Help with blue sapphire engagement ring

[leonardotmnt]

My girlfriend and I have pretty much decided on a blue sapphire for an engagement ring. I''m left to figure out the details so it''s still a bit of a surprise for her. I''ve been reading as much as I can lately on sapphires and have also browsed the forum a bit but I''m still a little lost. One of the primary places I''m looking at stones currently is TNSC. From what I''ve seen they seem to be one of the few places that have blue sapphires in my price range and size. We''re looking under a carat because she doesn''t want anything too big and my price range is anywhere up to $1600 or so for the stone + setting. I know it''s not a ton but I think there are some things that might work from what I''ve seen.

If possible I''d like to get platinum but I''m trying to look into palladium too to see if it''s worth it. The one band I was looking at at TNSC was $700 more for platinum than palladium and I can''t imagine platinum is that much better...is it?

I''ve been looking at this stone http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B3112/Cushion/stoneid=B3112 as we both like the cushion cut. Can anyone give me any insight on whether or not this is a decent stone for the price just from looking at it? I like that they have the 3D view and show all the angles for the cut. Is it common for the angles to not be perfectly symmetrical on sapphires? Even the more expensive ones on the site seem to be this way.

Sorry this is so long but I''m trying to get a feel for what stones may be good buys and whether or not platinum is really worth the price difference over palladium. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jjdav]

Hi leonardotmnt, congratulations! I'm no expert and I'm sure the regular prosumers will chime in, but it may be helpful if you provide just a little more information, such as are you open to having a slightly different blue than the one you posted, should we assume you are only interested in non-treated sapphires since you're interested in TNSC? What is your timeline to finish the ring? There are reputable vendors here who may be able to source and cut a sapphire specifically for you if you're willing to wait. Have you already looked through the vendors listed here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/sites-selling-colored-gemstones-and-jewelry.94723/

Cheers

Date: 1/6/2010 9:02:31 PM
Author:leonardotmnt
My girlfriend and I have pretty much decided on a blue sapphire for an engagement ring. I'm left to figure out the details so it's still a bit of a surprise for her. I've been reading as much as I can lately on sapphires and have also browsed the forum a bit but I'm still a little lost. One of the primary places I'm looking at stones currently is TNSC. From what I've seen they seem to be one of the few places that have blue sapphires in my price range and size. We're looking under a carat because she doesn't want anything too big and my price range is anywhere up to $1600 or so for the stone + setting. I know it's not a ton but I think there are some things that might work from what I've seen.


If possible I'd like to get platinum but I'm trying to look into palladium too to see if it's worth it. The one band I was looking at at TNSC was $700 more for platinum than palladium and I can't imagine platinum is that much better...is it?


I've been looking at this stone http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B3112/Cushion/stoneid=B3112 as we both like the cushion cut. Can anyone give me any insight on whether or not this is a decent stone for the price just from looking at it? I like that they have the 3D view and show all the angles for the cut. Is it common for the angles to not be perfectly symmetrical on sapphires? Even the more expensive ones on the site seem to be this way.


Sorry this is so long but I'm trying to get a feel for what stones may be good buys and whether or not platinum is really worth the price difference over palladium. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[leonardotmnt]

That''s pretty close to the shade I''d like I think. I don''t want to go too dark though I could probably stray from that exact shade a bit. I''m interested in untreated sapphires but am not totally against going for a treated one if it''s a nice stone. Untreated is appealing because they''re more rare and like I said part of the allure of TNSC is that they''re one of the only places I''ve found so far that has a large selection that''s affordable in the size I''m looking for. They do seem to have a ''love them or hate them'' type of vibe here though. As far as a time line I don''t have anything set in stone (ha ha) but I have a few months to play around with. Thanks for the quick reply. I''m a bit nervous because even though it''s one of those things where she says she''ll like anything, I still want to get something perfect for her, and I really don''t have any experience with jewelery of any kind let alone an e-ring.

 

[Arcadian]

Hi and welcome

With color stones, you may not have all the points meet unless you're after precision cutting.


The stone is a fantastic color blue and is pretty nice and even. With the type of cutting I see on the stone, it looks to be a glower.


A sapphire can cost a lot of money dependant on what you want. If you're open to less than ideal colors (like say voilet instead of medium blue) or if you can stand to have an inclusion that may not be eye visible, you can sometimes get a bigger stone for your money.

As this is an engagement ring, I can see why you would want to stay with an unheated stone. However, you do have the option of going with a heated stone. Heat is common to the trade and acceptable. BE treating (Beryllium diffusion) is not acceptable at all.

Sapphires will face up much smaller compared to the same ct diamond because they are cut for color. Also, you need to pay attention to the mm size of the stone. Its a cushion, and they tend to face up much smaller than say a round or an oval.

Is this to be a solitare? Any clue as to her ring size? The reason why I ask is that the stone itself is a shade under 5mm, which if she's got larger hands it may look a bit lost.

As long as she's ok with the fact that while sapphires are beautiful, they don't perform like diamonds do. With that in mind, you should be ok to just set alone.

For settings it may be worth it for you to also check out pearlmans and/or whiteflash.

-A

 

[leonardotmnt]

What exactly do you mean by "face up"? Does that just mean the surface area you can see for the top of the stone?

She wants something around the equivalent of a .4-.5 diamond because she works in healthcare and doesn't want something that may get in the way of working with her hands. Her ring size is an 8 I believe and it's probably going to be a solitaire with something along the lines of this setting http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Solitaire/stoneid=JS23W14 though that could change. Honestly I still haven't decided on a solitaire setting vs 3 stone with 2 small diamonds on the sides. It might come down to what I think looks best and the price.

 

[Novel]

Congrats on your pending engagement!

You understand face up correctly. It means how big the "face" of the stone is on the finger. Sapphires face up smaller because they are denser. This chart might help you understand how big in mm diamond carat sizes are. If she is thinking of a .4-.5 round is different than a .4-.5 carat cushion, as cushions "face up" smaller. You can print that page and play with mm sizes too, if you really want, though it sounds like she knows what she wants.

The color of the stone you've picked is beautiful! And the cut looks great, too. If you don't mind heated stones, as Arcadian was saying, you may be able to find something cheaper, but it would probably take some looking around to get the exact color if you're in love with that color.

I like the setting you picked out, but also really like three stones. Do you know what shape diamonds you'd want to do next to the cushion if you go that route?

Edited to finish a sentence, sorry!

 

[leonardotmnt]

Thanks for the chart, Novel. It's pretty helpful. The .4-.5 ct diamond size was in relation to a princess cut which according to the chart is the same as the cushion at 4.35 mm. Since a 1.0 ct diamond is about 5.5 mm does that mean the sapphire from TNSC is equivalent to .7 ct or so diamond? I guess I was originally thinking the opposite, that a higher ct sapphire was equivalent to a lower ct diamond because it's denser? I'm still a little confused on that front.

One question I did have about that stone in particular is the cutting on the bottom right. It seems to be just slightly out of round, for lack of a better term. I know it's magnified quite a bit on the main picture but do you think something like that would be noticeable in practical terms?

As far as the coloring and light refraction of the stone how much would there to be gained by ordering the stone to look at it? Would someone unfamiliar with colored gemstones like myself be able to tell much from looking at in person?

 

[Arcadian]

If she''s a size 8 then thats about my size. I can wear anything from a 7.5 to an 8.5 because of bloaty days.

I also tend to wear nothing smaller than 5mm because the stones otherwise look a bit lost on my fingers.

With that, I''m going to urge you to look into a 3 stone ring for finger coverage if its within your budget. I would suggest a setting with trapezoid or trilliant diamonds as your side stones as this will help balance out the center stone over her finger.


-A

 

[marcy]

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement.

I love the color of the sapphire you have picked out. It will be very pretty in an ering. The solitaire mounting is pretty too. I tend to like diamond accents with a gemstone but that is just my personal preference. You are correct a diamond of the same carat weight as a sapphire will appear larger than the sapphire.

 

[leonardotmnt]

Thanks everyone for the help so far. As long as you''re all not just being nice with the stone selection praise

Do you think it might be worth just buying the stone there and looking to mount it somewhere else if I want a 3 stone mount? The mounts they list with 3 stones have round, pear, or princess cut diamonds.

As of now I think I''m leaning toward palladium for the metal over platinum due to price issues. That and I haven''t read all that much bad about palladium. Is it really worth the $700-$1,000 difference for platinum?

Again, I really appreciate all the well-wishes and suggestions from everyone.

 

[Arcadian]

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B3112/Cushion/stoneid=B3112 fixed the link for you

Colored stones is kind of an odd beast as it relies more upon personal tastes than what is "ideal", unless you happen to really like ideal colors that is.

It would be a wise choice to order the stone in order to see it in the surroundings it may mostly be in. When you do I would let them know you're a pricescope member and see what kind of discounts are available.

Hospitals can have some of the most terrible lighting as do office buildings. You may want to see how it performs in that type of lighting (does she know about this or is it a suprise? )

Sapphires almost always look fantastic in indirect natural light as well as direct sunlight. They usually do well in incandescent light as well.

Being that the stone looks well cut, you should have no problems with performance.

As far as the corner and how it looks, I think its also something you should see in person. In magnification you can see all kinds of things you don't always see in person unless you have eagle eyes and/or are very experienced.


As far as the side stones, its something you need to see in person to really see if you personally like it. Princess cut stones are square but you'll have a rounded square so it may not be what you want. pear sides may be fine though as they also provide more finger coverage.

Metals is again something that is a personal preference. I have one platinum ring and the rest are gold.


-A

 

[jjdav]

That''s a really nice setting! A classic! I am also somewhat partial to three stone rings

Does your fiancée wear gloves for her work? Some of the other members have talked about having a ring with a lower profile or perhaps bezel to reduce opportunities of it catching. Just a few thoughts, sorry I''m not able to provide more specific info!

 

[ma re]

Although the setting is pretty, the one with prongs isn''t exactly a great idea for someone who''ll wear it to a place where she''ll do a lot of manual work. Does she have something against a bezel setting? About ordering the stone, well, eventhough you probably can''t see (i.e. you can see, but not so much understand) as much pros and cons some more experienced PS''ers would notice, you''d still see if the stone is nice and wether you like it or not. Or more importantly, would she like it or not

BTW, do remember that almost every stone gets darker in color once it''s set into jewellery, so maybe it''s best to get something a shade lighter than your prefered color. White metal might also accentuate any hint of grey or green the stone might have (not that the one you found has any; at least in photos). I know this is probably a lot of info for a newbie, but take your time