Good place to look at /and or buy sapphires in San Francisco?

[innerkitten]

Anyone know?

 

[hoorray]

We bought an antique sapphire ring at Old & New on Union Street a few years ago. They had some beautiful pieces -- some antique, some new. I haven't been there in probably 5 years, but back when we dealt with them, they were a top quality store.

 

[bling]

The jewelry mart/giftcenter sells all sorts or colored gem stones...some stores better quality than others..but worth the look around..

 

[XvOrlyBearvX]

http://www.padisgems.com has some sapphires for sale in their San Fransico shops...

 

[innerkitten]

Funny you should mention it cause I called Derco today and it turns out they have colored gems as well as diamonds.
I wonder if Im gonna have a hard time getting an un treated un heated stone?

 

[innerkitten]

And I think Padis Gems and Derco are both in the Jewelry Mart.

 

[valeria101]

Yeah, you might. And since it is somehow understood that untreated stones should sell for more, you do face the risk of receiving untruthful info. Just as in the case of diamonds, certificates are best for ´recognizing characteristics which are not readily aparent to the eye (such as heat and other treatments). As a rule, small gems are not certified (or much, much more seldom than small diamonds are) because few small stones command high prices. Maybe you could try meeting your supplier through te Net? You do not have to buy on the Net, but really get in touch with the seller, establish if he tells you the right things, see if he has what you want and then decide wether you want to deal with them. I do not know gems in San Fran, what I know is that finding great looking gems in jewelers' windows just does not happen all that often. And if it does, than it is a good sign that you are in New York, Milan (this is it!), Paris or Madrid (another killer) or Denver, Colorado (this is where one of the largest gem shows takes place several times a year). Here (Berlin), this would be tough shopping indeed...

 

[valeria101]

But, as I say, San Fran I don't know all that well. Besides, jewelers do not shy to buy their stones remotely from sources they recognize as trustworthy. One idea: Pala International (palagems.com)lets you see the stones on their webpage (many more than a jeweler would) and then, asks you to ask your jeweler to demand the stone or you. Then you can discuss with both local jeweler (that is jewelry maker, not retailer) and Pala to allow you to consider the stone prior to purchase. This should be your right... Well, I believe that the credentials of Pala International would worm the hart of any jeweler. I believe that this compromise between the dreaded buying online and buying less than great pieces in a brick store is worth trying. Do you?

Best regards,

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/8/2003 8:46:12 AM innerkitten wrote:

Anyone know?
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I might know who knows: the AGS (where all those cers come from) www.ags.org maybe you can call/ email and ask the question above. I would have not expected it, but they are public friendly... One thing, the list of jewelers reflects the requests for cerification of colored gems and diamonds (as they say) so this is sort of a good start.

Hope this works. I was rarely in the situation to look for a Brock and mortar jeweler, because I travel too much. I have my own jewelry maker back home, and buy stones online from whereever they are and I am. It did work for a few years by now. But AGS certs is one thing I would be looking for. So, why not AGS jewelers?

 

[fuffi]

Valeria, are you familiar with DJRareGems.com?

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/11/2003 9:26:43 AM fuffi wrote:

Valeria, are you familiar with DJRareGems.com?
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Somewhat: I know the site and followed their postings ocasionally. But I did not have yet had much eason to shop there. Why? try acstones.com at least for comparing the quality of the pics, and the subjects... Just a penny worth of a thought.

 

[elmo]

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On 9/11/2003 4:48:53 AM valeria101 wrote:

One idea: Pala International (palagems.com)lets you see the stones on their webpage (many more than a jeweler would) and then, asks you to ask your jeweler to demand the stone or you.

----------------

Pala is a great educational resource but they actually show very little stock for things like unheated ruby and sapphire. They seem to be more into things like demantoid and tourmaline at the moment. That's a little ironic in a way isn't it? The only folks I see on the web who offer a great variety of this is http://www.walterarnstein.com/ where they also always show the AGTA report indicating no treatment. While this is very nice for innerkitten as I assume they are looking for something BLUE, it doesn't help the folks like me who would prefer something a little RED at the moment

. I still don't think there's anything close to a DBOF/NiceIce/GoodOldGold/WF for specialty colored gems right now.

 

[fuffi]

Thanks Valeria! I'll look into acstones. I ask because I had seen some tourmelines I liked recently on D&J but since I don't know that much about gemstones I was wondering about the general quality of their stock.

 

[innerkitten]

I will check those sources you mentioned. I saw a place on line today that had very expensive "non treated stones" certified, they sure looked nice though.
the web site was http://www.sapphires.ca/bluesapphiresw.html

Valeria you always have such good input.

I feel like I'd have to see a stone or at least have someone that really really new about stones help me purchase it if were an online purchase.

 

[valeria101]

Thanks for the feedback´! I am glad to help if I can.
As for seing stones while buying online, this must be the norm: you should have a few days (from 7 to 14, depending on where you buy from) to inspect the stone and decide to either keep it or not. If the place you buy from has been in business (online or off) for more than a year, I guess itmeans that they do respect this provision, Besides, escrow accounts are really helpful.
If you choose to have the stone evaluated during the inspection period, than all for the better. The seller should expect you to do so and you should not refrain from teling him this in advance of the purchase...
One thing I would like to ask: why are you lookign at unheated stones only? The difference in price can be significant (25% is ok for average stones, but can get out of control for better qualities). If you do not want to build a collection of sapphires but want a good looking ring, I guess heating counts as a respected, milenia (literally) old practice. While I am not crazy about other enhancements and do love and honor unheated sapphires, I strongly believe that heated stones are just as good as they have their established value side by side with the vanishing unheated species...

Hoe this helps!

 

[valeria101]

... If you do look for a great untrated gem worthy to start a collection, then outrageous prices may have something to do with the origin of the stone. You should ask wether the seller puts a price on words like 'Ceylon' or 'Kashmir' if attached to the stone concerned and wether by calling those names, the suppliers meand geographical origin (certified) or merely color or overall quality class. Not that 10000 for a 1 ct Kashmir is necessarily a bad thing (and those do sell) but sometimes too much is just that, too much.

 

[valeria101]

Oups! almost sure I missed mentioning this one: http://www.gemcal.com/indexAboutGemcal.asp

Just look at their 'customers list'... and the sapphires! This place tends to show a couple of gems at a time and change the display often. If you want to confirm their reputation I suspect that a very polite e-mail to africagems will help (they already have the reputation and are quite good at communication too).

 

[innerkitten]

I guess I'm just sort of a natural woman and I would like a stone with natural beauty. I'm less concerned with the origin of the stone (madagascar or Thailand would be fine by me) and I don't mind tiny flaws as long as the color looks good and it's cut nicely.

Have you bought stones online before?

 

[valeria101]

Sure! ALL my gems come via the Net... and I still have to get cheated. I do not buy jewelry, just gems and then have them set by this nice guy accross the streat who also helps me judge the purchase if there is a return period. I have only once returned a stone during the allowed interval, so at least I know this works. Ok, I am not buying things every day, but I have really no second thoughts about buying online from a reasonable source.

 

[innerkitten]

Valeria, I checked out one of the web sites you have told ua all about and the person I emailed sells stuff right here in San Francisco. He is in Thailand right now but will be back and says he can show me some stuff when he's back in the city. Cool huh.

 

[valeria101]

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On 9/16/2003 9:26:26 PM innerkitten wrote:

Valeria, I checked out one of the web sites you have told ua all about and the person I emailed sells stuff right here in San Francisco. ----------------

Glad to hear it! Iam just curious who that can be!? I surely hope you will find the stone you aim at! Best of luck!

 

[innerkitten]

It was Gemcal.com
-kitten

 

[innerkitten]

It was Gemcal.com
-kitten

 

[valeria101]

Thanks for letting me know! I am glad to hear this! I wish they had a shop near where I live... Best of luck!