Help me find a sapphire for my RHR project!

[Kit]

Well, I fallen into the good fortune of being able to custom design a RHR as a belated birthday gift. The sapphire is my birthstone and I am planning on doing a delicate halo in WG. Budget: $1500.

Help me find a center stone! I figure I can spend about $600. I am open to all kinds of colors, especially the teal-ish and pink-ish tones. I really like the looks of sapphires but honestly am a novice so I am counting on you all to help me out.

Here are a few that I thought were nice, but I am not totally sure of their quality. Am I on the right track?

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=B2315
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandedstones.aspx?stoneid=U408
http://ajsgems.com/SBG/SBG-00026.htm
http://ajsgems.com/SAP/SAP-00710.htm

I like the NSC but am thinking that I need to go treated to help my budget. I like ovals and cushions, but am really open to shapes other than round.

ETA: Not sure how to make the links above active....sorry!!

 

[Kit]

Okay, maybe it will help if I post these 4 stones. I would appreciate anyone''s feedback!

#1

 

[Kit]

Oops, just found out #1 is sold.

#2

 

[Kit]

#3

 

[Kit]

#4

 

[chrono]

This is tough as you are picking from very different colours. My choice is #2 (or now now #1). I like this purple pink sapphire because the colour is pleasant, the cutting looks good and the shape is not too long. The sapphire looks quite lively and brilliant.
I'll pass on the green one due to the window in the middle. The last one looks like it may have a window too. Otherwise the blue colour is quite pretty.

 

[Kit]

Thanks Chrono! How can you tell whether there''s a window? To me I can''t see one, but I obviously don''t know what I''m doing...

 

[chrono]

Let's refer to #3, the greenish teal one where the window is obvious. Look at the very center part. See the area (inner oval) where it is just a dull teal, versus the outer oval where it is more sparkly and brilliant? That's the window in the stone. If you are seeing this in person, you will be able to see through the gemstone's window like a real window. You can read prints through it.

The reason for the window is poor cutting where the angle is too shallow (to preserve the stone's carat weight and size) that allows too much light to go straight out to the bottom, so you will not see much reflection of colour back to your eyes.

 

[Kit]

What about this one? Not a great photo, sorry.


#5
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/blueons120-sm.html

 

[chrono]

Too dark, too much extinction on the latest one at SimplySapphires. To get the most out of your $600 budget, I'll stay with heat treated sapphires unless you are picky and want an untreated sapphire. Is there a specific carat weight you are looking for? What about shape?

ETA
Check out these links:
www.acstones.com
www.diamondexpert.com

I've bought from them and they usually carry well cut stones. Just mention your specifications:
1. No zoning
2. No windows
3. As little extinction as possible

 

[Kit]

Or, http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagesblue2006/bluecns581a-sm.html

#6

 

[Kit]

Date: 7/6/2007 9:37:06 AM
Author: Chrono
Let''s refer to #3, the greenish teal one where the window is obvious. Look at the very center part. See the area (inner oval) where it is just a dull teal, versus the outer oval where it is more sparkly and brilliant? That''s the window in the stone. If you are seeing this in person, you will be able to see through the gemstone''s window like a real window. You can read prints through it.


The reason for the window is poor cutting where the angle is too shallow (to preserve the stone''s carat weight and size) that allows too much light to go straight out to the bottom, so you will not see much reflection of colour back to your eyes.

Thanks for the lesson! That makes sense.

 

[Kit]

Date: 7/6/2007 9:39:20 AM
Author: Chrono
Too dark, too much extinction on the latest one at SimplySapphires. To get the most out of your $600 budget, I''ll stay with heat treated sapphires unless you are picky and want an untreated sapphire. Is there a specific carat weight you are looking for? What about shape?

Well, I am not picky on the treatment, since I know my budget is tight. I would like to go between 1 and 2 carats, and I really like cushions and also like ovals...although I am open to other cuts. I like blues, and dark pinks, not so much the yellow and lighter pink colors.

 

[chrono]

This one has such a gorgeous blue colour with a velvety feel. It''s a ceylon blue sapphire of 1.29cts for only $387.00.
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=1546

 

[chrono]

A lovely darker pink sapphire in a cushion shape with a fancy cut. It's 1.29 cts and UNHEATED! $581
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=1958

 

[Kit]

Great, thanks! I emailed AC Stones about the blue one.

Has anyone heard of these people? SWD Gems

This stone seems nice:
http://www.swdgems.com/product_detail.php?productid=1083

#8

 

[chrono]

Kit,
Have you checked the return policy of SWD? It looks like they are located in Bangkok, Thailand. You only have 14 days to review the stone from when the stone was shipped (not when you receive it) from their company. All returns are reimbursed minus the shipping fee and handling charge (include clearance fee, tax import, and bank charge). Please take this into consideration. I've never dealt with SWD so I don't know how accurate their pictures are: the stone appears very dark.

 

[Kit]

Hmm, that is a good point. I hadn''t thought about the return policy with regards to ship date from overseas.

What do you think about the stones on Rio Gems? I know that they are a PS member. I thought they had a nice selection and good prices--but again I am uneducated on sapphires. Thoughts?

Here is their selection of blue sapphires:

http://www.riogems.com/ceylon-sapphire-blue.html

Again, thank you for your help!!

 

[Kit]

I''m drawn to this one, it seems like a deep color yet is reflecting light (at least in the photo).

 

[chrono]

I know you like dark stones but remember this:
All vendors will photograph their stones to look their very best. Meaning, more often than not, it will appear even darker in person. This one although brilliant in the picture may end up looking almost blackish most of the time in person unless you spend most of your days under bright sunlight. Notice that the brighter stones sell for a LOT more.

I'm going to look at Riogems and see if anything catches my eye.

 

[chrono]

Date: 7/6/2007 10:46:17 AM
Author: Kit
I''m drawn to this one, it seems like a deep color yet is reflecting light (at least in the photo).

If you look at the trio of smaller pics at the bottom, the face up pic of the same stone (on the right hand side) isn''t very pretty. The stone looks very dull and dark. I''ll pass on it. Somehow his magnified pic is very pretty - could be his controlled photography lighting.

 

[chrono]

I know this one is out of your budget range, but its the only one I like out of all the blue sapphires. Even so, I''m not sold on the stone because of the heavy amount of extinction (black areas) on both ends of the stone. Otherwise, the blue is very deep without being dark.

 

[FireGoddess]

I love the 2 pinks in this thread, as well as the light blue stone Chrono posted above the second pink! Is that a honkin bowtie in the light blue though, or a shadow?

 

[princesss]

Just a note on return policies to Bangkok: I never got/sent a package that had a consistent time en route. Sometimes a letter would take 6 days, sometimes three weeks. Bangkok has some stunny gems, but don''t take the risk if you have to return it 14 days from the date they ship it -- you might not even have it in your hands yet!

 

[chrono]

Date: 7/6/2007 12:59:47 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I love the 2 pinks in this thread, as well as the light blue stone Chrono posted above the second pink! Is that a honkin bowtie in the light blue though, or a shadow?

Bowties aren''t common in coloured cushion stones but I do see a band of darker blue horizontally across the stone. This is a good question to ask Barbara. I know she has a good eye and NEVER sells badly cut or coloured stone so I am guessing a bad camera angle, but it never hurts to ask.

 

[Kit]

Date: 7/6/2007 10:58:15 AM
Author: Chrono

Date: 7/6/2007 10:46:17 AM

Author: Kit

I''m drawn to this one, it seems like a deep color yet is reflecting light (at least in the photo).

If you look at the trio of smaller pics at the bottom, the face up pic of the same stone (on the right hand side) isn''t very pretty. The stone looks very dull and dark. I''ll pass on it. Somehow his magnified pic is very pretty - could be his controlled photography lighting.

You know, I thought that too. The smaller pics of all the stones on the site look worse than the enlarged photots. Well, with this stone (above), Adam replied to my email that there are purple undertones, so maybe that''s what''s making it look darker? I asked for more photos and other options from him...will report back.

 

[Kit]

Date: 7/6/2007 1:05:16 PM
Author: Chrono

Date: 7/6/2007 12:59:47 PM

Author: FireGoddess

I love the 2 pinks in this thread, as well as the light blue stone Chrono posted above the second pink! Is that a honkin bowtie in the light blue though, or a shadow?

Bowties aren''t common in coloured cushion stones but I do see a band of darker blue horizontally across the stone. This is a good question to ask Barbara. I know she has a good eye and NEVER sells badly cut or coloured stone so I am guessing a bad camera angle, but it never hurts to ask.

Right. I emailed her and asked specifically about the bowtie, and for more photos. So we''ll see! Thanks for the advice.

 

[Kit]

Well, I got another pic from Adam on that stone. It does appear to have some blackish areas, although I am just not sure whether this is caused by the lighting or if this is what the stone looks like in real life...

It seems like there is no window, right?

 

[Kit]

Here is a photo from the stone from Barbara. It seems like there's a window, no?

ETA she says the stone is eye clean.

 

[twodoor2]

When viewing sapphires, something that absolutely drives me crazy, is that the vendors never show the stones on the side or face down. Sapphires are highly prone to color zoning and sometimes that is not evident if the stone faces up, but it is very evident from the sides or pavillion. Color zoning is when there are bands of less or no color in the stone. This is a major value detractor, and you need to know exactly what you are getting. I like NSC because they show video clips of the stones so you can see it at all angles. However, when purchasing a sapphire, also ask the vendor about color zoning. Some vendors also do their best to cover it up in a picture. Here is a picture of color zoning in a sapphire. You can see in the center of the stone streaks of darker color against missing color.