Diamond vs. Sapphire 7mm+ Round

[Wanaka]

My boyfriend and I dropped into a Tiffany's B&M store the other day for a bit of a laugh, just to see what the blue box hype was all about. He has not officially proposed yet, but in light of the fun we are having with designing our anniversary ring, he suggested starting to look into my engagement ring.

I have been fairly adamant that I don't want a diamond. Mostly because of the cost and marketing and well, colour-less-ness, and who doesn't love a gorgeous blue sapphire amiright? So we had talked and vaguely settled on an an unheated blue round sapphire, about 6.5 mm. This was based off online research that said a 1 carat MRB diamond is about 6.5 mm in diameter. I have tried on my mum's 1.5 carat MRB and felt it was a little too much bling for my size 6 (US) finger.

Well to cut a long story short(er)... the lighting in Tiffany's is amazeballs! We kept looking up to gauge the angles, haha, what can I say we are engineering geeks. The assistant who spoke to us was friendly, a pleasant surprise for me as I had half-expected snobbishness. I tried on a variety of solitaire MRB diamonds ranging from 0.5 carats to 1.8 carats. Well I didn't realise til then that perhaps there is a little bit of a size-ist in me! Based on that one visit, we have determined that I look pretty good with either a 1.29 carat or a 1.61 carat solitaire - so I guess a stone that faces up between those two in terms of coverage (as an aside, why can't Tiffany's round up the weight, it offends my OCD lol).

Once we were out of the store my boyfriend admitted that he had not liked the idea of diamonds either. But he thought a diamond solitaire set in platinum looked elegant on me, and he especially liked the 1.61 carat.

Question for my CS friends here - so again looking online quickly that would mean our search for a well-cut, sparkly, unheated round sapphire would be centred around a 7.3 - 7.5 mm stone... is this even possible? And we haven't even gotten into the issues around hue yet... And hopefully at a price point that doesn't mean we give up on a CS and look for a well-cut MRB?

p.s. The assistant at Tiffany's was definitely trying to sell us on the brand name, and the carat and colour and clarity. Luckily for me, I had previously peeked into RockyTalky and have read up a bit on the importance of cut, and my boyfriend definitely gets the importance of faceting angles etc. We won't be paying the premium for a Tiffany's diamond if we do end up going down the diamond route, which made the sticker shock a lot more bearable - thanks PS!

 

[Jbows]

I heard somewhere Tiffany’s accepts Be treatments on their sapphires... please verify but if so, NOT GOOD!

I think you definitely can find a stone like that! Not sure about budget, but this one is gorg: https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p362/2.55_ct_Blue_Sapphire.html
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p343/2.18_ct_Violetish-Blue_Ceylon_Sapphire.html
Might be too dark but still:
https://rogerdery.com/gems/blue-sapphire-round-1801051/
Oooh or this one:
https://rogerdery.com/gems/blue-sapphire-round-1801044/
Visible inclusions but maybe?
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1291
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1303
Swoon!!!! :
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1300
I might sacrifice unheated for color, but it’s your priorities!

 

[Bron357]

Hi, welcome to the PS world.
With sapphires just remember that they have a higher specific gravity than diamonds so a 7.5 mm sapphire is heavier than an equivalent size diamond so you’re looking for a sapphire around 2 carats.
Sapphires come in a range of hues and it’s a personal choice which “colour hue” speaks to you. Some love the water like pale Ceylon blues, other the brighter Kashmir blue, others still the deep almost black blue. Just remember that sapphires “darken” once set (if you’re viewing unset gems in optimal lighting conditions) and the colour at night inside is often closer to black than blue for a deep strong blue. So it’s important to choose a vendor who will accept a no hassle return if the sapphire doesn’t meet your expectations when viewed in person.
Sapphires, unheated, are more expensive and harder to find. However being “heat only” is quite normal and not a terrible thing. What you dont want is Beryllium treated or glass filled (stick with well known, well regarded vendors who fully disclose treatments).
Sapphires also can have colour zoning / bands. This is natural and can make some areas of the gem a slightly different colour. You need to closely view gems to see if this effect is present and if you hate it or don’t mind it.
There are a number of vendors who are recommended, you can look at James Allen or The Natural Sapphire Company for starters.
Enjoy your journey to finding that lovely sapphire that calls your name.

 

[Wanaka]

Hi guys, I'm back again after a few months away - have been quite busy with life stuff, and then I got sick for what seems like months. I've not had a voice for the last week or so, and when I talk I sound like Darth Vader... wish I had a helmet like him too to clap over my unkempt hair

So despite being adamant I want a 7.3-7.5 mm sapphire, well guess what? My man and I pulled the trigger in late May and purchased a beautifully cut, unheated Montana sapphire from Dana. Guess how big it is... 5.6 mm

I had actually bought another sapphire from Dana for myself, he goes what are you doing, I showed it to him and he goes oh that's nice, any others? And we have a quick look and he chose two that he liked, we asked Dana and Rachelle for a comparison, and then boom after a few days we had pulled the trigger on this one

It's not a classical sapphire blue, and I think some might say it's too grey or green etc. but wow the cutting is magnificent on it, and it sparkles - to me almost diamond-like until the light goes low. Thanks to you PSers he is actually interested in getting me a diamond engagement ring too

Would love to know your thoughts... and hmm should I change the thread title now, because I need help with the setting... this love affair with gems never ends, LOL

I hope I have uploaded this photo right (it's from Dana's website):

 

[Bron357]

Beautiful and an excellent choice. Are you going to go “solitaire” or are you thinking some added diamond bling?
I’m awful, I like to smother everything in bling - I put it down to my failing eyesight - well that’s my excuse to DH

 

[Arcadian]

Your choice, you have to wear it. That said, I love the color. There's so many great colors of sapphires (as you're probably finding out!) that you don't need to go with "classic blue" I prefer lighter blues if blues on a personal level.

 

[voce]

@Wanaka Welcome back
I love Dana's cutting on that sapphire. The color is really pretty. And I'd be excited to see how you set it.
A little confused though--it sounds like the boyfriend wants to buy you a diamond. Do you want a diamond or sapphire engagement ring?

I really don't know how you feel about lab stones, but Gene from Precision Gem recently cut https://www.precisiongem.com/gemstackpage/gems.php?product/page/1590/Gem+2021-+Blue+Sapphire+Lab
That one's bigger than what you're looking for, but I'm sure he can acquire more lab sapphire rough to cut one the exact same size for you, if you just want a CS ring.

If you want an untreated 7mm round sapphire for an engagement ring, that's a different story. The size is not as difficult to find as the "ideal" color in untreated gems. If you're not insistent on cornflower blue or royal blue in unheated stones, though, then I think there are lots of options.

 

[Wanaka]

@Bron357 Aww thanks for your kind words Sapphire Queen, yes I am amazed as I never really thought you could get great cutting/sparkles in a sapphire, well shows exactly how much I know right? Dana wrote to me when I asked more about this gem, that all up he thinks this performs as well as can be considering the RI of the material. We compared this against a much bigger 7.3 mm Montana and something about this just dragged our eyes towards it (despite the other guy being a decent size).

As for bling in the setting, that's just the problem! Neither of us like too much bling - we've tried on some of the CS rings here in NZ - I am sure like in Aus they are always halo'ed or otherwise snuggled up next to diamonds - they didn't look good on me at all. So I'm thinking a solitaire but perhaps with a bit of a twist to the platinum setting itself, somehow? I can wait for bling bling as my man wants to get a diamond too eventually! And CS solitaires seem to be quite thin on the ground from what I can see on Google Images.

@Arcadian Hehe I know what you mean, I may be a closet size-ist, or PS has got me on the CS version of DSS?! It is really very sparkly and bright edge-to-edge though, and when I place it on my hand, it doesn't look too small at all. I like really deep blues but I already have a darker blue-grey spinel ring, and it can get dark in lower light. So I think maybe I am like you and a bigger fan of the lighter blues after all.

@voce Thank you, I'm glad to be back too and to be able to look at and chat about pretty things with like-minded people! And sorry about the confusion... we were dead set against diamonds, but there are hardly any jewellers here who stock CS. So we just popped into Tiffany's to have a nosey and try on some rings for the fun of it, and figured out rough spread sizes for rounds. We got this sapphire from Dana, but as we were browsing PS, he discovered super-ideal diamonds (yep, danger! danger!) and would like to get me a diamond engagement ring some day, as well as the sapphire one we will be setting. Hope that makes sense?

I don't know how I feel about lab stones either, as I haven't seen on in person, but for the price I would be interested to get something from Gene as a project! Unheated AND ideal colour in sapphires is really difficult, but I really like the silver-grey-green cast mine has, so perhaps all the stars aligned and dropped this baby in my lap... which means I can now collect CS for fun and learning too

 

[foxinsox]

Nothing useful to add but I love your sapphire - keen to see how you set it.
Also I’m from NZ too! The quality locally is pretty dire eh!

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

I love your sapphire and love to see people choosing something other than diamond for their e-ring. I live in the south in the U.S. and only know 1 person IRL who chose a ruby instead. I'm hoping it catches on around here finally.

As for a setting, you will get much more help from the others here, as I've been a collector of stones for 15 years and have only set one!

 

[Acinom]

Gorgeous sapphire. A beautiful moody colour. I like!!!
Personally I love the settings by Alistair Kelsey from Australia.

 

[lovedogs]

Gorgeous sapphire. A beautiful moody colour. I like!!!
Personally I love the settings by Alistair Kelsey from Australia.

Came here to post this! He's so talented and very sweet!

 

[Bluegemz]

Gorgeous sapphire. A beautiful moody colour. I like!!!
Personally I love the settings by Alistair Kelsey from Australia.

I really love his designs. They are so artistic, fluid and elegant. Would love to have a ring made from him someday.

 

[lovedogs]

I really love his designs. They are so artistic, fluid and elegant. Would love to have a ring made from him someday.

I seriously cannot recommend him enough. Definitely one of the best vendors I've worked with! I would have more pieces from him if he weren't so far away!

 

[Bluegemz]

I seriously cannot recommend him enough. Definitely one of the best vendors I've worked with! I would have more pieces from him if he weren't so far away!

I take that to heart. I was thinking that he would be able to make a great ring out of a gem silica!

 

[Bluegemz]

Hi guys, I'm back again after a few months away - have been quite busy with life stuff, and then I got sick for what seems like months. I've not had a voice for the last week or so, and when I talk I sound like Darth Vader... wish I had a helmet like him too to clap over my unkempt hair

So despite being adamant I want a 7.3-7.5 mm sapphire, well guess what? My man and I pulled the trigger in late May and purchased a beautifully cut, unheated Montana sapphire from Dana. Guess how big it is... 5.6 mm

I had actually bought another sapphire from Dana for myself, he goes what are you doing, I showed it to him and he goes oh that's nice, any others? And we have a quick look and he chose two that he liked, we asked Dana and Rachelle for a comparison, and then boom after a few days we had pulled the trigger on this one

It's not a classical sapphire blue, and I think some might say it's too grey or green etc. but wow the cutting is magnificent on it, and it sparkles - to me almost diamond-like until the light goes low. Thanks to you PSers he is actually interested in getting me a diamond engagement ring too

Would love to know your thoughts... and hmm should I change the thread title now, because I need help with the setting... this love affair with gems never ends, LOL

I hope I have uploaded this photo right (it's from Dana's website):

It’s a lovely, subtle and complex sapphire. That color and cut looks like it would explode with beauty and light in the sun. Congratulations on getting such a unique stone.

 

[Arkteia]

Congratulations. Beautiful stone, and Montana sapphires have the gleam, the sparkle - you might enjoy it no less than a diamond, if not more.

If you have dainty fingers, 5.6 mm is great, but even for larger hands, there are antique-type styles of settings that could optically maximize the stone.

 

[Arkteia]

Nothing useful to add but I love your sapphire - keen to see how you set it.
Also I’m from NZ too! The quality locally is pretty dire eh!

I visited NZ last year, you have the best nature imaginable! And the most interesting colors of lakes and geyzers.

 

[Acinom]

Here is a thread with examples of the work Alistair Kelsey created for PSers: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-alistair-kelsey-collection.218921/
You can also find his work on his FB.

Some ideas of settings without additional diamonds in the shank:

@pyramid

The setting he created for my zircon

@SeekingClarity

 

[Bluegemz]

Here is a thread with examples of the work Alistair Kelsey created for PSers: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-alistair-kelsey-collection.218921/
You can also find his work on his FB.

Some ideas of settings without additional diamonds in the shank:

@pyramid

The setting he created for my zircon

@SeekingClarity

I really love how the substantiality and sculpture of the bands sets the frame for the simplicity of the solitaire prong setting in all of the examples. The stones are the centerpiece, but with a strong base, which is needed to ‘visually stabilize’ the center gem.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

First of all, glad to hear you're in better health, @Wanaka!

I love this shade of blue. I don't see it surrounded by diamonds either....I think it would "wash out" some of the color? Instead, I feel it would be so pretty with some ornate metalwork surrounding it. James Meyer had a lot of pieces that I admired, but he has since retired, I think? Here's a pic of the style that I've had bookmarked for ages...


Side note: I didn't want a diamond for my e-ring either; I wanted a colored stone. But my then-FI had his heart set on diamond so that's what we got. But it's ok though cuz 3 years later, I bought myself a purple sapphire 3-stone ring to celebrate our 3-year anniversary. Now I have the best of both worlds!

 

[Wanaka]

Ohh haaaaaaaii there @foxinsox, are you in Jafaland too? I wonder how many of us Kiwis are here! I think "dire" doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what we don't have available here. We went to a few other stores too and they were just pushing carat, carat, carat for diamonds. I did get to see a fancy yellow diamond though - 10 carats or something nuts like that, tried it on and decided I'd rather have an Aston Martin

@Mrs_Strizzle Thank you for your nice words about my sapphire. I don't know anyone else (bar one of my friends whom I directed to MasterCut Gems) who is engaged here without a diamond too. Would love to see your collection of pretties!

@Acinom Thanks for your kind words too, I know you from PS as a collector so really nice to see your thoughts. Moody - my Montana is definitely that - I will post up some photos below actually. I have been following Alistair Kelsey on FB because I saw you had commented on him previously. I LIKE your blue zircon too btw! Really pops in that setting! Oh and @lovedogs too, may I ask you ladies if Alistair was ok with setting other stones not sourced from him? He is based in Oz so "across the ditch" from me, hmm, wonder if taxes will be an issue for us... Or I could hop over for a shopping trip to IKEA...?

@Bluegemz Subtle is a great descriptor, oh you guys are really helping me put words to this stone as all I can really do is dribble hehe. Thank you! Yes it is really sparkly in the right lighting and I feel so frustrated as I can't get any decent pics of it. On RockyTalky they talk about super-ideal cuts and I wonder if some of the angles Dana used when faceting are similar to those MRB super-ideal proportions? My sapphire looks bigger to me than its size, but well I'm not exactly experienced. See pics in next post

@Arkteia I wish you lived closer to NZ or visited more, well next time you come we must have a mini PS catch up. Would be only too happy to show you around! Can you imagine trying to find sapphires that match the blues that you can see in our lakes and glaciers?! Oooooh that could be my next project????!!! I am definitely enjoying this sapphire - luckily my man is supportive and interested in the gem hunt and custom setting, so with you guys here I am well aided and abetted in this new little hobby of mine

@AnastasiaBeaverhausen Yes I am concerned that having diamonds in the setting may out-bling or wash out the sapphire. I'm not sure... will post more below as I start thinking through the actual setting process. I'll definitely be asking you guys for advice! In the meantime I like those gold (?) shoulder things on the James Meyer inspo ring you posted here. I don't know what they are called?

 

[Wanaka]

Here are some more pics of the sapphire (hmm @Bron357 I might have to call upon you for a name please, hehe). Just taken with my phone and not edited in any way, so probably not the best!

Oh and my ring size is US 6. And yes my nails are always that short due to where I work LOL

Morning light outside but in the car so somewhat shaded/diffuse:


Indoors at the office, a combination of overhead office lighting (fluorescent probably) and morning sun coming in through the window:


Probably my least favourite, indoors at the office again away from the window, with my head blocking the overhead office lighting (still can see some sparkle though?):


And finally, indoors at the office, away from the window, just overhead office lighting as a light source:


My skin tone is all over the show too! LOL

 

[Acinom]

Your stone is gorgeous!!! I love all its colours.
Alistair will definitely set outside stones. @lovedogs had her ring set with a stone from The Gemtrader. And Alistair made 7 rings for me with outside stones.

I am based in Europe. I have no idea about tax rules between OZ and NZ. Alistair might know

 

[foxinsox]

Look at all the different moods/colours. It’s gorgeous! I suspect you’d be best to do a couple of wee trips - the GST changes coming are going to make things more expensive and NZ Customs have zero sense of humour with calculating their charges if they catch it on the mail-in. Plus trip to deliver, trip to pick up is two fun weekends away!
I’m in Christchurch (tho Jaffa-land right now for work) usually and have a jeweller there I like. But I don’t know what style you’re after and if they could do what you’d want. You could also send the measurements to whoever you get to make your setting and get it set locally if you’ve got a proper jeweller nearby?

 

[Wanaka]

I'm starting to get a little worried about if this looks too twee on my size 6 finger as a solitaire - please someone reassure me and slap some sense back into me

@Acinom that's great to hear that Alistair will work with outside stones - yippee! It's always good to have choices. I have met a jeweller here in NZ who will work with outside stones too, but obviously have not worked with them yet.

@foxinsox I know, the bedamned GST changes eh! Soooo annoying. Not sure how it's going to work with Oz GST either, if I go with Alistair hopefully that means he has the ability to send tax-free to the airport (the TRS GST queue at the airport can be a right nightmare). Have you come across anyone in our neck of the woods who can do some decent work?

 

[Acinom]

The colour and sparkle of your sapphire has a huge impact!!! It will not look too small on your finger at all. Especially if you choose a simple, sculptural design for the setting that has presence (like the designs of Alistair). With a matching band it will look smashing (either plain or with small gypsy set sapphire melee to match your sapphire).

A stone with such presence does not have to be large. If you are having serious doubts though, you should act now and choose a different stone.

 

[Wanaka]

Great advice @Acinom and just the reality check I needed, thank you! I think browsing PS and seeing the huge diamonds makes me feel a bit inferior, but there is no reason I should be keeping up with the Joneses. My man and I picked this one out and it's special to us, it's unusual amongst everyone we know (especially as we intend to set minus a halo etc.), and simple, sculptural, and elegant are our key words for this ring.

And then I went and took my sapphire out to reassure myself, here it is at night under LED lights:

I really need to get my nails tidied up and my poor phone could not focus properly for the sparkles!

p.s. LOVE LOVE LOVE the use of the word "smashing" - I haven't heard that for many years, awwwww

 

[Acinom]

Your stone is really unique. It’s so beautiful in every lighting condition. I am a bit biased as I am a huge fan of all schades of blue, but still...
I hope you decide to keep it. There is such a beautiful story behind it and you both fell for it.

And I love the natural look of your nails.

Ps. Whahaha, I am Dutch so my English is a bit ‘rusty’, hence the use of the word ‘smashing’.

 

[Wanaka]

@Acinom I am soooo biased towards blue as well, it is my favourite colour and I wear blue on a daily basis (not purposely but I noticed this recently). We will definitely keep and set it as my engagement ring, there is just not a big rush at the moment as we are enjoying our PS experiences, looking at lots of pretty gems, and also finalising our anniversary ring (an emerald which we have designed and will be finalising soon).

For your viewing pleasure I found the FB video that Dana and Rachelle shot to compare the two sapphires we were deciding against, this one and the bigger 7.3 mm - would love your opinion?

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1552502991538885

One of my friends has just moved to the Netherlands too! She is enjoying it and loving the Dutch friendliness and hospitality!