This is my very first posting! My BF and I are looking for a blue sapphire engagement ring and i have begun the hunt for a 2-2.5 ct. cushion cut blue sapphire.
I would second the notion of moving this to Colored Stones. I will say, though, that I''ve never bought from israel-diamonds.com but heard of a person on a wedding forum who got her stone there and loved it. But I have no idea about the consistency of their quality or that poster''s knowledge of gemstones.
Welcome to Coloured stones! We love to help people find their dream stones (the thrill of the hunt, with someone else paying for the stone
).
Do you mind telling us a few more details of your dream stone? What shade of blue are you looking for? This will influence price a lot, by the way. Do you prefer the traditional "cornflower blue", a lighter shade or a more purplish blue (just to give you an indea of the colour range).
What shape are you thinking of? Round, oval, cushion or something else?
There are a lot of different treatments for sapphire. Most sapphires are heated, to improve colour and clarity (unheated stones maybe slightly "sleepy" and less sparkly). Many people are ok with this sort of "gentle" heat, while some will insist on unheated stones (which are much harder to find). There are also more radical treatments, such as fillers (filling surface cracks with a resin or lead glass). BE heating is probably the most extreme: the sapphire is heated until it is nearly melted, and BE is introduced, so that it will penetrate the crystal lattice and improve colour. A reputable vendor will fully disclose treatment, a great vendor will educate you on each and a lot of scummy vendors won''t divulge treatment or outright lie about it.
I got my sapphire for my e-ring from Richard Homer, who does concave cut stones and he was amazing to work with. Not to mention that I think my sapphire is just beautiful! His website is www.concavegems.com.
I have two sapphires, unheated, that I bought in Thailand so I''m not much help on this- however, I do love the look of the concave sapphires by Richard Homer. That is my next big purchase. Goodluck on your search!