA to certify. The cert is so expensive YKWIM (especially for Gubelin)? Also, if my memory is right there are other (well loved by PSers) vendors who do sell what is stated as heated but otherwise untreated stones without cert but based in the US. Do you consider them as not reputable too? I don’t want to name them here but they are not hard to find and I don’t recall anyone saying they are not reputable just cos of that.

======
I hesitated to get into this debate but I think it’s unfair to tar all the sellers from other parts of the world just because they sell cheaper and don’t have the certs that is preferred in some other part of the world (which the seller can’t get from where they are based anyway). I also don’t want anyone who reads this thread to stop thinking about alternative sources for gems then what they can get locally.

Totally agree with what has been noted that practice is different but the price is very very different too. We are not talking pennies, but up to multiple times the value of the stone. So hundreds, if not thousands depending on the stone. So maybe the low price makes you wary but for the rest of us used to buying closer to the source, that’s how it is. Flip the table and imagine how I wince when I see what people pay for the stones sometimes. Even in Singapore, the cost for settings and stones can easily be double even between B&M stores.

Buying closer to the source is not without risks but can potentially result in so much savings. Personally I’m willing to take some calculated risk as I can buy more beautiful baubles. Can understand if you are not willing to take the risk but different stones for different folks right? It’s like... some people maybe will buy pearls only from Mikimoto. Others are happy to get from a US based vendor, and then there are others like me who can go to the Japan or China based pearl vendors and buy closer to the source for maybe half the price.

Re: lighting, I still think that the location makes a difference, even the time of the day when the stone is seen, etc. as stones look different in different lighting/placesI recently moved house and my previous place had white walls, floor, etc. My current place has lots more brown. I actually find that my stones looked much better in my previous house (so yes white interiors again next time lol).

======
@LD I agree that I still don’t see blue but the most recent pic you posted does look much better than the first pic you posted. I hope it wasn’t a pricey purchase for you.

Just to clarify, no links to any sellers.

Good post!

Yes, we must also remember where all the US dealers are getting their stones. The source. Every dealer gets their stones from source countries that are fulltime financially stable dealers, or from close outs from non-source countries or collectors selling off their collections.

Most people would be shocked what B & M retail pays long time established colored gemstone American wholesalers here. Traditional trade only dealers.

A fact - that the closer you get to the equator the more vivid the stone in sunlight. The farther away the less.

A fact - the different times of day can affect color in a gemstone.

A fact - It is better to take a picture on a cloudy day or in the shade than direct sun with most stones, as the full brunt of sunlight can close them up or overwhelm the cameras abilities to take a good picture.
 

icy_jade

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
6,131
I do understand the Sri Lankan and Singaporean gemstone industry/marketing strategies.

It’s not just Sri Lanka or Singapore. Plenty of US based and vendors from other countries do that too.

Yes, I do believe that anyone anywhere selling a gemstone which they describe as "unheated" and/or "untreated" should be backed up with an independent lab report.

It is my opinion that anyone marketing a stone as unheated and/or untreated without an independent lab report is not reputable. Since this is my opinion, it is not slander.

And, yes, I can apply my own standards to any industry/market in the world.

If this is a minus, then let’s be fair and include vendors from US and other countries. That said, I will not name any of the vendors but people who have bought stones from them will know who I’m referring to.

To be clear, I don’t share the same opinion that they are not reputable
 

prs

Brilliant_Rock
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I know you were not asking me, but in the mid 90's to somewhere in the 2000's there were a lot of BE treated stones this color. Beryllium diffusion. Meaning the cooker added an extra element, Beryllium that was not present in the Sapphire turning them very vivid in color. Generally, yellows, oranges, red/orange, but some other colors, though not often. They would heat these stones to the point the crystal lattice would start to melt, therefore allowing the Beryllium to enter the crystal and change the color once the crystal healed & cooled. This does not really go on today as most of the Sapphire that reacted to the treatment the best were from Songea, Tanzania, and they have since been depleted.



There are just heat only Sapphires this color. Always have been. People got real paranoid over BE treatment and still do, but they are just not out there anymore, at least ones that are produced the last several years. Plus, the gemstone industry in Thailand (the origin of BE treatment) got such a backlash that they for the most part stopped doing it as business went south.



There is every chance that your stone is just heated in the traditional way.

Back in 2019 at a large international gem show I was shown dozens of inexpensive yellow sapphires by two vendors. Both vendors freely admitted the sapphires were Beryllium treated. IMHO it would be a big mistake to assume there are no BE treated stones on today's market.
 

Arcadian

Ideal_Rock
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Sep 17, 2008
Messages
9,086
So, I saw some of the back and forth in this thread and I feel I need to say something. @LD has no reason to lie about the stone, like period.

Also, please remember this is a consumer board. We all will have some differences of opinion when it comes to certain vendors (l know I do) but the reality is if you buy from a vendor, no matter what part of the world they're from, be aware that they are someone who's sole purpose is to sell you something. They're trying to make money. You, hopefully are trying to buy a stone as is described.

As it is, gemstones are an emotional purchase. And while I might have a few favorite vendors, they became that way because of how I was treated as a customer especially if something went wrong. And I like many other have had isht go wrong.

I really could care less about how right things went, when it comes to purchases my main concern is how a vendor rectified the issue when things go downhill.

On to the stones. I am in the "trust but verify" camp. I don't care how upstanding you are, I'm still going to verify what you're trying to give me. Because quite honestly we have seen on this very board when even a vendor got it wrong, and the stone was not what it was supposed to be. Hell that happened to me too! However it was rectified to my satisfaction and the vendor did all they were supposed to do.

The more a stone is worth (notice I didn't say how much it costs), the more we should verify we're being sold what they're describing it as.


On the subject of environment: yes your environment matters.

Thats all, I'm out, carry on.
 

tinytiny

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
12
I have just made a considered purchase from a Sri Lankan seller who I can’t praise highly enough. I was sent 8 videos with different light sources plus photos plus detailed (and I mean detailed) description of the gemstone. There was NO pressure to buy, in fact the stone was reserved for me without any time limits and the seller told me to take as long as I needed. Not only that, he gave me assurances about the lab (GIC) and links to verify. His return policy is second to none. It took me a few weeks to pull the trigger but I did because of this amazing customer service. When I receive the stone I will give feedback to the forum whether it’s good or bad but for now, with this seller and gemstone I am pretty sure I’m going to get what I’ve been sold.

Just chiming in to say, LD, that I'm certain I purchased from the same vendor and was absolutely thrilled with the sapphire that arrived. The price included a lab report from GIC, on a small sapphire a bit more than a carat in weight, but he would have gotten the report whether or not I agreed to buy it. I'm an utter novice, and we really had a small budget for my engagement ring, but we were so well served by the nicest guy ever -- just by reading your post, I knew who you were talking about and I also can't recommend him enough.

I don't know enough about labs and things, but GIC (and more importantly for me, the confidence this experienced vendor has for GIC) seems trustworthy to me. Though our budget was comparably small to most people shopping for engagement stones, it was still a hefty sum for us so we wanted to be sure we were getting our money's worth without worrying about the need to pay for a different lab's report. We're delighted we got a gorgeous stone, close to the source, for a great price.

I'm so envious you got that gorgeous sapphire from him and I can't wait to see your pictures and review of it!
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Messages
930
Not saying they are completely off the market. Sure, there will be some that have been sitting around for years because they could not get sold. Vendors trying to get rid of them.


Two vendors selling BE treated Yellow Sapphires hardly makes for another massive invasion of the BE monster and they freely admitted they were BE treated.

Your most likely to find them in melee sizes. As there are always more smaller stones than larger ones. Always.
 
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fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
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Jul 18, 2020
Messages
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"Also, please remember this is a consumer board. We all will have some differences of opinion when it comes to certain vendors (l know I do) but the reality is if you buy from a vendor, no matter what part of the world they're from, be aware that they are someone who's sole purpose is to sell you something. They're trying to make money. You, hopefully are trying to buy a stone as is described."

The colored gemstone business is a very small world. No vendor has anything to gain by bamboozling the buyer other than returns, Paypal claims, and bad word of mouth. On this forum and others, but especially on social media like Facebook.


They don't last long. Karma comes and bites them on the butt sooner or later.
 
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Arcadian

Ideal_Rock
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Sep 17, 2008
Messages
9,086
"Also, please remember this is a consumer board. We all will have some differences of opinion when it comes to certain vendors (l know I do) but the reality is if you buy from a vendor, no matter what part of the world they're from, be aware that they are someone who's sole purpose is to sell you something. They're trying to make money. You, hopefully are trying to buy a stone as is described."

The colored gemstone business is a very small world. No vendor has anything to gain by bamboozling the buyer other than returns, Paypal claims, and bad word of mouth. On this forum and others, but especially on social media like Facebook.


They don't last long. Karma comes and bites them on the butt sooner or later.



Lest we forget what happened in rocky talky with Enchanted Diamonds last year.
And it happned recently that a vendor from etsy suddently just closed up shop taking people's money with it.

And either you weren't hear or forget the stuff that went down with Natural Sapphire.

The unfortunate part of all of this is that there are plenty of of "gem sellers" cheating their buyers out of their money on ebay, etsy, facebook etc. And they even get away with it. And then they come back as a totally different person, different business to only do it again.

It ruins it for the honest people. Thats not to say you don't have honest people in the business because there are and they're nice people also trying to make a buck even though they love what they do. But even with them, trust but verify applies.

Thats why these boards exist.

End of the day; when someone sells a product in good faith fantastic its great,, but there are plenty of people who have been burned, cheated out of money, got glass, got junk, had stones switched, myself included. You either learn and wise up , learn who to buy from or not to buy from, or, you don't.
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
930
Lest we forget what happened in rocky talky with Enchanted Diamonds last year.
And it happned recently that a vendor from etsy suddently just closed up shop taking people's money with it.

And either you weren't hear or forget the stuff that went down with Natural Sapphire.

The unfortunate part of all of this is that there are plenty of of "gem sellers" cheating their buyers out of their money on ebay, etsy, facebook etc. And they even get away with it. And then they come back as a totally different person, different business to only do it again.

It ruins it for the honest people. Thats not to say you don't have honest people in the business because there are and they're nice people also trying to make a buck even though they love what they do. But even with them, trust but verify applies.

Thats why these boards exist.

End of the day; when someone sells a product in good faith fantastic its great,, but there are plenty of people who have been burned, cheated out of money, got glass, got junk, had stones switched, myself included. You either learn and wise up , learn who to buy from or not to buy from, or, you don't.

I've am retired now. But was in retail/wholesale for 39 years.


I seen to many to count come and go, and some come back again. I appreciate what you are saying, but word gets around fast and us that are/were in the industry hear it first.

Yes, everyone knows about "Natural Sapphire. “Many knew it before it became news here.

The gemstone world is not a perfect place, but there are ways of figuring out what dealers are honest and what dealers are not. It takes years of experience and networking with hundreds of dealers. But the average consumer can have clues too.

Have a good night.
 
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prs

Brilliant_Rock
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Not saying they are completely off the market. Sure, there will be some that have been sitting around for years because they could not get sold. Vendors trying to get rid of them.


Two vendors selling BE treated Yellow Sapphires hardly makes for another massive invasion of the BE monster and they freely admitted they were BE treated.

Your most likely to find them in melee sizes. As there are always more smaller stones than larger ones. Always.

Actually the show I attended was held in Las Vegas in June 2019. I was trying to get comparables for the possible purchase of DW's estate 27.5ct yellow sapphire ring. The sapphire had an AGL cert stating heat treatment only and Ceylon origin.

Yellow Sapphire and Marquise Diamond Ring 10.jpg

The first colored stone vendor I approached had a whole tray of good looking, large yellow sapphires at around $100-200 per Carat. At that point I thought our estate yellow sapphire and diamond ring was way overpriced, However, I remembered reading here on PS about BE treatments so I asked. The vendor said, yes, they are all BE treated !!!!

I went thru the same process at the second vendor, but after he had shown me the BE treated stones I asked if he had any untreated stones. He did, and they were gorgeous and ten times the price of the BE heated sapphires!!!

Maybe I was unlucky, but I was two for two on BE treatment with the first two yellow sapphire dealers I approached. Anyway we dashed back and snapped up DW's yellow sapphire and marquise diamond ring.

It's true the cost of certs from reputable labs is more than pocket change, but IMHO, if the cost of the gem gets into the thousands then a good cert is well worth the money.
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Messages
930
Actually the show I attended was held in Las Vegas in June 2019. I was trying to get comparables for the possible purchase of DW's estate 27.5ct yellow sapphire ring. The sapphire had an AGL cert stating heat treatment only and Ceylon origin.

Yellow Sapphire and Marquise Diamond Ring 10.jpg

The first colored stone vendor I approached had a whole tray of good looking, large yellow sapphires at around $100-200 per Carat. At that point I thought our estate yellow sapphire and diamond ring was way overpriced, However, I remembered reading here on PS about BE treatments so I asked. The vendor said, yes, they are all BE treated !!!!

I went thru the same process at the second vendor, but after he had shown me the BE treated stones I asked if he had any untreated stones. He did, and they were gorgeous and ten times the price of the BE heated sapphires!!!

Maybe I was unlucky, but I was two for two on BE treatment with the first two yellow sapphire dealers I approached. Anyway we dashed back and snapped up DW's yellow sapphire and marquise diamond ring.

It's true the cost of certs from reputable labs is more than pocket change, but IMHO, if the cost of the gem gets into the thousands then a good cert is well worth the money.

When BE treament was first found out in the industry, 2002, if I remember right, everyone from the biggest dealers to the buying public had been hoodwinked by the Thai cookers (not all Thai cookers).

In the late 90's there was a wave of top color red/orange, orange and yellow Sapphires of the likes that have never been seen before or since. Dealers were snapping them up by the thousands, though a few wondered, what was the catch??? Well, the catch was BE treatment. All of a sudden stones they were selling for $100's to $1000's a carat depending on size, they could only get pennies on the dollar for. It was out in the open, BE treatment had been discovered. It came close to ruining the Sapphire business for Pads, yellows, oranges, red/orange. The price plummeted, even on heat only and non-treated stones. There is still a recovery going on for some of these colors. That is why heated yellows are less expensive.

Several years later after all the scandal had pretty much subsided, the price for these stones rose back up. Hence your $100.00 to $200.00 a carat stones. As the main source in Songea was depleted and the treatment was openly divulged when selling them the demand went up. Now, there is not much left out there as especially compared to the deluge of the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Yes, if your spending big money on Sapphires you should get a report before committing to buy or have a condition that you can get a full refund if the said stone turns out to be BE treated, especially for red/orange, orange and yellow vivid stones.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,261
So, I saw some of the back and forth in this thread and I feel I need to say something. @LD has no reason to lie about the stone, like period.

Also, please remember this is a consumer board. We all will have some differences of opinion when it comes to certain vendors (l know I do) but the reality is if you buy from a vendor, no matter what part of the world they're from, be aware that they are someone who's sole purpose is to sell you something. They're trying to make money. You, hopefully are trying to buy a stone as is described.

As it is, gemstones are an emotional purchase. And while I might have a few favorite vendors, they became that way because of how I was treated as a customer especially if something went wrong. And I like many other have had isht go wrong.

I really could care less about how right things went, when it comes to purchases my main concern is how a vendor rectified the issue when things go downhill.

On to the stones. I am in the "trust but verify" camp. I don't care how upstanding you are, I'm still going to verify what you're trying to give me. Because quite honestly we have seen on this very board when even a vendor got it wrong, and the stone was not what it was supposed to be. Hell that happened to me too! However it was rectified to my satisfaction and the vendor did all they were supposed to do.

The more a stone is worth (notice I didn't say how much it costs), the more we should verify we're being sold what they're describing it as.


On the subject of environment: yes your environment matters.

Thats all, I'm out, carry on.

Bless you and thank you x
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,261
Just chiming in to say, LD, that I'm certain I purchased from the same vendor and was absolutely thrilled with the sapphire that arrived. The price included a lab report from GIC, on a small sapphire a bit more than a carat in weight, but he would have gotten the report whether or not I agreed to buy it. I'm an utter novice, and we really had a small budget for my engagement ring, but we were so well served by the nicest guy ever -- just by reading your post, I knew who you were talking about and I also can't recommend him enough.

I don't know enough about labs and things, but GIC (and more importantly for me, the confidence this experienced vendor has for GIC) seems trustworthy to me. Though our budget was comparably small to most people shopping for engagement stones, it was still a hefty sum for us so we wanted to be sure we were getting our money's worth without worrying about the need to pay for a different lab's report. We're delighted we got a gorgeous stone, close to the source, for a great price.

I'm so envious you got that gorgeous sapphire from him and I can't wait to see your pictures and review of it!

I hope it lives up to expectations! He’s a new vendor to me but oh my his customer service is second to none isn’t it? Clever you for working out who the vendor is. It’s on its way so hopefully in a week or two I’ll be able to post photos!

Just to add in case it’s not clear to anybody reading this thread my new sapphire is not from Leenagems.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,261
When BE treament was first found out in the industry, 2002, if I remember right, everyone from the biggest dealers to the buying public had been hoodwinked by the Thai cookers (not all Thai cookers).

In the late 90's there was a wave of top color red/orange, orange and yellow Sapphires of the likes that have never been seen before or since. Dealers were snapping them up by the thousands, though a few wondered, what was the catch??? Well, the catch was BE treatment. All of a sudden stones they were selling for $100's to $1000's a carat depending on size, they could only get pennies on the dollar for. It was out in the open, BE treatment had been discovered. It came close to ruining the Sapphire business for Pads, yellows, oranges, red/orange. The price plummeted, even on heat only and non-treated stones. There is still a recovery going on for some of these colors. That is why heated yellows are less expensive.

Several years later after all the scandal had pretty much subsided, the price for these stones rose back up. Hence your $100.00 to $200.00 a carat stones. As the main source in Songea was depleted and the treatment was openly divulged when selling them the demand went up. Now, there is not much left out there as especially compared to the deluge of the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Yes, if your spending big money on Sapphires you should get a report before committing to buy or have a condition that you can get a full refund if the said stone turns out to be BE treated, especially for red/orange, orange and yellow vivid stones.

You are completely right about the history of BE however I’m not sure it’s correct to say that there are very few BE stones (apart from melee) on the market.

I’ve recently been talking with a number of vendors and they would disagree. Unfortunately sapphires are still being sold as untreated without lab reports that are potentially treated.

As I’ve said above if a stone looks too good to be true for the price then it’s sensible to err on the side of caution and have it checked. Where I would also differ is that I don’t think the cost of the stone is relevant if the buyer wants to be 100% sure of what they’ve been sold. For some (as can be seen in posts above) dealing with honest and ethical sellers is just as important.

On the other hand If the buyer doesn’t care about treatments or disclosures then ignore everything and enjoy the stone.
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Messages
930
You are completely right about the history of BE however I’m not sure it’s correct to say that there are very few BE stones (apart from melee) on the market.

I’ve recently been talking with a number of vendors and they would disagree. Unfortunately sapphires are still being sold as untreated without lab reports that are potentially treated.

As I’ve said above if a stone looks too good to be true for the price then it’s sensible to err on the side of caution and have it checked. Where I would also differ is that I don’t think the cost of the stone is relevant if the buyer wants to be 100% sure of what they’ve been sold. For some (as can be seen in posts above) dealing with honest and ethical sellers is just as important.

On the other hand If the buyer doesn’t care about treatments or disclosures then ignore everything and enjoy the stone.

The volume of BE treated Sapphire has shrunk substantially. It just is not out there in large numbers in large stones.

One of the largest colored gemstone dealers in the world, David Weinberg will tell you that. If he does not know, no one does. Just throwing David's name out there because most of you here know who he is. But there are hundreds you have never heard of that are trade only that will say the same thing. These are large international dealers who have 1000's of stones in inventory.

Sure, it is relevant to how much the stone cost for a report. You spend $200.00 to $500.000 on a Sapphire, when you get done paying for a report from one of your favored labs, with shipping, insurance, both ways you can be more than half or depending on the report bells and whistles you want, more than the cost of the stone its self. Better just to have an inhouse gemologist at a higher end boutique examine the stone to see if it is real, synthetic, or something completely different.
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
The volume of BE treated Sapphire has shrunk substantially. It just is not out there in large numbers in large stones.

There used to be enormous numbers on eBay (I bought my mother's stone during the time period they were going for pennies) and now I see very few non-melee stones on eBay and Etsy. They are also mostly not as attractive as the stones available in the early 2000s.
 

fredflintstone

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Messages
930
There used to be enormous numbers on eBay (I bought my mother's stone during the time period they were going for pennies) and now I see very few non-melee stones on eBay and Etsy. They are also mostly not as attractive as the stones available in the early 2000s.

Yes, because the Songea Sapphires performed best under BE treatment. They are no more. Other origins don't do near as well. It is all in the chemical makeup. So it is not as alluring for sellers to sale stones that are BE treated anymore, because the pop for the buck is not there. :);)2
 

Honeybasil

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Aug 26, 2019
Messages
421
I hope it lives up to expectations! He’s a new vendor to me but oh my his customer service is second to none isn’t it? Clever you for working out who the vendor is. It’s on its way so hopefully in a week or two I’ll be able to post photos!

Just to add in case it’s not clear to anybody reading this thread my new sapphire is not from Leenagems.

Can’t wait to hear who this vendor is!
 

Cerulean

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 13, 2019
Messages
5,077
I hope it lives up to expectations! He’s a new vendor to me but oh my his customer service is second to none isn’t it? Clever you for working out who the vendor is. It’s on its way so hopefully in a week or two I’ll be able to post photos!

Just to add in case it’s not clear to anybody reading this thread my new sapphire is not from Leenagems.

Now i am dying to know who it is! I also have worked with a Sri Lankan vendor on IG and had a really positive experience! It is a bit of the Wild West with no regulation, so real life experiences are worth a lot to me!
 

idola

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2020
Messages
128
Sorry for my terrible quality pictures, but I bought a sapphire from them and it came today.

Vendor picture (actually a frame from a video, I just don't know how to embed it):
EoWVhOzXUAI0RB3.png

Irl pictures:
98476A05-9C86-47CC-9536-F25E23718C26.jpeg
image0 (4).jpg

(Inside with overcast, cloudy light from outside)

It's not by any means a perfect gem, but I do feel that the vendor's videos and pictures were very honest. If anything I was pleasantly surprised by how well it picks orange up from the light. I'd buy from them again.
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
I sent the yellow sapphire that generated a bunch of discussion and some assertions that it was undisclosed BE or other treatment to GIA. It is heat-only, as Leenagemslk stated. =)2

It was however, slightly lighter than he stated at 1.58 ct vs. 1.74. This was the only one I bought without a CGL report because the office was closed at the time due to a covid lockdown - he gave me the option of waiting but I said ship it. The other sapphires and tsavorites I bought from him were after the lab reopened and came with CGL certs, and I have verified the weights and dimensions match the certs. So I believe this was an error, and I remain very pleased with this sapphire. Gia calls it "yellowish orange" and the photo on their cert is actually quite nice and accurate!!

picsapphirereport.PNG
 

CHRISTY-DANIELLE

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Messages
2,547
I finally got my sapphire from them back from being recut by Dan Stair. Before it was beautiful in bright light but nearly black in indoor light. Now it appears more deep teal in indoor light. Was sold to me as unheated and untreated. I believe that to be true as it is a bit silky. Not bad at all for the cost and the $100 recut.
20210119_134158.jpg
 

Polyhex

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 18, 2003
Messages
550
I finally got my sapphire from them back from being recut by Dan Stair. Before it was beautiful in bright light but nearly black in indoor light. Now it appears more deep teal in indoor light. Was sold to me as unheated and untreated. I believe that to be true as it is a bit silky. Not bad at all for the cost and the $100 recut.
20210119_134158.jpg

Whoah... that's incredible!! The super saturated blue next to the super saturated turquoise is out of this world!
 

PinkAndBlueBling

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
1,640
I sent my pads from leenagemslk to AGL to certify they were unheated. I'm happy to report they passed the test!
 
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