Blue Sapphire?

[luv*oldmine]

This is a 1920*Platinum ring. Recently, I was told by a jeweler that the blue stone is a sapphire. I'm in need of a second opinion by an expert @ PriceScope. Can one of the experts help to confirm it? Thank you in advance for your input!

 

[VapidLapid]

alas there is no way for someone to either confirm or refute that identification through the internet. Tools to measure specific gravity and refractive index at least would be needed. Even if ID confirms it to me sapphire it would then be needed to determine if it is natural or man-made. Your ring dating from the 20s could equally be one or the other. when synthetic sapphire was new it was all the rage and quite in demand. If it were to turn out to be natural then it would need to be tested for treatments like heating. Whether you choose to pursue these tests and have the stone certified by a reputable lab (like GIA) is up to you. In the meantime.That's quite a pretty stone and ring! Do you know the carat weight or any other attributes of the stone?

 

[marcy]

Very pretty.

 

[luv*oldmine]

It's extremely brilliant and it's very transparent**It is 2.50 carats.

Thanks for all the replies and the compliments!

 

[kenny]

I've been looking at blue sapphires recently.
It is astonishing how much the price can vary depending on whether it is natural/synthetic, treated/not treated and the origin.

When agreeing to a price I would assume the worst until a reputable lab grades it otherwise.
That means I'd find out what a synthetic 2.5 ct goes for and pay no more than that.

 

[T L]

I've been looking at blue sapphires recently.
It is astonishing how much the price can vary depending on whether it is natural/synthetic, treated/not treated and the origin.

When agreeing to a price I would assume the worst until a reputable lab grades it otherwise.
That means I'd find out what a synthetic 2.5 ct goes for and pay no more than that.

Good advice.

I would never ever buy a potentially valuable sapphire without a reputable lab memo from a lab that can determine diffusion.

 

[Nashville]

Only a lab can tell for sure. How much is it going for? For a genuine sapphire that size and color, the price plays a big factor.

 

[dzop]

I would actually bet synthetic. A sapphire of that size, color, and clarity is the kind of thing that sells at Sothebys. Unless you're paying a bloody fortune, I would be shocked if it's natural.

 

[T L]

It could be synthetic sapphire or spinel. They've been making both for eons.

 

[luv*oldmine]

This ring was inherited. Whether the stone is of natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant to me. Due to the fact that: Memories are more important than value. Thank you all for your responses and for your Kind Words!

 

[T L]

This ring was inherited. Whether the stone is of natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant to me. Due to the fact that: Memories are more important than value. Thank you all for your responses and for your Kind Words!

Well, if you want a value for insurance purposes, I highly recommend sending it to a reputable lab that can test for diffusion, based on that, a QUALIFIED appraiser can give you a replacement value. You might just want to know how much it's worth so you can put it in a safety deposit box for safe keeping.

 

[dzop]

This ring was inherited. Whether the stone is of natural or synthetic origin is irrelevant to me. Due to the fact that: Memories are more important than value. Thank you all for your responses and for your Kind Words!

Well, if you want a value for insurance purposes, I highly recommend sending it to a reputable lab that can test for diffusion, based on that, a QUALIFIED appraiser can give you a replacement value. You might just want to know how much it's worth so you can put it in a safety deposit box for safe keeping.

Concur. I can't imagine owning something that could be worth either $1,000 or $50,000 and not wanting/needing to know the difference, if only for insurance/security purposes. No one can steal memories, but they can definitely make off with a sparkly ring.

 

[kenny]

Ohhhhhhhh you are not considering buying it!!!

Most people who start threads like this are considering buying what they are posting about, especially since you wrote, "I was told by a jeweler that . . . "
Buying involves arriving at a price, which requires a lab report.

If you told us up front it was inherited, and you did not care about verifying what the jeweler said even though you said you wanted a second opinion from PS about what the jeweler said, you would have gotten a response closer to what you wanted.

Personally, even if I was not going to insure it I'd still be curious whether the stone was worth closer to $2 or $200,000 but that's just me.

 

[T L]

Personally, even if I was not going to insure it I'd still be curious whether the stone was worth closer to $2 or $200,000 but that's just me.

I would hope that would be most people!! That's like having a potential Van Gogh in your attic, and you don't feel like getting it authenticated!!

 

[luv*oldmine]

LOL Thank YouI I'm in agreement with you all. This week, I will start searching for a lab.

 

[kenny]

This week, I will start searching for a lab.

AGL in NY is the ONLY lab I'd send this potentially-important Sapphire to.
You could have a Blue Sapphire from Kashmir, which would be worth perhaps 10 times what it would be worth if it came from some other locations.
Specialized knowledge is required to determine origin.

Knowledge is not the only thing that matters; reputation matters too if you had an insurance claim or wanted to sell it.
Joe Schmoe down the street may actually have this specialized knowledge but nobody cares about a report from Joe Schmoe.
You want a report from the most highly-respected lab for this purpose and I believe that is AGL.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but the agreement appears to be that AGL is the highest authority for determining origin.

 

[T L]

The labs that can test for diffusion are

United States
GIA
AGL

Europe
GRS
SSEF
Gubelin

Asia
GIT

There may be others, but those are the ones that I can drum off at the top of my head. Diffusion is very difficult to detect without very expensive highly sophisticated equipment. That is why there are only a small amount of labs around the world that carry these machines. While I agree that AGL is the premier lab for colored gems, if the OP is not in the United States, sending it to any of the above labs is better than nothing.

 

[luv*oldmine]

I'm leaning towards either GIA or AGL! Which one should I choose that's least costly?

I've also included one more picture below. Thanks!

 

[Harriet]

Hi luv*oldmine,
If you're confident that your lovely ring dates from the 1920s, I wouldn't worry that it is BE-diffused. From what I've read, the technique is not that old.

 

[luv*oldmine]

I'm glad to know that! Sure, It's from the 1920's (French maker's mark--lozenge, dog's head and eagle's head (grandma & great grandma's stuff)). Again, after all the advice received from the wonderful members of this forum, I still want to have it examined by a reputable lab agency like GIA or AGL so that I can obtain a fashionable document which is current. Thanks!

 

[kenny]

I forgot to say how much I love your ring and the stone in particular.
I'm green with envy not just for the piece, but that it is a family heirloom.
Wear it long, in good health.
Don't ever sell it; pass it on to the family member least likely to sell it.
Make up a legend, like, the original owner put a curse on it that whoever owns it will live a long happy life UNLESS the sell it.

If I had inherited it I would strongly consider NOT getting it graded.
It will loose some mystique.

Your pics are quite good.
May I request a large pic of the the back of the stone?

 

[luv*oldmine]

Hi Kenny,

I've attached two pictures of the back. They are slightly ambiguous. I'll try to post a clearer image tomorrow.Thanks!

 

[luv*oldmine]

Here's the second picture.

 

[kenny]

Thank you.

 

[chrono]

I personally prefer the AGL prestige report over GIA as they provide far more information. GIA only gives you the basic (treatment and colour description), but the AGL prestige report will also provide most probable origin, colour assessment (in addition to colour description) and colour quality. It is the only lab so far which actually dares give an opinion on the quality of the gemstone.

 

[luv*oldmine]

I personally prefer the AGL prestige report over GIA as they provide far more information. GIA only gives you the basic (treatment and colour description), but the AGL prestige report will also provide most probable origin, colour assessment (in addition to colour description) and colour quality. It is the only lab so far which actually dares give an opinion on the quality of the gemstone.

I have a green diamond which I purchased a while back from Europe but it has not yet been examined by a lab. Do you think AGL is a better choice for coloured diamond?

 

[Harriet]

I'm glad to know that! Sure, It's from the 1920's (French maker's mark--lozenge, dog's head and eagle's head (grandma & great grandma's stuff)). Again, after all the advice received from the wonderful members of this forum, I still want to have it examined by a reputable lab agency like GIA or AGL so that I can obtain a fashionable document which is current. Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

[T L]

I personally prefer the AGL prestige report over GIA as they provide far more information. GIA only gives you the basic (treatment and colour description), but the AGL prestige report will also provide most probable origin, colour assessment (in addition to colour description) and colour quality. It is the only lab so far which actually dares give an opinion on the quality of the gemstone.

I have a green diamond which I purchased a while back from Europe but it has not yet been examined by a lab. Do you think AGL is a better choice for coloured diamond?

The premier lab for colored diamonds is GIA. Unfortunately it is very difficult o near impossible to determine if a green diamond is natural in color. That is because the green is caused by the earth's natural radiation while the diamond was forming under the mantle. Enhanced green diamonds are also colored by man made radiatiation and the radiation stains do not discern natural vs artificial coloration. The GIA prefers grading green diamonds in the rough as a result of this man made process of irradiation. The rough is not exposed to radiation (at least not that I know of).

There are other green diamonds that are really a combination of colors, grey, yellow, brown, and are more of a muted green, or a khaki or olive green. Theya re nowhere near as valuable as a true fancy green. If you have the former, I would highly suggest you send it to the GIA, but they sometimes keep stones for months and months trying to figure out if they are natural in color or not. Green is probably the most difficult color to determine.

Some diamonds are also coated as well, and can be green as a result of that. They are not valuable.

 

[Barrett]

I personally like AGL the best..they are extremely nice, helpful, work with you in any situation..if you have certain dealings with them they are very personable and don't treat you like "just another customer"..and you have Chris Smith..nuff said right there

 

[kenny]

The premier lab for colored diamonds is GIA. Unfortunately it is very difficult o near impossible to determine if a green diamond is natural in color. That is because the green is caused by the earth's natural radiation while the diamond was forming under the mantle. Enhanced green diamonds are also colored by man made radiatiation and the radiation stains do not discern natural vs artificial coloration. The GIA prefers grading green diamonds in the rough as a result of this man made process of irradiation. The rough is not exposed to radiation (at least not that I know of).

But once GIA finally issues the report stating the green is or natural origin, it there any lingering doubt in anyone's mind the origin?

Would anyone really pay $550,000 for this if there was any doubt about the origin of the green:

http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/3667.htm