Considering a sapphire

[alisonia333]

Hi there,
I have read the tutorial on colored stones and know basically nothing else about gemstones. I have been shopping around for stones at some of the recommended/mentioned vendors for a RHR. How does this sapphire look? It's heated, which doesn't bother me. I wouldn't want other treatments. I'm worried that the cut looks kind of wonky because the culet looks off-center in the video. Do you see that? Is there extinction? It's a little over 1 carat and does not have a cert, but one can be purchased with it from GIA, but not AGS.

Really would appreciate any feedback! The link is to a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdc2L35x6y8&feature=plcp

Let me know if it's terrible! I think the shade of color is pretty, but I don't know if it looks like a good or bad stone.

Thanks!

 

[chrono]

Yes, the culet is off-centered but what worried me most is the tone. This is a very dark sapphire with a good bit of extinction and not particularly saturated (a lot of gray). In order to see some colour, rather than darkness, you need to shine a lot of light onto it. It is very dark around the edges (almost dead looking) and where the center is windowed or shows a tilt window, that's where I'm able to see some lighter blue colour.

 

[alisonia333]

Yes, the culet is off-centered but what worried me most is the tone. This is a very dark sapphire with a good bit of extinction and not particularly saturated (a lot of gray). In order to see some colour, rather than darkness, you need to shine a lot of light onto it. It is very dark around the edges (almost dead looking) and where the center is windowed or shows a tilt window, that's where I'm able to see some lighter blue colour.

Thank you so much, sounds like it's not a good bet! I really appreciate the response.

 

[Starzin]

Chrono has pointed out the problems with this sapphire but it might be easier for you to recognise them if I add that it is easy to get swayed by the (very) strong lighting that can be applied to both videos or still photos and which make any stone sparkle with some colour. If that happens to be the colour that you are looking for, it's easy to think it will be like that all the time.

Unfortunately it's seldom the truth. In this particular instance, you say you think the shade is pretty...do you mean the blue flashes you see in the video? So would you be happy for the stone to look like the picture you've posted above 98% of the time? This is what I term an inky colour and will have little of the brighter blue in hand. While I don't know your budget, yes, I'd pass because you can probably do better.

 

[alisonia333]

Chrono has pointed out the problems with this sapphire but it might be easier for you to recognise them if I add that it is easy to get swayed by the (very) strong lighting that can be applied to both videos or still photos and which make any stone sparkle with some colour. If that happens to be the colour that you are looking for, it's easy to think it will be like that all the time.

Unfortunately it's seldom the truth. In this particular instance, you say you think the shade is pretty...do you mean the blue flashes you see in the video? So would you be happy for the stone to look like the picture you've posted above 98% of the time? This is what I term an inky colour and will have little of the brighter blue in hand. While I don't know your budget, yes, I'd pass because you can probably do better.

Thank you so much. That's really helpful, and yes, I like the blue flashes and the way it looks with the strong lighting. I don't know that I mind the inky color...I think I'll have to look at more stones, but I definitely wouldn't want dead, black color. I want light to be reflected from the stone. I honestly haven't really thought about a budget yet. I'm looking at lots of different types of gems and trying to see what I like and what I don't. Thanks again, I really appreciate the info about the lighting.

 

[LD]

It's a good way to learn by finding stones and then asking opinions. This way you get to learn what others "see" and it can help to educate your eye. I applaud you for this.

So, if you look at the stone it's very dark. Imagine the stone is in your hand - when set this will darken. Some of it looks black now, so this will intensify the darkness. Of course you may be looking for a dark stone (some people prefer this).

You're absolutely correct about the cut. You should be able to see the middle of the stone clearly but with this one it's wonky so there's no clear middle (well there is but it's way off to one side)! The other issue is that the stone is so dark and badly cut that you can't see the facets clearly. This means that the return of light back to your eye will be all over the place and it won't perform to it's best ability. A slightly wonky cut you can get away with but this one looks like it's been cut with a knife and fork!

Oval blue sapphires are all over the place at the moment as they're having a resurgence at the moment so you should be able to find quite a lot. Take a look at www.simplysapphires.com John typically has a range of well cut/less well cut gemstones of all different shapes and sizes and his pricing is very fair. He is also incredibly helpful and his photos are pretty accurate.

What do you think of this one? http://www.simplysapphires.com/blue/agta-certified-unheated-cushion-cut-blue-sapphire-1.03-carats-6.3x4.9x3.8mm

 

[Starzin]

You're welcome. Another hint when looking at videos is to look at the (usually) majority of the stone that isn't bright because it's often a good indication of the normal body colour of the stone.

If we took the best photo possible of the gem in the video it would come off an extremely poor second to the stone LD has linked you to....see the difference? Make sure you click the pictures to open the zoom where you can see what's going on with the stone.

A slightly wonky cut you can get away with but this one looks like it's been cut with a knife and fork!

 

[alisonia333]

I think that one is gorgeous!! I have to start socking away some funds, and then commence a search in earnest. I was looking at some really inexpensive stones, that are not worth setting at all. Stay tuned, I will probably browse this site in the future and ask for help with a clear budget in mind

 

[Starzin]

By all means come back when you have a better idea of what budget you might be working with We're always happy to help.