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Help deciding on a small padparadscha oval

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AussieG

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
13
Hi All,

I'm brand new to this forum and also to purchasing gem stones. I am looking for a padparascha oval stone around half a carat. I see there is a range of sapphires called padparadscha and I prefer the lighter stones, no brown, more pink than orange.
My questions are:
Who is good to buy from?
What do you guys think of the below stone?

Ok - can't figure out how to put a pic on here.
The address is: http://www.starruby.in/store/padparadscha/0-54-carat-eye-clean-pinkish-orange-padparadscha-sapphire

Thanks in advance =)
 
If I were you, I would search a bit here and Google, for reviews on that vendor, just to be sure. Personally, I think its pricey for a subcarat padparadscha. It looks like it will have a bit of a window, but its such a small stone that it might not be that noticeable. It appears to be a pretty color. :))
 
IGI tends to cater to vendors, so it's not a report I would go by that identifies it as a true padparadscha.
 
 
Thanks everyone for your replies =)
I'm a little suspicious of starrruby because they have such a large range of a rare gem, but they have good reviews. Can I request they get a stone certified by one of the better companies, or is that on me to do?
I had never heard of blazengems.com and that stone looks really nice! I'll definitely request more pics of it.
I just love pads; the way they change from more pink to more orange, darker, lighter in different lighting... :love:
 
AussieG|1397100314|3650937 said:
Thanks everyone for your replies =)
I'm a little suspicious of starrruby because they have such a large range of a rare gem, but they have good reviews. Can I request they get a stone certified by one of the better companies, or is that on me to do?
I had never heard of blazengems.com and that stone looks really nice! I'll definitely request more pics of it.
I just love pads; the way they change from more pink to more orange, darker, lighter in different lighting... :love:
Click to expand...

Typically, sellers will not pay for a lab report, but if you speak to them and make it a condition of sale, they might be willing to reimburse the cost of the stone plus the lab report if the stone comes back not as represented. But as I recall from once before, this vendor was not willing to do this in the past (maybe that's changed now).
 
I've looked on some of the padparadscha threads and also the coloured stone vendors thread (I found so many great websites on there that google doesn't bring up!) and have a short-list. There are so many beautiful pads that are too big for my needs... sigh.
Anyone care to venture an opinion on my short-list?
*Note: some of the sapphires are not classified as padparadschas and that's fine with me - it's the colour, not the title I'm after.
sam_8159.jpg
0.62, VVS, Montana, no treatment
(I have requested additional pics and am waiting for them to locate the stone)
padparadscha-natural-sapphire-gemstones-spd-00006-l.jpg
0.59, almost loupe clean, Tanzania, heat treated
(company does not provide extra pics)
sapphire_pink_462_a.jpgsapphire_pink_462.jpg
0.79, VVS, Sri Lanka, heat treated
sfn3365-0.jpgsfn3365-0_0.jpg
0.54, SI1, Sri Lanka, no treatment
(awaiting extra pics)
 
i think the first one is too pink, a rosey pink. the second is a better color but very light, but some people have a preference for this?. for me the third one is the best of those three
 
Like Hippi said the first one is more of a rosey sapphire rather than a padpardascha, but if you like the colour I think it's lovely.

The second one you posted has orange colour zoning which would bother me personally.

The third one is light in saturation but if you like lighter stones this is a good choice

I would first want to see more pics to have an opinion on the fourth, the cut seems a bit wonky, but I could be completely wrong.
 
I love padparadscha sapphires, but really really good ones are hard to find and extremely expensive. Perhaps you can look into an orangy pink spinel. I've seen some that look like the sapphires you picked out. I think Gemfix has some too. They will be more affordable too.

If you can find a really nice padparadcha though, more power to you. They're extremely rare. Most of them have some brown or are very very tiny.
 
Looking at the OP stone's measurements, I'd say that it seems to be a little shallow in depth as compared to its width and length. Its hard to say for sure that it has a window with the picture there, but others have said they see a window, and usually a shallow stone is much more likely to have a window, so I'd be leery of that, and if it does have one, then the price is too high. Realistically you should be able to get a light-ish stone like this in a small size that is cut better for close to the same price.

Personally, I think 0.54cts is a bit small for a sapphire, because they are dense stones and as a result you dont get as big a gemstone with a dense stone that you would a less dense stone, like an emerald, aquamarine, Morganite, opal, etc.
 
TL|1397243336|3651909 said:
I love padparadscha sapphires, but really really good ones are hard to find and extremely expensive. Perhaps you can look into an orangy pink spinel. I've seen some that look like the sapphires you picked out. I think Gemfix has some too. They will be more affordable too.

If you can find a really nice padparadcha though, more power to you. They're extremely rare. Most of them have some brown or are very very tiny.
Click to expand...


This^^^.
 
Thanks for all the replies so far!
Yes, I agree that the top stone is more purple/pink than orange/pink and the vendor just emailed more pics (though not on a hand like I asked) which confirm this.
And yes, the orange zoning in the second stone would bother me too.
I'm very much leaning towards the third stone, though umming and ahhing about how light it is.
The last stone is a little shallow, though I'm not sure how much it would affect such a small stone. I think from memory I worked out the depth percentage to be about 50%.
I've been looking at spinels as well and have seen lots of truly beautiful ones. However, they are all far too large for my purposes. I'm after a small stone for a specific ring design, rather than due to budget constraints.
 
Decision made! =)
I have gone with lucky stone number 3 from gemfix.com. I know this stone is very light, but I just can't go past its cut. It will be set in a rose or yellow gold bezel (depending which colour the stone looks better on) which will completely cover the underside. I'm hoping that this will somewhat increase the colour the stone shows.
 
AussieG|1397316837|3652364 said:
Decision made! =)
I have gone with lucky stone number 3 from gemfix.com. I know this stone is very light, but I just can't go past its cut. It will be set in a rose or yellow gold bezel (depending which colour the stone looks better on) which will completely cover the underside. I'm hoping that this will somewhat increase the colour the stone shows.
Click to expand...

I have to warn you that pastel stones tend to get more easily dirty and cloudy looking as a result of their pale color. A closed back will also impede cleaning it properly. A closed back also tends to trap more moisture, debris and dust. Instead a halo or a more enclosed gallery, would probably be a better alternative if you want to enhance the color. I would leave the bottom open though for easier cleaning of the stone.
 
Thanks for the feedback TL, it's given me food for thought...
 
TL|1397320244|3652398 said:
AussieG|1397316837|3652364 said:
Decision made! =)
I have gone with lucky stone number 3 from gemfix.com. I know this stone is very light, but I just can't go past its cut. It will be set in a rose or yellow gold bezel (depending which colour the stone looks better on) which will completely cover the underside. I'm hoping that this will somewhat increase the colour the stone shows.
Click to expand...

I have to warn you that pastel stones tend to get more easily dirty and cloudy looking as a result of their pale color. A closed back will also impede cleaning it properly. A closed back also tends to trap more moisture, debris and dust. Instead a halo or a more enclosed gallery, would probably be a better alternative if you want to enhance the color. I would leave the bottom open though for easier cleaning of the stone.
Click to expand...

Oh! Ritani endless love halo would fit your criteria and allow for an open undercarriage like LT said. Just a thought. Please come back when its finished!
 
I agree with TL that you don't want a setting where the underside is completely covered - crud gets trapped and there's no way to clean it out. If you want to amp up the saturation, using the right metal colour with a more enclosed but not totally enclosed basket is the way to go. I would also wait to receive the stone in hand before deciding on the design. I've seen GemFix's light coloured sapphires reviewed on PS to be far lighter than shown, sometimes, almost being colourless at times. The lighter a gem is, the more obvious its flaws are (cutting, inclusions, dirt, etc).
 
Okay, now I'm anxious! I can't wait to physically hold the stone and see it in different lights.
I really hope the stone is not even lighter than in the pics, or it'll be back to the ol' drawing board.
 
Sorry if this is a silly question, but how can dirt and dust get stuck behind a stone in an enclosed setting? How does it get in there?
Below is the setting I had in mind, but I'm more than willing to change upon the advice of more knowledgeable folks than me =)
presentation1.jpg
 
The setting you showed is not totally enclosed since you can see the stone from the side view, allowing you to clean the pavilion.

In enclosed setting, everything is covered up. Moisture and dirt can get underneath the bezel and it is easier for them to get in than get out, so they get trapped and build up over time.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-and-advice-please-closed-back-bezels.127958/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-and-advice-please-closed-back-bezels.127958/[/URL]

Although this thread talks about foiled back rings, it is essentially also a totally enclosed back setting.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/foil-backed-diamond-ring.137431/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/foil-backed-diamond-ring.137431/[/URL]
 
AussieG|1397576201|3653789 said:
Sorry if this is a silly question, but how can dirt and dust get stuck behind a stone in an enclosed setting? How does it get in there?
Below is the setting I had in mind, but I'm more than willing to change upon the advice of more knowledgeable folks than me =)
presentation1.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, like Chrono said, that's not really fully enclosed. You can still clean the pavilion.
 
AussieG|1397576201|3653789 said:
Sorry if this is a silly question, but how can dirt and dust get stuck behind a stone in an enclosed setting? How does it get in there?
Below is the setting I had in mind, but I'm more than willing to change upon the advice of more knowledgeable folks than me =)
presentation1.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, like Chrono said, that's not really fully enclosed. You can still clean the pavilion.
 
TL|1397589867|3653926 said:
AussieG|1397576201|3653789 said:
Sorry if this is a silly question, but how can dirt and dust get stuck behind a stone in an enclosed setting? How does it get in there?
Below is the setting I had in mind, but I'm more than willing to change upon the advice of more knowledgeable folks than me =)
presentation1.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, like Chrono said, that's not really fully enclosed. You can still clean the pavilion.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but it looks to me like what you're seeing is actually the rose gold under/around the pavilion.... Looks like it's a solid cone that the stone sets into, rather than the underside of the stone itself.
 
Deskjockey,
Now that you mention it, that COULD be a solid cone. If so, I would not select this setting because dirt and moisture will get into the minute crook and crannies of the bezel but not get out. Lotion and soap would be the main culprits.
 
Sorry for the confusion! It is a gold cone.
 
When do you expect to receive the stone? Also, is there anyway to have an open pavilion bezel, rather than a solid cone bezel?
 
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