Blue sapphire question

[Rad_Fan]

...I heard she chose it because it was the largest stone in the tray and it reminded her of her grandmother’s style of ring.

I know what you’re saying though, and maybe it’s impossible to properly photograph, but I think my biggest concern with that stone is that people use photos of it as a benchmark for fine sapphire.

... been there and done that

It all goes with the theory of buying what you love...

 

[ordinaryrainbow]

@ T_L & @ Rad_Fan - I'm not sure anyone can actually tell without seeing it in person. I have a sapphire that always photographs dark, much like that stone which mostly always photographs dark but if you go into sunlight, inside lighting, shop lighting or anywhere else it's what Sri Lanka dealers consider their "ideal colour" so it's Royal blue with poop lighting but it's a vivid Peacock or much better colour when the lighting hits it and something quite magical to behold. So I guess you have to live or work in an environment with decent lighting most of the time to enjoy it and not be bothered it can take dark almost black photos unless you have a lightbox or the correct equipment to try and capture the colour the human eye sees.

I too always thought Diana's sapphire was too dark, but after owning this stone I'm not so sure, I can't think they would have paid huge sums of money and selected it out of a tray of stones/rings if it didn't have something magical going for it....

I’ve wondered this too, since my own sapphire blacks out in so many photos. Even if my sapphire is looking particularly vivid IRL, try as I might to capture it with a photo it will just not cooperate, and I wonder if the Diana/Kate ring shares that characteristic. I also haven’t seen that many photos of the Diana/Kate ring in strong sunlight.

On the one hand, if she selected the ring from a tray, I could imagine she was seeing different sapphires with different qualities and it would make sense that she would be drawn to one with a beautiful colour. On the other hand, she could have chosen based on the setting, or have been looking at all the rings under poor indoor light, or just have preferred the darker tone (seeing Liz Hurley’s dark sapphire made me wonder if there was a preference for darker sapphire’s in the UK). I’ve also read that she selected the ring from a catalogue, in which case she wouldn’t have seen the sapphire in person before selecting it.

 

[Rad_Fan]

@ordinaryrainbow, thanks for the info. This is getting as tricky as looking for an emerald!

 

[Rad_Fan]

Found a few outdoor shots of it. Hmmm...

 

[ordinaryrainbow]

Found a few outdoor shots of it. Hmmm...

Hmmm, it does look dark and without any sparkle or flash, doesn’t it? So does the sapphire earring in the first photo, other than the small flash at the base of the stone.

 

[T L]

Diana could have simply been like many newbies to gems, thinking the darker the stone, the better the quality.

Those photos were all taken outside, here’s some indoor artificial light shots.

On a side note, the prongs are kind of shoddy on the ring and they’ve grown more crooked as Kate has worn it. She must be hard in her rings.

 

[arkieb1]

I’ve never ever seen a picture of Diana’s ring where it didn’t look blackish, and there’s a million pictures of it in all sorts of lighting. I cannot say that about everyone else’s celebrity stone. For example Victoria Beckham’s photograph superbly. I can believe Garrard’s sold her a dud. Fine gem houses don’t always carry great stones, especially if they specialize in diamonds. I think the Duchess of Windsor had more luck in her choices with Cartier, than a nineteen year old girl who only had a “D” pendant as her main piece of jewelry at the time. She got better gems to wear over time, but It’s a pity she didn’t live long enough! I heard she chose it because it was the largest stone in the tray and it reminded her of her grandmother’s style of ring.

I know what you’re saying though, and maybe it’s impossible to properly photograph, but I think my biggest concern with that stone is that people use photos of it as a benchmark for fine sapphire.

Most of the time they were photographing Diana or now Kate, not the sapphire if you photographed someone wearing the stone I have it would probably always mostly photograph as poop in a full body pic. But I agree 99% of the photos I've seen of Diana's ring, it's a royal very dark colour, I seem to remember seeing only one or two photos ever where you could see a vivid blue flash and I remember at the time thinking aaaah and there it is...... no clue how to find those photos again.

Having said that, I saw the emerald cut diamond ring Dodi gave her when it was on display in Harrods, I made a point of going specifically to see it when we were on holidays in London and to me it was really really underwhelming. I also saw a collection of dresses and jewellery that belonged to Diana most of which was spectacular and royal jewels at two different places owned by the Royal family that were on display (most of which were also lovely) so I guess it could be a poop just plain big dark Royal Blue sapphire, but I've never seen it in person so I've always wondered. By comparison Camilla's emerald diamond always looks nice.

 

[Rad_Fan]

...By comparison Camilla's emerald diamond always looks nice.

And they are warmish color nice too!

 

[arkieb1]

Diana could have simply been like many newbies to gems, thinking the darker the stone, the better the quality.

Those photos were all taken outside, here’s some indoor artificial light shots.

O.K if that's what it looks like indoors it's a beautiful stone. It is just royal with a vivid blue flash the cameras in most of the photos are not picking up.... See the part that is in the lighting that is vivid and a nicer slightly lighter blue, I think that is what your eye would actually see a lot of the time in good lighting so flashes of that vivid colour.

 

[Rad_Fan]

I only saw that blue scintillation on the lower 1/3 of the sapphire from the 2nd outdoor picture I posted above.
Don't think this is my cup of tea.

 

[T L]

O.K if that's what it looks like indoors it's a beautiful stone. It is just royal with a vivid blue flash the cameras in most of the photos are not picking up.... See the part that is in the lighting that is vivid and a nicer slightly lighter blue, I think that is what your eye would actually see a lot of the time in good lighting so flashes of that vivid colour.

Maybe?? I just know that’s not what the world sees. They see a black hole and think that’s the benchmark. If the sapphire looks like that IRL, I think it’s way too dark, but you’re saying it’s lighter and more vivid IRL.

 

[Rad_Fan]

...See the part that is in the lighting that is vivid and a nicer slightly lighter blue, I think that is what your eye would actually see a lot of the time in good lighting so flashes of that vivid colour.

I get what you are referring to and do find myself keep looking for that flash of blue, but I need to see a lot more of it from mine (eventually), not just 1/3 or 1/4 once a while.

 

[arkieb1]

That's fair. When buying online, the 1st impression has to be pleasing to my eyes. There are so many to choose from so it's easy to pass certain ones if they don't "look good" to me. Granted, online vendors will always display their gems under the best light setting so I also worry about being fool by the initial look of them.

Now...can we please see that sapphire of yours?

The dark one? Sure;
Outside on a cloudy day (this would be the type of lighting they would be taking photos of the Diana/Kate ring in, see how the oval is dark, the EC also looks like poop in this photo and it's never too dark IRL;



Same two stones inside in decent lighting;

And really zoomed in, you can see the reflector inclusion in the stone on the left but this really velvety blue is the colour this stone flashes in decent lighting (which is why Sri Lanka dealers consider this one of the top colours of sapphire);


I always find the discussions of Kashmir stones everywhere fascinating too, and the photos that the ideal Kashmir colour is that light to mid cornflower blue (which is lovely and also a top top colour) but most of the top Kashmir's I've seen are closer to the colour of this oval than that mid colour. I own a tiny tiny Kashmir and it's much closer to this oval in colour than a mid blue....

 

[T L]

And they are warmish color nice too!

And I hope no one kills me, but I detest the Black Prince’s ruby (spinel) in the Crown. Lol, this became the pick apart the royal jewels thread. Sorry for the thread-jack.

Btw, this choker is dark, but I think I’ve seen nicer pics of it. At least it looks blue here, in some pics it looks black.

 

[T L]

The dark one? Sure;
Outside on a cloudy day (this would be the type of lighting they would be taking photos of the Diana/Kate ring in, see how the oval is dark, the EC also looks like poop in this photo and it's never too dark IRL;



Same two stones inside in decent lighting;

And really zoomed in, you can see the reflector inclusion in the stone on the left but this really velvety blue is the colour this stone flashes in decent lighting (which is why Sri Lanka dealers consider this one of the top colours of sapphire);


I always find the discussions of Kashmir stones everywhere fascinating too, and the photos that the ideal Kashmir colour is that light to mid cornflower blue (which is lovely and also a top top colour) but most of the top Kashmir's I've seen are closer to the colour of this oval than that mid colour. I own a tiny tiny Kashmir and it's much closer to this oval in colour than a mid blue....

Your sapphire looks BLUE!! It looks dark in the photo, but you can see the color on your stone is richer. The Diana/Kate ring always looks black. It’s grayer than yours. I don’t see any velvety richness in that ring.

 

[arkieb1]

Maybe?? I just know that’s not what the world sees. They see a black hole and think that’s the benchmark. If the sapphire looks like that IRL, I think it’s way too dark, but you’re saying it’s lighter and more vivid IRL.

I would have thought the same thing, but I've actually seen really dark stones that have the most magnificent flashes of blue that were worth a small fortune that I wouldn't pass up. I guess it's just personal taste, I like all types of blues from the very dark all the way down to paler ones, just as long as you can see something really outstandingly vivid or pleasing in colour I don't see darker stones being bad. I've also gotten much better at reading photos of sapphires and understanding what they will and won't look like IRL from years of trial and error buying stuff sight unseen only via photos.

 

[arkieb1]

And I hope no one kills me, but I detest the Black Prince’s ruby (spinel) in the Crown. Lol, this became the pick apart the royal jewels thread. Sorry for the thread-jack.

Btw, this choker is dark, but I think I’ve seen nicer pics of it. At least it looks blue here, in some pics it looks black.

The choker - yep that's is a relatively poop coloured large sapphire too much grey in it for my taste... I think her ring stone is a lot nicer in colour than this stone.
But you and I and a lot of the people here probably have much more discerning taste than the average sapphire customer.

 

[Rad_Fan]

When I saw that EC, I forgot other things you wrote! OMG...How often does the EC stay this way to your eyes? The 1st picture of it displayed some sort extinction like look, even though it probably does not have it.

 

[T L]

I would have thought the same thing, but I've actually seen really dark stones that have the most magnificent flashes of blue that were worth a small fortune that I wouldn't pass up. I guess it's just personal taste, I like all types of blues from the very dark all the way down to paler ones, just as long as you can see something really outstandingly vivid or pleasing in colour I don't see darker stones being bad. I've also gotten much better at reading photos of sapphires and understanding what they will and won't look like IRL from years of trial and error buying stuff sight unseen only via photos.

I personally don’t want flashes of blue, I want the stone to look blue all over, all the time. But I do know that dark sapphire prices went through the roof due to that famous ring. No, darker stones aren’t bad, but if they’re too dark, they lose saturation. By the way. those indoor photos of the ring I posted were taken under bright lighting at their engagement announcement. If it’s that dark under bright flashes....

However, I could be wrong and I may be absolutely gorgeous IRL. If not, I wouldn’t worry too much because she has lots of beautiful jewelry to choose from. Lol!

 

[Rad_Fan]

...Sorry for the thread-jack.

Btw, this choker is dark, but I think I’ve seen nicer pics of it. At least it looks blue here, in some pics it looks black.

Why would I care, this is for educational purpose! Keep them coming!

 

[T L]

The choker - yep that's is a relatively poop coloured large sapphire too much grey in it for my taste... I think her ring stone is a lot nicer in colour than this stone.
But you and I and a lot of the people here probably have much more discerning taste than the average sapphire customer.

I think it was from the Queen Mother’s collection.

 

[arkieb1]

When I saw that EC, I forgot other things you wrote! OMG...How often does the EC stay this way to your eyes? The 1st picture of it displayed some sort extinction like look, even though it probably does not have it.

It has no extinction at all, it's that vivid blue right across the stone, but hopefully you can see it's darker in colour than the original stones you posted pics of, it would be classified medium "cornflower" by someone like Lotus Lab but it's way darker than what American's associate as "cornflower." I think I've posted photos of that stone a couple of times on my IG and every time I have like 20+ people including dealers all wanting to buy that stone from me (it's not for sale) it's going in a ring for me one day.... None of my favourite stones have extinction. The big pear, is unheated untreated Burma has inclusions and again the others make the oval look dark but even it has no extinction. It's just a darker shade of blue.

 

[Rad_Fan]

Don't know much about these but I see blue on Elle Fanning. Assuming paparazzi used similar light source as when they photographe Kate?



Same pendant on Georgina Rodriguez under different lights...shifty, huh? I think I like less gray but more violet 2nd tone.

 

[ordinaryrainbow]

The dark one? Sure;
Outside on a cloudy day (this would be the type of lighting they would be taking photos of the Diana/Kate ring in, see how the oval is dark, the EC also looks like poop in this photo and it's never too dark IRL;



Same two stones inside in decent lighting;

And really zoomed in, you can see the reflector inclusion in the stone on the left but this really velvety blue is the colour this stone flashes in decent lighting (which is why Sri Lanka dealers consider this one of the top colours of sapphire);


I always find the discussions of Kashmir stones everywhere fascinating too, and the photos that the ideal Kashmir colour is that light to mid cornflower blue (which is lovely and also a top top colour) but most of the top Kashmir's I've seen are closer to the colour of this oval than that mid colour. I own a tiny tiny Kashmir and it's much closer to this oval in colour than a mid blue....

Snap. This is how my sapphire behaves in photos.

 

[T L]

Absolutely! I see blue in their gems too. Kate’s ring looks a piece of charcoal. It’s dead and lifeless in photos and only shows a small blue flash if tons of bright lights are on it.

 

[ordinaryrainbow]

Don't know much about these but I see blue on Elle Fanning. Assuming paparazzi used similar light source as when they photographe Kate?



Same pendant on Georgina Rodriguez under different lights...shifty, huh? I think I like less gray but more violet 2nd tone.

Is Elle Fanning’s a sapphire or a tanzanite? Might be my screen, but it looks to have a purple tone to me.

 

[Rad_Fan]

I think the EC is "darkest" I would like.

What are you going to do with the rest? So jealous.

 

[Rad_Fan]

@ordinaryrainbow Elle's ring does look more violet but her pear looks blue to me.

 

[arkieb1]

I think the EC is "darkest" I would like.

What are you going to do with the rest? So jealous.

At this point in time that's my pile of "keepers" until I find something I like more then I sell something and replace it. The Burma pear is actually lighter in colour IRL than the emerald cut, but yes the EC is a nice stone. My favourite of those ones colourwise is the smaller round, it's from Madagascar, the deposit site that everyone raves was like "Kashmir" stones.

 

[T L]

Most of the time they were photographing Diana or now Kate, not the sapphire if you photographed someone wearing the stone I have it would probably always mostly photograph as poop in a full body pic. But I agree 99% of the photos I've seen of Diana's ring, it's a royal very dark colour, I seem to remember seeing only one or two photos ever where you could see a vivid blue flash and I remember at the time thinking aaaah and there it is...... no clue how to find those photos again.

Having said that, I saw the emerald cut diamond ring Dodi gave her when it was on display in Harrods, I made a point of going specifically to see it when we were on holidays in London and to me it was really really underwhelming. I also saw a collection of dresses and jewellery that belonged to Diana most of which was spectacular and royal jewels at two different places owned by the Royal family that were on display (most of which were also lovely) so I guess it could be a poop just plain big dark Royal Blue sapphire, but I've never seen it in person so I've always wondered. By comparison Camilla's emerald diamond always looks nice.

The Dodi ring was an unattractive design IMO. Camilla’s ring belonged to the Queen Mother. I think it was her e-ring. The early 1900’s had the most magnificent pieces.