Help me find a pink sapphire!

[figment23]

Hello all--

you guys know way more about finding these things than I do, so here goes.

I am looking for a pink sapphire in either a radiant (preferable) or emerald cut (or that type of cut). At present, the setting I like takes a 5x7 stone, but I was hoping for a LITTLE larger...though maybe someone can talk me down from that. I was thinking maybe 9x7?

Treatment, I'm undecided on. Can someone tell me why I would want to go untreated vs. heated?

Budget for the sapphire, I'd like to not spend more than $900. I checked the natural sapphire company, and saw a few I liked, but they had obvious inclusions that I know would bug me over time. The jeweler will source a stone, but for the price with the stone in, I feel like I could get a better sapphire and know exactly what was going in my ring (I'm in MA and jeweler is in CA, so no in person review is really possible).

Here's the setting, for reference:



Appreciate the help! I just don't even know where to start looking.

 

[Treenbean]

Hi
Sometimes it's hard to find something that meets 100% of your criteria. But the fun is in the hunt too.
http://www.djraregems.com/finegems.html

 

[Treenbean]

maybe another? Oh yeah it will be very hard to find a sapphire without inclusions, if they bother you, you may want to look at a different stone. Spinel?
http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?1290954974

 

[figment23]

Inclusions don't necessarily bother me. Large clouds and feathers that obscure some of the sparkle of the stone do bug me a little, and I do want to be sure that the stone will hold up to daily wear as this will be my engagement ring.

I know inclusions are much worse in these giant pictures than it is in real life. I'm open to a blue sapphire too, so long as it's not a deep dark color that goes very dark indoors, and I know that would hide the inclusions better.

I see a lot of sapphires are cut into ovals. Will I have better luck finding what I want if I switch to an oval shape? Round definitely isn't for me I'm more of an elongated shape person.

 

[SB621]

I would contact the persion cutters to see what they have in rough and their pricing. I would think that a 5 x 7 would be under $900 for a sapphire. You should know there is a difference between heated and treated. I'm not the expert to break it down to the basics a heated sapphire is just that. It has been heated to bring out the color or clarity. Many people accept heating in sapphires. However, chemical treatment in sapphires is completely different. To me is the difference between liquid spit and diamonds. I don't mind heated stones (depending on a case by case basis) but I typically try very hard to not buy anything that is chemically treated.

Gene Flannigan: http://www.precisiongem.com/
Jeff White: http://www.whitesgems.com/
Gary Braun: http://www.finewatergems.com/
Dan Starr: http://www.customgemstones.com/
Peter T: http://www.torraca.net/gems/

 

[chrono]

You made no mention of the specific shade of pink sapphire you like, which affects the pricing, in addition to the heated vs untreated price. The “hotter” or the more vivid/pop the colour, the more expensive the sapphire will be. A heated stone will also cost less than its untreated brethren. If you are going for an unheated hot pink, then something will have to give to meet your budget requirement. I agree that heat treated only has long been accepted by almost everyone, however, testing to find out if it has been chemically altered or merely heated is not cost effective and only a handful of labs are able to test for it. Without BE diffusion testing, the buyer is accepting the risk that it could be more than just heat treated.

 

[figment23]

Actually I would prefer it not be hot pink. Something in the pale pink to medium range is probably fine.

However, I took a look at what's available (heated and unheated) and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to find one in my price range, even with treatment, that is the right size and clarity in that cut. There are a lot of ovals and rounds available.

I'm considering moving to a yellow sapphire or scrapping the whole pink theme and going with an aquamarine. I could have the jeweler source the stone but I'm a bit concerned that I'd get something chemically and heat treated at that price, which seems high for a 5x7 stone that's been treated. The jeweler doesn't say anything about treatments and just says the clarity is "good."

 

[T L]

Actually I would prefer it not be hot pink. Something in the pale pink to medium range is probably fine.

However, I took a look at what's available (heated and unheated) and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to find one in my price range, even with treatment, that is the right size and clarity in that cut. There are a lot of ovals and rounds available.

I'm considering moving to a yellow sapphire or scrapping the whole pink theme and going with an aquamarine. I could have the jeweler source the stone but I'm a bit concerned that I'd get something chemically and heat treated at that price, which seems high for a 5x7 stone that's been treated. The jeweler doesn't say anything about treatments and just says the clarity is "good."

Any color sapphire it seems can be "dyed" in color by infusing elements into the gem at high temperature. Therefore, if you're concerned with getting something neither chemically and/or heat treated, I would skip sapphires, because an unheated eye popping, clean sapphire color at your budget might not happen. What about spinels? Many come in pale pink, and are very durable, and typically never treated (yet). They're also more affordable than sapphires.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Here's a spinel from gemrite
http://gemrite.com/cubecart/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=276

 

[SB621]

Are you against other gemstones? Dan just cut me a 5 x 7 emerald cut spinel and it is a very pretty soft pink. I'm actually setting into a double halo in rose gold. The stone was very inexpensive...under $150.

Not the best photo- I wish I had taken RL photos because it is a beautiful color. Very similar to your inspitation picture.

Dan's website: http://www.customgemstones.com/

 

[chrono]

Pale pink is definitely in your favour for your budget. Still, being pale doesn’t necessarily exclude it from the risk of being diffused, nor will a yellow sapphire be less likely to be diffused as well. I would be open to spinel as they are hardy enough for everyday wear and are totally untreated. The Gemrite spinel MTG posted looks to be a good fit!