"Best" Sapphire webshop

[Carcosa]

Hi everyone, I looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. What she likes is Sapphire, vintage/traditional and rose good (but silver might be better for Sapphire). I've been lurking around the forum quite a bit and noticed a few webshop mentioned:

Good Old Good (seen as very good)
James Allen (seen as pretty good)
Natural Sapphire Company (seen as overpriced)

Now I also see a huge list of vendors here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/

I'm wondering if there is some concensus to be found on what the top 3 online vendors are for Sapphire rings. I personally like rings of Good Old Gold but they don't have that much assortment online. I live in Europe so swinging by New York isn't really easy.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Acinom]

Greetings from a fellow European!

What is your budget for the stone and/or setting? And what kind of sapphire colour does she like? What mm size are you looking for?

People here can probably find you a good one. It could be helpful if you add some inspiration pics.

I think there is not one specific vendor who is specialized in sapohires. The good vendors will all have some stones available or will be able to cut one from rough. It’s probably best to browse.

If you prefer a white metal, I would opt for white gold or platinum.

 

[Acinom]

Examples from the Joe Escobar website:
Do you want to buy a ready made ring or do you prefer to find a stone and have a custom setting made?

 

[Acinom]

Also from Joe Escobar:
He might also have loose stones but you need to contact him to ask

 

[Bron357]

Hi, how exciting for you.
There are a number of recommended vendors for sapphire. Some even offer settings as well, or you can choose to have a setting made exactly as you want it.
With good vendors, who will supply lots of photos / video you can be pretty sure what you get will be as you saw. If you’re in Europe it gets complicated to get gems in, change your mind and send them back from a customs / import tax perspective (mostly you can’t get it back).
So, firstly, what colour? What size carat /mm and what shape?
Sapphires come in various shades of blue including blue green (Australia sapphires normally), steely blue ( from Montana, USA) - then there’s pink, yellow even white. Padparadscha sapphires which are a peachy colour are very expensive than other colours.
Most sapphires are heat treated, this is acceptable, however some are glass filled (to seal up all the flaws and make the colour better) or Beryllium treated, another process that improves colour.
You don’t want to buy glass filled or beryllium treated, which is why you can’t trust all sellers. Then there’s lab grown sapphires which you don’t want to accidentally buy.
Any sapphire you find online, if you love it ask them to put on hold for you (usually they’ll hold for a few days) and then come back here with the details / seller (link website/ webpage) and we can have a look and give you our opinion.

 

[Carcosa]

Examples from the Joe Escobar website:
Do you want to buy a ready made ring or do you prefer to find a stone and have a custom setting made?

Wow, these are beautiful. I prefer to buy a ready made ring. Thanks so much for sharing these, will look into Joe Escobar.

Edit: Pretty hefty prices.

 

[Carcosa]

Greetings from a fellow European!

What is your budget for the stone and/or setting? And what kind of sapphire colour does she like? What mm size are you looking for?

People here can probably find you a good one. It could be helpful if you add some inspiration pics.

I think there is not one specific vendor who is specialized in sapohires. The good vendors will all have some stones available or will be able to cut one from rough. It’s probably best to browse.

If you prefer a white metal, I would opt for white gold or platinum.

~2000 euro. It should be a blue sapphire, I think she will prefer a bigger stone, but I don't now it specifically. Thanks for you advice.

 

[Carcosa]

Hi, how exciting for you.
There are a number of recommended vendors for sapphire. Some even offer settings as well, or you can choose to have a setting made exactly as you want it.
With good vendors, who will supply lots of photos / video you can be pretty sure what you get will be as you saw. If you’re in Europe it gets complicated to get gems in, change your mind and send them back from a customs / import tax perspective (mostly you can’t get it back).
So, firstly, what colour? What size carat /mm and what shape?
Sapphires come in various shades of blue including blue green (Australia sapphires normally), steely blue ( from Montana, USA) - then there’s pink, yellow even white. Padparadscha sapphires which are a peachy colour are very expensive than other colours.
Most sapphires are heat treated, this is acceptable, however some are glass filled (to seal up all the flaws and make the colour better) or Beryllium treated, another process that improves colour.
You don’t want to buy glass filled or beryllium treated, which is why you can’t trust all sellers. Then there’s lab grown sapphires which you don’t want to accidentally buy.
Any sapphire you find online, if you love it ask them to put on hold for you (usually they’ll hold for a few days) and then come back here with the details / seller (link website/ webpage) and we can have a look and give you our opinion.

Sorry I was not specific enough in my opening post. Partially, because a lot is I do not know. The sapphire should be blue. I am still open in looking for all shapes and sizes, however no heart shape or shaped that makes it look to "fabricated". Price range ~2000 euro.

 

[Acinom]

You could browse the inventory of mastercutgems. I do not have stones from them myself, but lots of PSers own a stone that is cut by gemcutter Dana.
You could have a setting made via David Klass in LA. He is great to work with. I have worked with him 5 times. His pricing is really reasonable. You can send him a picture of a ring you love and the experienced PSers can help you to refine the design, based on the computer animated design (CAD) that David will sent you.

From the mastercutgems site:
Price 400$,
5,5 mm

 

[Acinom]

Also from mastercutgems:
170$
Could not find the mm size

 

[Acinom]

Mastercutgems
0,77 ct
470$
Not sure how to interpret the photo’s as I have not worked with him. This one could be dark in real life.
What kind of setting do you want for your fiancee? A simple solitaire? A diamond halo? Diamonds in the shank?

 

[Acinom]

Blue-green-grey montana sapphire from mastercutgems
7.35 mm
1690$

 

[Acinom]

Blue sapphire from mastercutgems
7x5.5 mm
160$
Here and in above posts just some examples of sapphires to think about the colour you like.
The Joe Escobar stones and rings are gorgeous, but they indeed come with a hefty price. Could still be worth it to contact him and ask whether he has smaller/cheaper stones in his inventory

 

[lovedogs]

What about this one from Joe Escobar? Sorry, I don't remember the euro to usd conversion, but this is close!

https://www.escobardiamonds.com/jew...-with-royal-blue-sapphire-pave-halo-ring.html

 

[voce]

I also liked this one from Escobar Diamonds: https://www.escobardiamonds.com/jew...e-sapphire-pave-diamond-cushion-top-ring.html

 

[voce]

Just checked, today 2000 euros changes to 2340 USD. That's not going to buy you a lot if you want a quality sapphire. If you're strict about sticking to your budget, then https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/1.13ct-blue-sapphire-ring-j6927-/ is about the best you can get that's not preloved. James Allen should not be recommended for sapphires, because they aren't any better than Natural Sapphire Company on quality, and they have a lesser selection of sapphires available.

In terms of ready-to-wear new rings, I think the one lovedogs linked is the very best value for money, if you're willing to stretch your budget a little. Otherwise, I don't think you're going to find one with a decent sapphire over 2 ct.

If you are willing to spend some more time getting the ring, then I would recommend Julia B or Yvonne Raley on Etsy. They can source the sapphire and have good designs for settings.

 

[Carcosa]

Just checked, today 2000 euros changes to 2340 USD. That's not going to buy you a lot if you want a quality sapphire. If you're strict about sticking to your budget, then https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/1.13ct-blue-sapphire-ring-j6927-/ is about the best you can get that's not preloved. James Allen should not be recommended for sapphires, because they aren't any better than Natural Sapphire Company on quality, and they have a lesser selection of sapphires available.

In terms of ready-to-wear new rings, I think the one lovedogs linked is the very best value for money, if you're willing to stretch your budget a little. Otherwise, I don't think you're going to find one with a decent sapphire over 2 ct.

If you are willing to spend some more time getting the ring, then I would recommend Julia B or Yvonne Raley on Etsy. They can source the sapphire and have good designs for settings.

Man this forum makes me feel poor, not able to buy a decent ring for 2000 euro's .

Luckily I have time, so I will probably keep tabs on Joe and maybe look at the Etsy designers.

Edit: Just had a look at Julia B and her designs look beautiful (and affordable).

 

[lovedogs]

@Carcosa Julia b is awesome. I would definitely recommend her. Plus, you can ask her to find a stone for a specific setting, since her stuff is custom and made to order (usually).

 

[voce]

Man this forum makes me feel poor, not able to buy a decent ring for 2000 euro's .

Luckily I have time, so I will probably keep tabs on Joe and maybe look at the Etsy designers.

Edit: Just had a look at Julia B and her designs look beautiful (and affordable).

Sorry to have contributed to you feeling that way. Those of us who posted here all love colored stones, and only want to recommend the best. I know some diamond "snobs" who think of sapphires as budget stones, but in fact the best large sapphires sell for way more than color D internally flawless diamonds per carat, because they're rarer. You can get an absolutely fabulous sapphire engagement ring for your stated budget, but you just can't expect it from a typical jeweler who wants to charge you lots of markup from wholesale, or will skimp on the color or quality of stones.

I love Julia B's settings the most, but don't know if she has sapphires in stock right now.

I really like what Yvonne Raley (Cecile Raley Designs) has in stock as to sapphires. It took me a while to figure out, but she has a lot of ring settings and straightforward pricing, which you can see at:
https://www.cecileraleydesigns.com/pages/custom-ring-designs-all

 

[lovedogs]

Oh my God. This ring is amazing, and in budget (although excluding shipping). I think this is an amazing deal, and would trust Elle even though treatment is unknown.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/218131616/2ct-blue-sapphire-diamond-halo-intrepide

Edit. Another amazing one (from juliaB). Under budget!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/632148603/teal-montana-sapphire-engagement-ring

 

[whitewave]

I just bought some emerald melee from this woman and I checked her ETSY shop and found this ring:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/619087...ngagement-ring-vintage?ref=shop_home_active_1

 

[whitewave]

Another pic of it from IG tonight

 

[Carcosa]

Oh my God. This ring is amazing, and in budget (although excluding shipping). I think this is an amazing deal, and would trust Elle even though treatment is unknown.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/218131616/2ct-blue-sapphire-diamond-halo-intrepide

Edit. Another amazing one (from juliaB). Under budget!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/632148603/teal-montana-sapphire-engagement-ring

Wow that's a big rock! It looks really nice, I am looking around if there is a video somewhere or more pictures, it looks beautiful but Im trying to imagine how it'd look on my gf's hand.

I had been eyeing the second one too! These are good examples of the direction I am looking in.

 

[Acinom]

@lovedogs is on a roll!!! She has found some amazing pieces for you. I love these! Which is totally irrelevant: the one who needs to love it is your gf. Can you involve a friend/sister in the scheme? It’s sometimes difficult to determine what someone’s taste is.

 

[Acinom]

Just to show how the large blue in the setting by The Gemstone Project/ David Klass would look on a ladies hand. Don’t know how the size of the stone/ring compares to the one with the sapphire and how the finger size compares to your gf’s : https://www.pricescope.com/communit...n-a-gemstone-project-david-klass-halo.225139/

 

[Acinom]

And the design with a 3 ct tourmaline:
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...e-set-in-dk-tgp.218074/#post-3962431#p3962431

 

[PintoBean]

I saw this on IG today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5vTdVhZrI/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1199gcczh102z

He might have more in budget.

 

[MollyBlue]

I saw this on IG today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5vTdVhZrI/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1199gcczh102z

He might have more in budget.

This is a nice find @PintoBean! Does this person have a website? Not to derail this thread, but I’m wondering what price they have this at...

 

[Carcosa]

Thanks so much for the pictures. The shapw is not what am looking for, it doesnt "click". This one from escobar looks nice too but too bad they only have one photo:
https://www.escobardiamonds.com/jew...blue-sapphire-diamond-floral-design-ring.html

 

[Bron357]

Oh my God. This ring is amazing, and in budget (although excluding shipping). I think this is an amazing deal, and would trust Elle even though treatment is unknown.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/218131616/2ct-blue-sapphire-diamond-halo-intrepide

Edit. Another amazing one (from juliaB). Under budget!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/632148603/teal-montana-sapphire-engagement-ring

You might want to check with Elle from The Gemstone Project about the pear sapphire in the ring if you’re keen on that ring.
She says “treatment unknown” and I’m just wondering if it might be a flux treated ie glass filled gem. It’s from Thailand she says and I know that they do tend to heavily treat their sapphires and at that price point wouldn’t make $$ sense for a heat only gem.