Help picking a Sapphire

[Ksharp4]

Looking for a special sapphire for my wife's birthday. Trying to stay under $15k with setting. My wife likes the darker blues. These things seem to be hard to find locally and this site seem to have the best selection on nice stones with certifications. I don't buy their fair value price though. what do you think of these three?

http://www.gemsny.com/index.php?file=gems_compare_loose_gems&CompareDiamondstr=276827%2C276606%2C276820%2C276827%2C&CompareDiamond%5B%5D=276827&ishape_id=%7Bishapes_id%7D&igems_id=19&compare=sapphires&catnm=Make+Your+Own+Sapphire+ring&rand=9781

 

[T L]

They use UGL reports, which are overpriced and inflated appraisals. I would only go with a site that uses AGL, Gueblin, SSEF, GIA, GRS, or AGTA for a lab report. Also, I don't know if UGL can test for diffusion, so if a stone is heated, you won't know its diffused.

I see that some have a GIA report, and if the stone is unheated per GIA, you're okay. Personally, for that kind of money, I would want an AGL prestige report with all the bells and whistles. I would completely ignore the UGL, it's a bogus over inflated appraisal to get you to think you're getting a good deal.

IMO, UGL caters to vendors, not the poor buyer who has to protect themselves. The actual "sale" price on those stones still appears to be the correct retail value. You're not getting a good deal, and I don't like dealing with vendors that lie to consumers like that, or use UGL.

 

[Ksharp4]

Thanks all three stones have GIA and one has an RGL as well.

 

[Ksharp4]

Here are some other stones I was looking at. Any help or thoughts on the stones would be appreciated.

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/#&&CYZ6H+0Mh2TzT4wCa0U8Jyhgl40BzdDkRw/CYpykscy1i6wY5ZZ4lnbNUTlDdbEQZPXqJKOKhebKjitDjMgmH0O95WgFFlSc5PpdlWuAkjJCBsuPy3bHyfkKLrBKvfugV+0OQ03q2hp6z4799NoCgXNM4Vu9v8he9VMDw83784plAjfvvN4kr1NSkE/MpTqzwBSRqQ==

 

[T L]

Here are some other stones I was looking at. Any help or thoughts on the stones would be appreciated.

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/#&&CYZ6H+0Mh2TzT4wCa0U8Jyhgl40BzdDkRw/CYpykscy1i6wY5ZZ4lnbNUTlDdbEQZPXqJKOKhebKjitDjMgmH0O95WgFFlSc5PpdlWuAkjJCBsuPy3bHyfkKLrBKvfugV+0OQ03q2hp6z4799NoCgXNM4Vu9v8he9VMDw83784plAjfvvN4kr1NSkE/MpTqzwBSRqQ==

The Natural Sapphire Company is not really held in high regard on this site. Do a search on all topics with Natural Sapphire Company and you'll see why. I also do not trust the accuracy of their photos.

 

[Treenbean]

There is a trusted vendor thread around here some place.
In the mean time try Ed Bristol at Wild Fish Gems or gemsthailand on ebay

Both have unheated untreated stones


http://www.ebay.com/sch/gemsthailand/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3984


http://www.wildfishgems.com/

 

[T L]

africagems.com

odysseygem and gemburionline on ebay.

 

[Ksharp4]

Thanks for the the recommendations. I have checked those sites and they look good and it is a shame as the sites that have the most description of the stones don't actually have what I am looking for. The biggest challenge is finding the cut and size I am looking for.

I am down to a handful of stones and would appreciate any help here. I have listed them in preference order. The only thing I can't tell is the deepness of the blue color. My wife would prefer a deep/dark blue color but I know that is a balance


http://www.africagems.com/blue-sapphire-g2000-3075.html

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B4433/Cushion/stoneid=B4433

http://www.africagems.com/blue-sapphire-g2000-1113.html

http://www.africagems.com/blue-sapphiregem-ic-sa-270.html

Also this may be stupid but when I look at the video of the stone at Naturalsapphirecompany it clearly shows imprefections (scratch or divit) on the stone so wondering should that still be called flawless. Will the other stones have similar finish issues like that?

 

[LD]

The only one I would consider is the first one in your post above.

The one from the NSC has two chips on the facets, a large window and is so dark it'll look black in most lighting conditions. If you've searched on this forum you will see threads that discuss the dishonesty this company has with photos and videos.

The third one is very pretty but I'm not sure if there are some quite visible inclusions on the left hand side. If you're interested in this one you need to ask.

The last is very very very dark and (for me) I'm afraid has no redeeming features (sorry).

When buying sapphires of this saturation, typically you need to look for something slightly lighter as most gems darken once set and also will darken naturally in some lighting conditions. The first and third hold most promise.

 

[T L]

The only one I would consider is the first one in your post above.

The one from the NSC has two chips on the facets, a large window and is so dark it'll look black in most lighting conditions. If you've searched on this forum you will see threads that discuss the dishonesty this company has with photos and videos.

The third one is very pretty but I'm not sure if there are some quite visible inclusions on the left hand side. If you're interested in this one you need to ask.

The last is very very very dark and (for me) I'm afraid has no redeeming features (sorry).

When buying sapphires of this saturation, typically you need to look for something slightly lighter as most gems darken once set and also will darken naturally in some lighting conditions. The first and third hold most promise.

The first one looks so drab and grey in the AGL gem brief photo though, and the third one is much nicer in color on the AGL gem brief photo. Something to consider. I like the third one based on this. However, I would probably look for something a bit lighter in tone. The fourth one is horrible and way too dark.

 

[Ksharp4]

Thanks again guys. I liked the first one the best but agree the AGL picture looked a bit more gray which concerned me. It seems like these things are very hard to buy. I am not looking for perfection but clearly a nice stone. If you happen to run across something that you think is worth buying that is a cushion or emerald in the 3.5 carat range feel free to pass them along.

 

[LD]

The only one I would consider is the first one in your post above.

The one from the NSC has two chips on the facets, a large window and is so dark it'll look black in most lighting conditions. If you've searched on this forum you will see threads that discuss the dishonesty this company has with photos and videos.

The third one is very pretty but I'm not sure if there are some quite visible inclusions on the left hand side. If you're interested in this one you need to ask.

The last is very very very dark and (for me) I'm afraid has no redeeming features (sorry).

When buying sapphires of this saturation, typically you need to look for something slightly lighter as most gems darken once set and also will darken naturally in some lighting conditions. The first and third hold most promise.

The first one looks so drab and grey in the AGL gem brief photo though, and the third one is much nicer in color on the AGL gem brief photo. Something to consider. I like the third one based on this. However, I would probably look for something a bit lighter in tone. The fourth one is horrible and way too dark.

I completely agree. I had discounted the photos on the gem briefs because I was making a huge leap of faith that Africa Gems used the same set up for both gems when photographing them in house. As these are reasonably big stones I did wonder whether the inclusions in #3 would be noticeable to the eye.

I would also look for something lighter in tone.

 

[Ksharp4]

Well I ordered the 3.75 unheated sapphire from Marc at Africagems and he actually sent me two stones so I could evaluate and pick the one I liked better. That was quite a nice touch.

Well the 3.75 carat stone actually looks purplish or violet. I am not sure if that is good. Maybe that is the grey that you had mentioned.

The other stone is a heated stone with a GRS report. The heat is H so I guess that is not terrible. This stone is a Royal Blue so it is pretty dark/rich looking.

http://www.africagems.com/blue-sapphiregem-ic-sa-258.html

Very difficult decision.

 

[T L]

Well I ordered the 3.75 unheated sapphire from Marc at Africagems and he actually sent me two stones so I could evaluate and pick the one I liked better. That was quite a nice touch.

Well the 3.75 carat stone actually looks purplish or violet. I am not sure if that is good. Maybe that is the grey that you had mentioned.

The other stone is a heated stone with a GRS report. The heat is H so I guess that is not terrible. This stone is a Royal Blue so it is pretty dark/rich looking.

http://www.africagems.com/blue-sapphiregem-ic-sa-258.html

Very difficult decision.

If a stone is purplish or violet, that doesn't mean it's grey. The purple/violet is the hue, and the strength of that hue (saturation of color) determines if there is grey or not. The less saturated a cool colored stone is, the more grey it has.

I don't like that stone in the link at all, it has a huge window, and there is extinction along the sides of the window. A more purplish or violet stone is typically less valuable than a pure blue stone, but it depends on how much purple or violet. Some Burmese sapphires have a touch of violet which makes them very beautiful. If it's overly violet or purple, I would send it back, unless you like that sort of color.

 

[Ksharp4]

Thanks for all of your feedback. It feels like I am back to square one. Doesn't seem there are many cushion stones in this size 3-4 carats around $10K to $15K out there that are worth buying.

 

[0-0-0]

If you don't mind purple or color change, how about this one? http://johndyergems.com/catalog_pages/gemstone-Sapphire1453.html