Ceylon sapphire help

[vik84]

Just got this 7.6ct unheated Ceylon sapphire from a dealer in Bangkok, it's been graded as a Cornflower blue by AIGS. Getting the origin and no-treatment confirmed by AGL now. What do you guys think of the stone ?

 

[voce]

It's a good color, but the cut doesn't seem that good. The window is glaringly obvious and detracts from the beauty of the stone. Just my opinion. I know a lot of people who don't mind windows.

 

[Bron357]

My 5 cents,
Nice colour but I would find that section of light colour zoning very distracting. Also being such a high dome shape you get less visual size for the carat weight. So the cut which also has a window isn’t great.

 

[chrono]

Cut isn’t too bad. Looks a bit silky. Saturation not particularly strong. It might pop under sunlight though.

 

[vik84]

Yeah, I know it has a window and zoning. I did like the color though, don't have a cornflower blue sapphire yet and it's my first large stone. Managed to negotiate the price down to $2K/carat, which seemed good for an unheated Ceylon sapphire of this size. What do you guys think ? Here's another photo of the stone in some sunlight, sorry for the bad camera work.

 

[chrono]

You have the stone in hand. How does it look under various lights, indoors and outdoors? Only you can judge it accurately with it in person. Is the brightness mostly throughout? How much colour shifting? If so, does this bother you much?

 

[vik84]

The stone actually looks quite brilliant under normal daylight, there's very little or no extinction so the stone is bright throughout. The color zoning is evident but not disturbing, I'm happy to accept that as a flaw for $2K/carat. I have a smaller unheated 3ct+ Burmese, which has much richer saturation and even color distribution but then I paid $8K/carat for that. Here's the video from the dealer under very ideal light conditions.

 

[voce]

@vik84 is your photo of the sapphire inside the box showing the stone face down? The color zoning makes it look like a different gem from the one you showed us in the first post here. However--this could be the difference between face up view and face down view.

$2k/ct is fine as long as you are able to enjoy the gem yourself. This is not a good investment piece. The big glaring red flag for me is that the vendor's video does not seem to be the same gem: the gem you received has a big old window, while the gem in the video has no window whatsoever. Ideal lighting cannot hide a big window so it completely disappears. I would say they are not the same gem, although they are similar in shape. This bait-and-switch business practice would have me demanding my money back. It's possible the vendor could have made an honest mistake in sending you the wrong video, but more likely they are trying to sway you with a bait-and-switch so that you would buy the inferior gem.

 

[voce]

Further proof the photos and the video are of different gems--see the triangle in the 1st & 2nd photos? I mean the facet with the tip pointing to the girdle. It does not show up in the video, which shows more facets in the crown of the video gem than the gem from the photos, which has a bigger table, fewer facets. I am convinced they are different gemstones. Is the video your Burmese sapphire, @vik84 ?

 

[chrono]

I believe it’s the same stone, based in the inclusion and cut. I believe what most are seeing in the first few pictures is a tilt window, given that the table of the stone isn’t perpendicular to the camera.

 

[voce]

I think I see what @chrono is talking about. In the still pictures, the window was oriented at the top, while in the video the large tilt window was oriented at the bottom, in order to deliberately not show the flaw of the gem.

 

[chrono]

There is no true window in this sapphire. A tilt window is not a flaw. All gemstones will show one if tilted far enough. The cut isn’t the best, so the tilt is more easily seen, but it’s not badly cut either.

I am not impressed with the first few pictures but perhaps the OP wasn’t able to capture the colour accurately, who knows.

@vik84
Does the sapphire look like the video to you or it’s not as bright? If you don’t reside in the tropics, expect the sapphire to be much darker and less lively in temperate climate where the sun strength is weaker.

 

[Anne111]

2k/ct sounds very fair but true the vid looks very different.

 

[vik84]

There is no true window in this sapphire. A tilt window is not a flaw. All gemstones will show one if tilted far enough. The cut isn’t the best, so the tilt is more easily seen, but it’s not badly cut either.

I am not impressed with the first few pictures but perhaps the OP wasn’t able to capture the colour accurately, who knows.

@vik84
Does the sapphire look like the video to you or it’s not as bright? If you don’t reside in the tropics, expect the sapphire to be much darker and less lively in temperate climate where the sun strength is weaker.

Thanks @chrono, the first few pictures are my own, pls excuse my amateur photos. The video is from the dealer but it's under much more ideal light conditions. The stone definitely looks more like in the videos under sunlight.

Further proof the photos and the video are of different gems--see the triangle in the 1st & 2nd photos? I mean the facet with the tip pointing to the girdle. It does not show up in the video, which shows more facets in the crown of the video gem than the gem from the photos, which has a bigger table, fewer facets. I am convinced they are different gemstones. Is the video your Burmese sapphire, @vik84 ?

The video is of the same Ceylon sapphire.

 

[vik84]

The sapphire just came back from a full Prestige report from the AGL. Confirmed untreated and Ceylon origin. Color grade seems to be good and clarity grade is expected. What do you guys think ? Keep the stone or return to seller ?

 

[Arcadian]

For the size and the price you paid, you got a fair deal. I think it matters more what YOU think of it. Its not extremely deep in color, but I'm one of those that don't like super deep colors in a sapphire. Also, being unheated is what drives cost. a similarly heated stone would not be as expensive.

If you're bothered by the window, its probably best to not keep it. It might not be worth recutting either (you could ask if you were interested) I don't feel the cut is super bad. Its not precision by any means, but Ive seen a lot worse. The right setting will help I believe.

 

[Kevin Bryant]

would recommend a re cut

 

[vik84]

Thanks again everyone for your help. Got the stone appraised for it's fair market value (Gemguide based) by one of the recommended appraisers on PS. Came out to $42K ! Will be setting this one into a platinum pendant.

 

[vik84]

Got this stone set into a platinum pendant in India with surrounding diamonds. Thanks everyone for your help !

 

[whitewave]

It’s gorgeous!!!!! Wear it in good health.

 

[Rad_Fan]

The color pops much more in that setting. Does it have an enclosed gallery?

 

[voce]

Wow! Nice!

 

[minousbijoux]

Love its color in the second photo of it set.

 

[vik84]

The color pops much more in that setting. Does it have an enclosed gallery?

Nope, just sits on a basket with the prongs holding it. Also, the back is not closed, the jeweler didn't see a window under the loupe and he recommended the setting to let the culet to just touch the skin.