Asking for your expert help :)

[MizNina]

Hi All,

I usually lurk in the SMTB forum but have a small conundrum that I hope someone may help me with? I have a little pinky ring that I just love. I think it is a deco piece (please correct me if I am wrong). It is set with diamonds, and I believe, a burmese sapphire. Well ,I have to confess to being somewhat clumsy by nature and recently whilst doing housework banged my hand against the doorframe which cracked and chipped my sapphire.

I am now wondering just where I can go or what I can do to have it replaced. Can I have one specially cut? Do I just search a stone sellers inventory and who are these people? I am a little clueless and I have no idea where to even start. Would anyone mind steering me in the right direction? I should probably mention that I am in Melbourne Australia but am more than happy to purchase online internationally.

Thought I'd post a couple of pics to show the damage
Thanks for listening to my woes...

Nina
ETA I am not a trade person unsure why it says I am The chip is in the bottom right corner.

 

[chrono]

I’m sorry to see and read of the damage. Here in CS, we always discourage wearing any gemstone while doing housework or exercising because even a sapphire can be damaged as you’ve experienced. Well, since it’s already in the past, let’s move on to see what we can do to help you get the stone replaced. Due to the location and size, repairing the stone doesn’t make financial sense. A replacement is your best option. Depending on the size of the stone, it may not need to be custom cut. However, if you are in a hurry, a custom cut stone might be quicker because a step cut pointed cornered stone is not common. Do you know the approximate mm measurement of the stone? My other concern is that your setting is a bezel set so you’ll need to find a very competent jeweler who can reset a sapphire into the existing setting without damaging the bezel and milgrain.

 

[MizNina]

Hi Chrono
Thank you so much for your speedy reply Not sure of the exact size but it measures 5mm x 6mm and would be approx 3.5mm deep. Would love to know the size. I have a good jeweler here in Melbourne who has made me a repro edwardian piece before so I hope I can trust him to get it right. This would be one of my concerns too. I would be happy to replace it and perhaps choose a sapphire that was not so dark? What do you think?

Yes you are so right wearing my rings and housework spells disaster but I fear taking them off in case I lose them - a lesson learned the hard way I guess.

 

[chrono]

Yes, I agree that a lighter toned sapphire will look awesome in that setting because bezeling stones usually make them appear a notch darker once set. Hmmm….you may have to go custom after all because of the unusual measurement in addition to it being a step cut with pointed ends. Are you fussed about treatment (unheated only for example)?

 

[LD]

Oh poor you. It's a lovely ring.

Looking at the dimensions of your stone it's not calibrated so you MAY have to have one cut. If you're looking for one in that exact size, they won't be as easy to come by and then you may have to compromise with cut or clarity so in all honesty, having one cut might be the better option.

Also, you'd be able to give a lapidarist an indication of colour you like and then go from there.

Chrono's made a good point about how you feel about treatments. That will make a big difference to price and affordability.

 

[jleb]

Oh, your in Australia. There are lots of gem cutters down under. Check with the local faceters or the australian faceters guild. Since Aussie sapphires are plentiful down there, you'll find that all of them have some rough in the box they can do a custom design for you. Should not be any problem at all getting it done there.

 

[MizNina]

Yes, I agree that a lighter toned sapphire will look awesome in that setting because bezeling stones usually make them appear a notch darker once set. Hmmm….you may have to go custom after all because of the unusual measurement in addition to it being a step cut with pointed ends. Are you fussed about treatment (unheated only for example)?

Hi Chrono I don't think I am fussed about heat treatment but I haven't really given that much thought. Im afraid this is a steep learning curve for me as I have never had a sapphire before! Could you reccommend anyone who would do this sort of work? Any idea of a ballpark figure? I literally have no idea. I am sorry to harangue you with all these questions! Hope its OK...

 

[MizNina]

Oh poor you. It's a lovely ring.

Looking at the dimensions of your stone it's not calibrated so you MAY have to have one cut. If you're looking for one in that exact size, they won't be as easy to come by and then you may have to compromise with cut or clarity so in all honesty, having one cut might be the better option.

Also, you'd be able to give a lapidarist an indication of colour you like and then go from there.

Chrono's made a good point about how you feel about treatments. That will make a big difference to price and affordability.

Thankyou LovingDiamonds I like it too Can I ask a silly question (you bet I can) what does the stone being calibrated mean?

Nina

 

[MizNina]

Oh, your in Australia. There are lots of gem cutters down under. Check with the local faceters or the australian faceters guild. Since Aussie sapphires are plentiful down there, you'll find that all of them have some rough in the box they can do a custom design for you. Should not be any problem at all getting it done there.

Hi jleb, I had no idea I will check it out. I heard that it is much cheaper to get stones from Thailand? I am not sure whether this is an unreliable way to go. I guess I am trying to keep my costs down a little.

Nina

 

[jleb]

A lot of that "ceylon" and "thai" sapphire is repackaged aussie goods.. you'd be surprised!

 

[chrono]

Calibrated means that it is cut to measurements that will fit the usual stock/standard settings which are usually 4x6 mm, 5x7 mm, 6x8 mm and etc. As yours is 5x6 mm, finding such a measurement on an already cut stone will be a greater challenge. I do not know your budget but can tell you that unheated/untreated stones are typically more expensive than their treated counterpart and the price difference goes up exponentially as the quality and size increases. In your case, I like the suggestion of an Aussie sapphire as they are local to you. However, these have a tendency to be greenish blue for the most part and somewhat on the dark side of the spectrum.

 

[Largosmom]

My recommendation is to ask friends or mothers/grandmothers of friends whom are wearing nice jewelry who they go to for repairs or custom work in your area. I found my local goldsmith who does custom work this way. The gal who does my nails, of course notices my jewelry. I told her i was considering getting some stones i had purchased set and she knew right away who i should see. Actually, maybe nail people know jewelry since they see it on their clients all the time. Jewelry people know who the best jewelers are just like gardeners or needlework people know where the best plant or yarn shops are. The jewelers will have one or more lapidaries (stone cutters) that they work with and can recommend what you might use. They may some of that person's work to show you.

Another approach is to find a local gem show and use the same process...if you see nice sapphires, you can ask how they source them.