Help me pick a yellow sapphire!!

[Kelli]

I''m going out of my mind waiting for my diamond recut to be done!!! I was thinking of making my first "real" colored gemstone purchase to distract myself from the waiting. I do not want to spend a lot of money, but I don''t want to buy something worthless either. I''ve been looking at some yellow sapphires and had a few questions. I know "vivid" is the best color grading, but is "intense" worth buying also? From my screen the colors look beautiful, but I know computer screens can be deceiving. I actually really like the lighter, buttery yellow ones as opposed to the brighter canary-like ones, but don''t know how they may look in real life. Here are a few I''m looking at:
http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Yellow/Round/stoneid=Y2073

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Yellow/Round/stoneid=Y625

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Yellow/Round/stoneid=Y2058

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Yellow/Round/stoneid=Y2408

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Yellow/Round/stoneid=Y2329

I didn''t make a good decision on my diamond all on my own, so I was really hoping you guys could give me some input as to how these measure up. I know cut is SOOO important with a diamond, but have no idea about colored gems. Are any of these good? If you find any others I''m open to suggestions too. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Kelli]

I just realized the first three are "out on memo". What exactly does that mean?

 

[movie zombie]

it means someone else is already called dibs and they''re looking at them.

however, it doesn''t mean that they won''t be available once again. contact the company and get on a waiting list to be the next to view the stones should they not be bought.

movie zombie

 

[Kelli]

Whoops I just realized it explains it right there

Sorry for my stupidity, but thanks for the reply!

 

[geckodani]

How do you feel about concave cuts?

 

[geckodani]

#1 is nice.
#2 looks wonky on the cut to me.
#3 nice.
#4 Oooooooh. Likeee.
#5 Eh.

 

[Kelli]

Thanks Dani! I''m not really sure how I feel about concave cuts. I''ve seen some that I like and some I don''t. I think for a yellow sapphire I prefer the regular round brilliant. I saw what you meant about #2. I thought it looked a little off, then I checked out the 3-D report and yuck! #5 is definitely more than I wanted to spend, #4 is a little over too, but is available now. #1 and 3 are cheaper, but out on memo. I guess I could call and ask about them.

Which setting did you go with?

 

[geckodani]

I haven''t seen them yet - they should have the Ritani in tomorrow for me to look at, and I''m deciding tomorrow.

Have you talked to WF about swapping out the head on your ring?

 

[Kelli]

Good for you! Tomorrow should be a fun day! But to answer your question, no.

I haven''t heard from them at all yet. They told me two weeks ago that it would be done "mid-next week." That was last week. On thursday I got an e-mail saying "Monday at the latest". Here it is Thursday again and nothing. I know they didn''t have power on Monday so that isn''t their fault, but weren''t they up and running 100% as of yesterday? I just don''t get it. I hate to keep calling, but I''m starting to get really upset and I don''t know what to do. It''s way too expensive and important an item to just keep waiting and not hearing anything, and if they had been honest about how long this would take, I don''t think I would have gone through with it. I''m coming up on eight weeks since I first put it in the mail and am getting so frustrated. I''m kind of considering just having them put it back in it''s original setting and send it home. I can ask my local jeweler to find new prongs right? Although I''m sure you would advise me against that.....

So I''ll ask you........

WHAT SHOULD I DO???

 

[geckodani]

((HUGS))

1. Call them. Tell them what you just told me, that you are upset and feel like you were misled on the timeline.
2. Tell them you want them to swap out the head on your ring so that the diamond sits lower. They should be able to do this BEFORE your diamond gets back to them - they know the dimensions.

((HUGS))

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 9/18/2008 1:54:14 PM
Author: Kelli
Good for you! Tomorrow should be a fun day! But to answer your question, no.

I haven''t heard from them at all yet. They told me two weeks ago that it would be done ''mid-next week.'' That was last week. On thursday I got an e-mail saying ''Monday at the latest''. Here it is Thursday again and nothing. I know they didn''t have power on Monday so that isn''t their fault, but weren''t they up and running 100% as of yesterday? I just don''t get it. I hate to keep calling, but I''m starting to get really upset and I don''t know what to do. It''s way too expensive and important an item to just keep waiting and not hearing anything, and if they had been honest about how long this would take, I don''t think I would have gone through with it. I''m coming up on eight weeks since I first put it in the mail and am getting so frustrated. I''m kind of considering just having them put it back in it''s original setting and send it home. I can ask my local jeweler to find new prongs right? Although I''m sure you would advise me against that.....

So I''ll ask you........

WHAT SHOULD I DO???

(((((hugs)))))

Kelli, I would wait to buy a yellow sapphire until you get your diamond back. Unless you find one you LOVE, but if you''re forcing the purchase because you''re tired of waiting for your diamond, I would just wait until you receive it.

If this was going to happen anyway and it was an unstoppable force . . . #3, #4, and #1. Let us know what you do!

 

[bling addict]

I couldn''t see number 3 for some reason, out of the rest I liked #4 the best

 

[Kelli]

Thanks guys! I will post a diamond update in "rings in waiting," finally got some good news!

I''m not necessarily planning on making the purchase before I get my diamond, I just wanted something to get my mind off of it while I''m not at work. "The thrill of the hunt" is exciting for me and a nice distraction from waiting for updates. I figured if I found something inexpensive that I really liked I''d get it, but if not no biggie. I''ll probably wait a little while to see if #1 or #3 becomes available since they are a little less $$$. If they don''t, maybe #4 will still be around for a while. I''d like to get one eventually, but am in no hurry. I just like to shop and appreciate your input.

 

[ma re]

About yellow sapphires...Yellow is in fact my favorite color so this might be a long(ish) post

.

There''s something strange I discovered about yellow gemstones - I love the color, I love them loose, but I don''t like them in jewellery; how''s that for weird?! The reason is, I''m a sucker for strong contrasts and yellow stones + white stones just doesen''t do much for me. Back to the subject, I had to browse through a lot of yellow gemstones to figure this out. And I discovered some more interesting facts about them. They depend immensely on light, just like any other vibrant and lightly colored stone. They need direct light to look nice, otherwise they''re not very impressive. So cut and clarity are both very important in these stones, cause you need something to make up for the color once lighting conditions are not perfect (to keep you interested, so to speak). A lot depends on your choice of metal too - if you''ll go with white metal, I''d suggest lighther shades, cause once set they will look a bit colder, lighter (as opposed to when set in yellow metal) and possibly to the greenish side of yellow. If you choose yellow metal, you''re better off with deeper shades cause richness of color will be brought out, and the stone will look warmer, possibly more orangy. It all depends on the effect you''re trying to achieve. And about those you listed:

#1 - not much to me, looks pale
#2 - a nice buttery yellow
#3 - can''t open link
#4 - a bit greenish, nothing wrong with that, but not my thing
#5 - looks a bit brown to me, could look nice in yellow gold

So to summarize, make sure you pick a lively stone with good clarity and pay attention to the choice of metal. Hope this has been of some help

 

[Kelli]

Thanks for all the info ma re. I haven''t really thought about settibng it yet, I''m not sure what look I''d be going for. I could totally see where you''re coming from about it needing something extra when the lighting isn''t right. I will say I keep coming back to look at this ring http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Sapphire-Jewelry/Sapphire-Rings/Jewelry=J978 beacuse I love the pastel colors together. I''m sure the lighting is perfect in the video of course. I also keep wondering how some very light pink sapphires would look in that rose gold halo. I think it would be cool to have a ring similar to this one, but with all sapphires-- yellow center, pink in halo, and white on band. I can''t afford that right now anyway, but a girl can dream! How would this look, and what color yellow would look best in rose gold?

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 9/19/2008 10:34:28 AM
Author: Kelli
Thanks for all the info ma re. I haven''t really thought about settibng it yet, I''m not sure what look I''d be going for. I could totally see where you''re coming from about it needing something extra when the lighting isn''t right. I will say I keep coming back to look at this ring http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Sapphire-Jewelry/Sapphire-Rings/Jewelry=J978 beacuse I love the pastel colors together. I''m sure the lighting is perfect in the video of course. I also keep wondering how some very light pink sapphires would look in that rose gold halo. I think it would be cool to have a ring similar to this one, but with all sapphires-- yellow center, pink in halo, and white on band. I can''t afford that right now anyway, but a girl can dream! How would this look, and what color yellow would look best in rose gold?

Did you see the one on Gemscoop?

LS

 

[ma re]

Date: 9/19/2008 10:34:28 AM
Author: Kelli
Thanks for all the info ma re. I haven''t really thought about settibng it yet, I''m not sure what look I''d be going for. I could totally see where you''re coming from about it needing something extra when the lighting isn''t right. I will say I keep coming back to look at this ring http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Sapphire-Jewelry/Sapphire-Rings/Jewelry=J978 beacuse I love the pastel colors together. I''m sure the lighting is perfect in the video of course. I also keep wondering how some very light pink sapphires would look in that rose gold halo. I think it would be cool to have a ring similar to this one, but with all sapphires-- yellow center, pink in halo, and white on band. I can''t afford that right now anyway, but a girl can dream! How would this look, and what color yellow would look best in rose gold?

I personally think it would look a bit cluttered and over the top with a pink/rose halo, but someone else might actually like it. Setting a yellow stone in rose gold sounds interesting, but I''d try to keep the amount of visible metal to a minimum (maybe just prongs), cause too much of it would detract too much away from the stone. Visual balance should also be taken into consideration, cause the color red is visually heavier than yellow, therefore should be used in smaller amounts and closer to the center (if possible). Hope you understand what I''m talking about. If you''re keen on the tri-color look I''d suggest something like...white sapphires in a white metal shank, rows of pink sapphires in rose gold above and below the white ones, and yellow sapphire in the center, with rose gold semi bezel. If you can picture it, looks nice to me

 

[Kelli]

Date: 9/19/2008 10:41:25 AM
Author: LostSapphire

Date: 9/19/2008 10:34:28 AM
Author: Kelli
Thanks for all the info ma re. I haven''t really thought about settibng it yet, I''m not sure what look I''d be going for. I could totally see where you''re coming from about it needing something extra when the lighting isn''t right. I will say I keep coming back to look at this ring http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Sapphire-Jewelry/Sapphire-Rings/Jewelry=J978 beacuse I love the pastel colors together. I''m sure the lighting is perfect in the video of course. I also keep wondering how some very light pink sapphires would look in that rose gold halo. I think it would be cool to have a ring similar to this one, but with all sapphires-- yellow center, pink in halo, and white on band. I can''t afford that right now anyway, but a girl can dream! How would this look, and what color yellow would look best in rose gold?

Did you see the one on Gemscoop?

LS

Yep. WAAAAAAAY out of my budget for any time soon. Stunning though.

 

[Kelli]

Date: 9/19/2008 12:16:44 PM
Author: ma re

Date: 9/19/2008 10:34:28 AM
Author: Kelli
Thanks for all the info ma re. I haven''t really thought about settibng it yet, I''m not sure what look I''d be going for. I could totally see where you''re coming from about it needing something extra when the lighting isn''t right. I will say I keep coming back to look at this ring http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Sapphire-Jewelry/Sapphire-Rings/Jewelry=J978 beacuse I love the pastel colors together. I''m sure the lighting is perfect in the video of course. I also keep wondering how some very light pink sapphires would look in that rose gold halo. I think it would be cool to have a ring similar to this one, but with all sapphires-- yellow center, pink in halo, and white on band. I can''t afford that right now anyway, but a girl can dream! How would this look, and what color yellow would look best in rose gold?

I personally think it would look a bit cluttered and over the top with a pink/rose halo, but someone else might actually like it. Setting a yellow stone in rose gold sounds interesting, but I''d try to keep the amount of visible metal to a minimum (maybe just prongs), cause too much of it would detract too much away from the stone. Visual balance should also be taken into consideration, cause the color red is visually heavier than yellow, therefore should be used in smaller amounts and closer to the center (if possible). Hope you understand what I''m talking about. If you''re keen on the tri-color look I''d suggest something like...white sapphires in a white metal shank, rows of pink sapphires in rose gold above and below the white ones, and yellow sapphire in the center, with rose gold semi bezel. If you can picture it, looks nice to me

That does sound very nice, but a project like that won''t be happening for me anytime soon. Maybe I should hold off on the sapphire as Lauren suggested. I just am enjoying the shopping part of it. If I wanted to find a grogeous gemstone on a very small budget (around $200 would be nice) what could I look for? Anything pretty I could pop into an inexpensive solitaire setting would be nice. Super rare is obviously not a prority, but something non-treated that would be nice to look at. I like all colors and don''t want something too big. Anywhere from 0.4 to 1.5 depending on the stone would be great. Any ideas?

 

[Inanna]

Out of the five you listed, I like #4 BY FAR the most. #3 is nice, IMO, but the pictures don''t appear to be very high quality... looks very fuzzy on my computer screen (also the 3d report isn''t loading for me). Is it just me or do the pictures for #1 & #2 make it look like the stone has dust on it? I think perhaps NSC is having some website issues right now.

 

[ma re]

Date: 9/19/2008 12:26:09 PM
Author: Kelli
That does sound very nice, but a project like that won''t be happening for me anytime soon. Maybe I should hold off on the sapphire as Lauren suggested. I just am enjoying the shopping part of it. If I wanted to find a grogeous gemstone on a very small budget (around $200 would be nice) what could I look for? Anything pretty I could pop into an inexpensive solitaire setting would be nice. Super rare is obviously not a prority, but something non-treated that would be nice to look at. I like all colors and don''t want something too big. Anywhere from 0.4 to 1.5 depending on the stone would be great. Any ideas?

For that budget, untreated, and in sizes you mention you could get:
- almost any garnet (rhodolite, spessartite, tsavorite, hessonite, mali, malaya, color change)
- tourmaline (yellow, pink, blue, green, bicolor)
- spinel (pink, purple, blue)
- iolite
- peridot - maybe a bit soft for a ring though
- chrysoberyl
- zircon (orange, pink, brown) - maybe a bit soft i.e. fragile too

I probably missed some. My vote would go for rhodolite in yellow gold, but it''s your choice. Have fun

 

[Kelli]

Wow great to know I have so many options on a tight budget! Thanks!!