help find light peach cushion sapphire.

[lujews]

I am having difficulty finding good quality peach-pink sapphire for engagement ring.
I've looked through several online dealers but most pink sapphires have very bright pink color and that is not what i am looking for.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[lujews]

The closest i could find so far are these two but both are oval cut

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10892/16007
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10895/4935

 

[minousbijoux]

Who have you approached so far? My advice would be to steer clear of anything with "padparadscha" in the title, especially if it has a lab report stating it as such, because you will be paying a lot more for one. If you don't mind the slightest bit of brown (in other words, more orange, less pink), then I would look for sapphires from the Umba region of Tanzania (they will be cheaper too). Check with Dana at Mastercut and Roger Dery of Spectral gems.

If you have the stomach for it, you might want to check out ebay, although it might be more of a challenge to find cushion shape. Finally, I would contact Jeff Davies, as he has such high volume.

 

[minousbijoux]

Also, can you tell us dimensions of what you seek - not carat size, but dimensions?

 

[Kismet]

Gemfix has one. It's over 4 carats though. http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_pink.html

 

[GregS]

The closest i could find so far are these two but both are oval cut

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10892/16007
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/10895/4935

Those are over priced to the hilt, and both have cut issues.

 

[carmen1]

1.8ct cushion at Multicolour: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-65836679

1.4ct oval on LoupeTroop: http://loupetroop.com/listings/loos...one/natural-unheated-oval-pale-peach-sapphire

3.3ct oval at Litnon for $750: http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9517

ETA: Just posting for color requested, but can't comment on whether these stones are of decent quality. I do like the 4ct pad on Gemfix, but the $8,000 price tag may not work with OP's budget

 

[GregS]

I know you said cushion, but I thought this was worth a look. My advice would be don't compromise on color to get the shape you want. http://www.gemrite.com/collections/gems/products/padparadscha-sapphire-1-09-cts. There's also an Emerald cut Pad Sapphire listed as well...

 

[lujews]

Thanks so much for all the responses!!! I am so excited.
Here are some answers to your questions:

minousbijoux: I noticed that pads go for much higher prices. I definitely like the orange pink hues but on a lighter side. Will look into the Tanzanian sapphires. I contacted both Dana and Dery , lets see what they say. thanks!
And yes, i don't have the stomach for ebay

minousbijoux : my preferred dimensions would be 7-8 mm wide . The coushion could be square or rectangular, although i would prefer slightly rectangular.

Kismet : Gemfix sapphire looks truly gorgeous but its a bit out of my price range plus i think it will be too big.

I was hoping to find a stone under 2k? Not sure if that is realistic...


carmen1: thanks for all your suggestions.
I liked this one the most: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-65836679 I would prefer a bit less grey in the color and more warmth. And it looks a bit small. I will probably ask for more pictures either way.

GregS: I know ovals are very similar to cushions but i am dead set on cushions

 

[slksapphire]

hi all, I have been away for a little while (again ... moving halfway around the world w 3 kids in tow!)

anyways, I saw this orangey-pink rectangular cushion on rw wise's site. it's a bit more expensive than your budget but definitely more orangey-pink, too. don't know if you like the long cushion and the slight touch of brown. note that all of wise's inventory is 20% off the listed price so that helps!

http://rwwise.com/products/id%7C1640

and to echo the other advice you've gotten, he has another orangey-pink cushion that is not too much larger but costs almost 3x due to the "pad" description. I've attached the link just so you can try to discern the difference.

http://rwwise.com/products/id%7C2004

 

[lujews]

hi slksapphire,
thanks for your suggestions.
the 1.33c pad is a bit too rectangular for my taste. Otherwise i like the color and don't mind the price...
And i already saw the 1.71c pad wich has absolutely gorgeous color. but it is way out of my budget!!

 

[carmen1]

I liked this one the most: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?-65836679 I would prefer a bit less grey in the color and more warmth. And it looks a bit small. I will probably ask for more pictures either way.

Just one word of warning, I own a pale peach cushion sapphire myself, and it is extremely difficult to get an accurate photo of it! Hand shots are especially difficult as they are so close to skin tone. Good luck!

 

[lujews]

who did you purchase your peach sapphire from? What setting did you use?
please share

 

[minousbijoux]

Bravo for all the recommendations, but especially you, Carmen! You had so many and based on the OP's initial description, your recs seemed spot on (at least to me )!

 

[carmen1]

Haha, thanks but it is only because I recently purchased one myself and knew where to look The folks on this forum have been so helpful to me Its the least I can do to attempt to return the favor!

 

[colorchange]

I like pink-orange very much myself, especially on the light side and have quite a few.

I think 2k isn’t unrealistic, provided you don’t look for a gem from Ceylon/Burma.

You're very lucky to like the lighter ones, they are much cheaper !

There are very nice light pink-orange from Madagascar, including some with a genuine “padparadsha” color that you should find in those prices or, if you don’t mind traditional heat treatment, there will be nice Ceylons, but though to find.

(I am in the trade so I don’t know if I’m allowed to post photos that could be understood as commercial offers)

 

[minousbijoux]

I like pink-orange very much myself, especially on the light side and have quite a few.

I think 2k isn’t unrealistic, provided you don’t look for a gem from Ceylon/Burma.

You're very lucky to like the lighter ones, they are much cheaper !

There are very nice light pink-orange from Madagascar, including some with a genuine “padparadsha” color that you should find in those prices or, if you don’t mind traditional heat treatment, there will be nice Ceylons, but though to find.

(I am in the trade so I don’t know if I’m allowed to post photos that could be understood as commercial offers)

Hello colorchange: as a trade member, you are prohibited from doing so. Good thing you checked in about it!

ETA: but you might want to talk to the mods about having some kind of indicator in your avatar or signature line (don't know what its really called) that indicates what your company is so folks can see for themselves what you might have from time to time.

 

[colorchange]

Hello colorchange: as a trade member, you are prohibited from doing so. Good thing you checked in about it!

ETA: but you might want to talk to the mods about having some kind of indicator in your avatar or signature line (don't know what its really called) that indicates what your company is so folks can see for themselves what you might have from time to time.

Glad I avoided a mishap. Thanks for letting me know about rules, I come only rarely here these days, I don’t have much time for that, or to sell to the public or to maintain the website I used previously (can it still be seen at the bottom?).
But I felt I could help here, as my website’s name should say (that one was intended exclusively for sales to the public) pads are very much my kind of gems (along with star sapphires & rubies) and I buy these even when not-all-that relevant to my trade.

 

[lujews]

So I went through all recommended dealers and can't find anything close to what i am looking for.
(Light peach sapphire 7-8 mm wide cushion cut preferably under 2k but willing to go bit higher for a good cut/colour)
The stones are either the wrong cut or the wrong size.
This is the first time i am doing this so not sure how long it takes to find potential leads.
What is the best way to approach it? Do I contact all dealers and let them search for it? Do i keep on checking the same site in hopes for new inventory?

Thanks again.

 

[GregS]

I would only contact one dealer at a time. No need to burn any bridges by leaving somebody high and dry.

 

[FrekeChild]

It can take a very long time when you are searching for a specific color, shape and size. Basically the more specific requirements you have, the longer it will take.

When I was looking for my engagement ring stone, it took a long time even though I was searching for an oval or a round blue spinel somewhere between 6-8mm. The thread was something ridiculous like 25 pages and took a few months with every precision cutter I could find looking, all of the PSers combing through websites and me on constant lookout.

I'd probably reach out to a dealer with your specifications and keep looking yourself. Fortunately many gemstone dealers and cutters have stock that they don't display on their website, so it's always worth asking.

 

[T L]

How about a peachy spinel, since you're on a budget. Just a thought.

 

[colorluvr]

I would suggest contacting Vance Gems. Bill and Elke Vance are leaving for Sri Lanka (at least Bill is, not sure about Elke) next month. They carry a lot of sapphires and their prices are reasonable. I know they have several stones in that color category, but I didn't specifically look at any that large because I knew that was more than I wanted to spend.

I'm guessing you are after about a 2+/- ct stone. They used to have a website, but I couldn't get it to come up, however they do have a FB page, so you might want to try that. Here is contact info that another PSer posted:

VANCE GEMS
560 Peoples Plaza, Ste. 133
Newark, DE 19702
800-400-4367 302-750-1136
[email protected]
www.vancegems.com
Bill Vance

I have been in contact with Elke on a different email address, but that may be her personal one, so I don't want to share it without her permission. They also sell at Intergem.

 

[T L]

I would suggest contacting Vance Gems. Bill and Elke Vance are leaving for Sri Lanka (at least Bill is, not sure about Elke) next month. They carry a lot of sapphires and their prices are reasonable. I know they have several stones in that color category, but I didn't specifically look at any that large because I knew that was more than I wanted to spend.

I'm guessing you are after about a 2+/- ct stone. They used to have a website, but I couldn't get it to come up, however they do have a FB page, so you might want to try that. Here is contact info that another PSer posted:

VANCE GEMS
560 Peoples Plaza, Ste. 133
Newark, DE 19702
800-400-4367 302-750-1136
[email protected]
www.vancegems.com
Bill Vance

I have been in contact with Elke on a different email address, but that may be her personal one, so I don't want to share it without her permission. They also sell at Intergem.

Bill and Elke carry a wide variety of spinels too, might be worth mentioning.

 

[colorluvr]

This is my "salmon" colored sapphire (in the middle) that I got from Vance. Bill calls is "salmon" because he won't call any sapphire "padparadscha" unless AGL or GIA (or other reputable lab) reports it as such. He had stones from much pinker to much more orange than this one, both lighter and darker, but this is the color I was after. I took this quicky photo next to a very bright pink (camera washed it out) untreated sapphire and a bright spessartite to try to capture the color, and unfortunately I failed, but I thought I'd share to give you an idea. It isn't dull and doesn't show any brown IRL.

Mine is an untreated - 6.5mm sapphire from Sri Lanka and is 1.2ct.

And yes to TL's suggestion of asking them about spinels, however, if you decided on a spinel, I would add PrimagemsUSA to the mix. They don't get as many sapphires, but they specialize in spinels from Tanzania (among other stones from that area). I've had a couple of gorgeous peach spinels, but they blended with my skin so I sold them.

 

[minousbijoux]

Nice stones, Colorluvr, and that "salmon" sapphire sure looks like it will make the cut as a padparadscha. I see minimal brown, and what I do see I bet is more a reflection of your skin color than anything else. If it is even brighter and more saturated irl, then I would be surprised if it doesn't make the cut. Not that you were looking for comments, but I can't help myself when it comes to Pads.

Vance and Prima are both excellent suggestions for your search, OP.

 

[Scarlett1]

Hi lujew,
I too am on the hunt for a sapphire and after a lot of deliberation and tossing up between colours have decided to go for a pale pink/peach/salmon coloured oval one. I contacted Jeff Davies, and he said he has a Salmon coloured heat only stone that he can cut. I am hoping for unheated but thought I'd let you know in case you're interested. Good luck with the search, I had no idea there was so much involved

 

[lujews]

Colorluvr: your salmon sapphire is beautiful. Great idea of putting it against 2 different colours!

I have contacted VANCE GEMS - thanks for your suggestion.

AllSapphires - I guess i am looking for something similar to the one on the top right. Not sure about Dtsy, I've looked at few sapphires there and they don't seem to be good quality...

Scarlett1: Yes, agree. Did not realize how difficult it will be to find my stone! I guess it makes it more special

 

[Scarlett1]

Definitely will make it more special

 

[lujews]

what are your thoughts on this one?
http://www.starruby.in/store/padparadscha/3-82-carat-unheated-cushion-cut-lively-orangy-pink-padparadscha

Its a bit out of my price range and maybe too big... But still wanted to know PS's opinions on colour/cut/price.

thanks.