Gray Sapphire? & The Natural Sapphire Company

[KipsGirl]

Does anyone know where I could find a Gray Sapphire preferably 2+ cts or of someone who might be able to source one? Or a Gray/Blue Sapphire? I would really appreciate it.

Also does anyone have any experience with the natural sapphire company? Are they good to work with?

 

[Lula]

Hi, KipsGirl,
You may want to ask the moderators to move your thread to the Colored Stones forum. You'll get more responses there. To ask the moderators to move your thread, click on the "report concern" button and type in your request.

 

[SB621]

Hi, KipsGirl,
You may want to ask the moderators to move your thread to the Colored Stones forum. You'll get more responses there. To ask the moderators to move your thread, click on the "report concern" button and type in your request.

Yup +1. There is a list of vendors pinnned at the top of CS who you can do to about sapphires. However if you post your budget and treatments requirements I think the posters on CS will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Do you actually mean a grey sapphire or a blue sapphire with grey modifers?

I'll be looking for your post on CS!

 

[KipsGirl]

Hi, KipsGirl,
You may want to ask the moderators to move your thread to the Colored Stones forum. You'll get more responses there. To ask the moderators to move your thread, click on the "report concern" button and type in your request.

Yup +1. There is a list of vendors pinnned at the top of CS who you can do to about sapphires. However if you post your budget and treatments requirements I think the posters on CS will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Do you actually mean a grey sapphire or a blue sapphire with grey modifers?

I'll be looking for your post on CS!

The budget is about 0 to 5k USD for the stone. Less is always better. I want the stone to be between 6.5mm and 9mm. Either is fine, I love sapphires but grey is my favorite color (lack of color). Most of my house is grey and blue. I tend to gravitate to cuts that are a bit more linear like asscher, hexagon/octogon, and emeralds, but I am open to all cuts if I can find a color I love.

I love these, however they are grey diamonds. Originally I want a grey diamond, but was told by a variety of jewelers that most jewelers won't even carry or work with them because they are not "popular", it was disheartening. So I shifted my focus to sapphire as they were already on my radar.
http://www.thewonderfulweddingbox.c...loads/2012/12/TWWB-GREY-DIAMOND-1-500x500.jpg
http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2013/03...-deco-fancy-steel-grey-10-carat-diamond-ring/

 

[marymm]

Um, I do know of a gorgeous steel grey (GIA Fancy Grey) diamond but it is smaller than your desired size and round in shape - a 6mm round - I was returning a different diamond and this grey round was brought out to me - I only looked at it under a jeweler's lamp-light but also with a loupe - it was like illuminated grey satin and, especially for a fancy color diamond, a well-executed round brilliant cut. Color-wise I think it was closer to the grey radiant you posted rather than the step-cut. Here's the link just in case you're interested - http://www.fancycolordiamond.net/search/fancy_colored_diamond_details.cfm?id=5703 - (don't be put off by the diamond image, it really is round and not lop-sided/ovalish like that graphic seems to indicate!)

I wonder also if grey spinel might work for you - grey spinel to me is more akin to a grey diamond than a sapphire.

P.S. if you do a search on PS for the Natural Sapphire Company (and "NSC") I think you will find numerous threads and posts, the majority of which are not in favor of the company - but you can come to your own conclusions after your search.

 

[pokerface]

http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/5154.htm#.UhLWNj7wJB8




diamonds and sapphires have very different looks, especially in terms of brilliance. if you want sparkle, you will be unsatisfied with a gray sapphire. if you are interested in a touch of blue, you will have great success looking at montana sapphires (whereas a blue-gray diamond would be out of budget).

i think that by researching and reaching out on this forum, you will be able to find a suitable gray diamond, if that's what you end up wanting.

run a search for the natural sapphire company on this forum; you will see there are mixed reviews.

 

[pregcurious]

I second the recommendation for a gray spinel, but many have another color, like lavender or blue to them.

 

[minousbijoux]

Its funny, because many of us search for the illusive just right blue spinel but fall short. Why? Because greyish blue (or bluish grey, or, for that matter, platinum grey) spinels are far more frequently found. I would agree that a grey diamond would be awesome, but if that doesn't work out, I think you will be surprised at how pretty grey spinels can be. If you want to see some gorgeous grey spinels, search for Freke Child's spinels - they are gorgeous!

 

[chrono]

I would go for a gray diamond first, then gray spinel, then only gray sapphire because I like dispersion.

 

[T L]

Hi, KipsGirl,
You may want to ask the moderators to move your thread to the Colored Stones forum. You'll get more responses there. To ask the moderators to move your thread, click on the "report concern" button and type in your request.

Yup +1. There is a list of vendors pinnned at the top of CS who you can do to about sapphires. However if you post your budget and treatments requirements I think the posters on CS will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Do you actually mean a grey sapphire or a blue sapphire with grey modifers?

I'll be looking for your post on CS!

The budget is about 0 to 5k USD for the stone. Less is always better. I want the stone to be between 6.5mm and 9mm. Either is fine, I love sapphires but grey is my favorite color (lack of color). Most of my house is grey and blue. I tend to gravitate to cuts that are a bit more linear like asscher, hexagon/octogon, and emeralds, but I am open to all cuts if I can find a color I love.

I love these, however they are grey diamonds. Originally I want a grey diamond, but was told by a variety of jewelers that most jewelers won't even carry or work with them because they are not "popular", it was disheartening. So I shifted my focus to sapphire as they were already on my radar.
http://www.thewonderfulweddingbox.c...loads/2012/12/TWWB-GREY-DIAMOND-1-500x500.jpg
http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2013/03...-deco-fancy-steel-grey-10-carat-diamond-ring/

I own a few gray diamonds, and I set them in rose gold. I love them. They have a gorgeous metallic luster as well. They're also very affordable as far as diamonds go. Leibish carries them. They're also extremely dispersive and the rainbow of color is beautiful against the steely gray background of the diamond color. Photography never does them justice.

http://www.fancydiamonds.net/grey_diamonds#.UhRKD5Kmj4s

Here's one with a video, so you can see the dispersion.

http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/9602.htm#.UhRKbpKmj4s

and another

http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/12397.htm#.UhRLOZKmj4s

 

[fel]

TL -- can you post some pictures (or links to other threads) of your gray diamonds. I'd be interested in seeing them.

Fel

 

[T L]

TL -- can you post some pictures (or links to other threads) of your gray diamonds. I'd be interested in seeing them.

Fel

Here are my three gray diamond rings. The photo somewhat shows the luster. The dispersion is much better IRL than a still photo. They're all set in rose gold. The one on the far right is probably the most gray. The other two are primarily gray with a touch of green.

The one up close shows the dispersion somewhat.

 

[fel]

Wow TL they are gorgeous -- especially in their rose gold settings. That's an amazing photo, too --- I can never get good hand shots.

However, if the poster wants true gray or grayish-blue, I don't know if the gray diamonds would be for her. They are toning more towards olive then blue. I have seen pictures of rose cut diamonds that look more like pure gray, so perhaps cut makes a difference?

 

[T L]

Wow TL they are gorgeous -- especially in their rose gold settings. That's an amazing photo, too --- I can never get good hand shots.

However, if the poster wants true gray or grayish-blue, I don't know if the gray diamonds would be for her. They are toning more towards olive then blue. I have seen pictures of rose cut diamonds that look more like pure gray, so perhaps cut makes a difference?

Thanks Fel,
In rose gold, they tend toward more olive. If I put them in white gold, they would be very stark gray. Metal color also makes a huge difference. I wanted to amp up the olive hue, so I picked rose gold.

 

[fel]

TL -- I think that is correct, but I have to say that I hear contrasting things about metal color's affect on diamonds. I have this pinkish rose cut diamond from JBEG, and on the website they said it would look more pink in rose gold. However, following the contrast principle you cite (which is by the way soundly based on perceptual research), a green gold setting would bring out the pink more. So some people seem to suggest that the color of the metal augments the color of the stone, and others like you point to the contrast.

Fel

 

[T L]

TL -- I think that is correct, but I have to say that I hear contrasting things about metal color's affect on diamonds. I have this pinkish rose cut diamond from JBEG, and on the website they said it would look more pink in rose gold. However, following the contrast principle you cite (which is by the way soundly based on perceptual research), a green gold setting would bring out the pink more. So some people seem to suggest that the color of the metal augments the color of the stone, and others like you point to the contrast.

Fel

I think pink brings out green, and I wouldn't set a pink diamond in a whole pink gold setting. I would set it in a pink gold basket, with a white gold setting. A full pink gold setting would drown out the delicate pink color of a pink diamond.

 

[Circe]

Consider me another vote for grey spinel! I just got a two carat grey stone without any modifiers and I love it. Now I just need to decide how to set it.

I actually only started thinking about them because I would love to get a dark-dark-dark diamond that's still translucent. I've seen some amazing ones at Diamonds by Lauren and Langerman, but I always seem to see them *after* they've sold!

Most of the ones I saw when I was looking had some blue or violet in them, but it *is* possible to find straight-up grey ones, and the difference in cost makes it worthwhile: I think I paid all of $30, $40 for mine? The price differential really does ameliorate the pain in the neck of hunting the right one down. I believe mine was sold as a titanium spinel.

P.S. - On the issue of color being influenced by setting ... I remember there was a thread on a related topic in RT a little while ago (though, alas, not it's name). I believe it began when a poster wondered why her M looked more yellow in yellow gold than another poster's, where the contrast made the stone appear more white face-up. It really does seem to come down to the specific modifiers in each stone: no way to tell unless you drop it in the setting first. Seems like a set of empty setting might be worth keeping around just for that purpose, for those who do a lot of custom orders!

P.P.S. - TL, have I mentioned I love your rings? I LOVE YOUR RINGS.

 

[T L]

Thank you Circe.

Yes, if I were to consider a grey gem that wasn't a diamond, I think spinel would be a better choice than sapphire.

 

[chrono]

Yes, I far prefer a grey spinel over a grey sapphire. And TL, your diamonds are not grey, they are greyish green. I miss seeing them.

 

[Barrett]

Nice to see the term Gray/grey used so much. I detest the use of "silver" as a color description....anyone....anyone?
remember the ole ...was it silver topaz thingy back in the day when i so eloquently introduced to the ladies of PS in a trial by fire...err...silver. It went something like this....and you can search the post out and see how I was roasted and left on the fire by the PS brethren whom I now call my friends.
Me: "silver topaz is stupid...it's not silver...silver is not a color it's a reflective property of the color gray"
PS ladies: "It's just a marketing name to describe a gray stone and as a matter of fact it does look very silvery FYI"
Me: " Silver topaz is stupid...you guys are stupid" "It's just gray"
[note: do not proceed to call a bunch of well versed gem nuts and the ladies who covet thy gems...stupid. Big mistake. This applies IRL as well FYI]
PS ladies: [like 4-5 at one time too!!
"[expletive]..amethystguy you can get the hell on you..[expletive]....don't need your attitude and nasty com...[ tongue lashing then some verbal venom followed up by the snipping and castrating of my manhood by words alone]
PS moderator Ali: YOU ARE ON PROBATION...
a month later
PS Moderator Ali: This is your 6th demerit and second write up this month.....
another month later
Permanent file is created for Amethystguy and he is one of the few that get the speciaL MANILIA envelope taped to the bulletin board over the coffee machine.

about 2 years later...
PS Moderator Ella: "So you must be amethystguy aka jason aka barrett aka. the purple caped crusader....yep....they warned us about you....."
[as I hear what sounds like a copy of War & Peace being thumbed through instead of the sound of something like a single deck of Bicycle playing cards being shuffled as I would have imagined my FBI-like Pricescope File to be] *[as if I could hear through email...silly amguy]

Today
Me: "Silver topaz...smoky topaz...."gold topaz" ..."stinky topaz.".."yep"...."uh-huh"...."I call it whatever LD said" ..."what Chrono said too"..."are those some blue spinels I see over there"[pulls shirt/collar away from neck as profuse sweating commences]

Now look....I am part of the PS crew and now it's me who gets to chew out the jackass know-it-all who tries to infiltrate the tightly knit bezel like group of gem aficionados who we have become. I don't get on as much as I used to but I still be watching for those once in a blue moon Paraiba post or amethyst query's

 

[Barrett]

Nice to see the term Gray/grey used so much. I detest the use of "silver" as a color description....anyone....anyone?
remember the ole ...was it silver topaz thingy back in the day when i so eloquently introduced to the ladies of PS in a trial by fire...err...silver. It went something like this....and you can search the post out and see how I was roasted and left on the fire by the PS brethren whom I now call my friends.
Me: "silver topaz is stupid...it's not silver...silver is not a color it's a reflective property of the color gray"
PS ladies: "It's just a marketing name to describe a gray stone and as a matter of fact it does look very silvery FYI"
Me: " Silver topaz is stupid...you guys are stupid" "It's just gray"
[note: do not proceed to call a bunch of well versed gem nuts and the ladies who covet thy gems...stupid. Big mistake. This applies IRL as well FYI]
PS ladies: [like 4-5 at one time too!!
"[expletive]..amethystguy you can get the hell on you..[expletive]....don't need your attitude and nasty com...[ tongue lashing then some verbal venom followed up by the snipping and castrating of my manhood by words alone]
PS moderator Ali: YOU ARE ON PROBATION...
a month later
PS Moderator Ali: This is your 6th demerit and second write up this month.....
another month later
Permanent file is created for Amethystguy and he is one of the few that get the speciaL MANILIA envelope taped to the bulletin board over the coffee machine.

about 2 years later...
PS Moderator Ella: "So you must be amethystguy aka jason aka barrett aka. the purple caped crusader....yep....they warned us about you....."
[as I hear what sounds like a copy of War & Peace being thumbed through instead of the sound of something like a single deck of Bicycle playing cards being shuffled as I would have imagined my FBI-like Pricescope File to be] *[as if I could hear through email...silly amguy]

Today
Me: "Silver topaz...smoky topaz...."gold topaz" ..."stinky topaz.".."yep"...."uh-huh"...."I call it whatever LD said" ..."what Chrono said too"..."are those some blue spinels I see over there"[pulls shirt/collar away from neck as profuse sweating commences]

Now look....I am part of the PS crew and now it's me who gets to chew out the jackass know-it-all who tries to infiltrate the tightly knit bezel like group of gem aficionados who we have become. I don't get on as much as I used to but I still be watching for those once in a blue moon Paraiba post or amethyst query's

 

[minousbijoux]

Nice to see the term Gray/grey used so much. I detest the use of "silver" as a color description....anyone....anyone?
remember the ole ...was it silver topaz thingy back in the day when i so eloquently introduced to the ladies of PS in a trial by fire...err...silver. It went something like this....and you can search the post out and see how I was roasted and left on the fire by the PS brethren whom I now call my friends.
Me: "silver topaz is stupid...it's not silver...silver is not a color it's a reflective property of the color gray"
PS ladies: "It's just a marketing name to describe a gray stone and as a matter of fact it does look very silvery FYI"
Me: " Silver topaz is stupid...you guys are stupid" "It's just gray"
[note: do not proceed to call a bunch of well versed gem nuts and the ladies who covet thy gems...stupid. Big mistake. This applies IRL as well FYI]
PS ladies: [like 4-5 at one time too!!
"[expletive]..amethystguy you can get the hell on you..[expletive]....don't need your attitude and nasty com...[ tongue lashing then some verbal venom followed up by the snipping and castrating of my manhood by words alone]
PS moderator Ali: YOU ARE ON PROBATION...
a month later
PS Moderator Ali: This is your 6th demerit and second write up this month.....
another month later
Permanent file is created for Amethystguy and he is one of the few that get the speciaL MANILIA envelope taped to the bulletin board over the coffee machine.

about 2 years later...
PS Moderator Ella: "So you must be amethystguy aka jason aka barrett aka. the purple caped crusader....yep....they warned us about you....."
[as I hear what sounds like a copy of War & Peace being thumbed through instead of the sound of something like a single deck of Bicycle playing cards being shuffled as I would have imagined my FBI-like Pricescope File to be] *[as if I could hear through email...silly amguy]

Today
Me: "Silver topaz...smoky topaz...."gold topaz" ..."stinky topaz.".."yep"...."uh-huh"...."I call it whatever LD said" ..."what Chrono said too"..."are those some blue spinels I see over there"[pulls shirt/collar away from neck as profuse sweating commences]

Now look....I am part of the PS crew and now it's me who gets to chew out the jackass know-it-all who tries to infiltrate the tightly knit bezel like group of gem aficionados who we have become. I don't get on as much as I used to but I still be watching for those once in a blue moon Paraiba post or amethyst query's

Where's the pounding the floor laughing icon when you need it? Jason, you have SO moved over to the dark side, bwah hah hah!

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol. I think I was in the silver thug group. Since I own one and remember that particular incident....

Having said all of that, I have since owned a silver spinel (it now belongs to another PSer) and while it's a derivative of gray, the damn stone is silver colored. Which is also gray. But it's also silver. And gray. WHATEVER.

Oh heck, here's my colorless spinel, my former silver spinel, and my medium gray.

I hate photographing gray/colorless stones. They are so difficult to get the body color of!

 

[chrono]

Barrett,
I remember it vaguely. Miss your distinctive humour around here too so I'm happy to see you back and hopefully, stay on the good side of the mod gods.

 

[Indylady]

OP--I've been interested in gray stones for a while myself! Good luck on your search.

Freke, I just wanted to say that I love your side by side shot of your spinels. They are amazing, and its so helpful to see color difference side by side.