Help with Price of Heavily Included Sapphire

[cloreene]

I have recently been drawn to heavily included sapphires but don't know what their worth is. I found mintragem on Ebay and really like this sapphire below, 7.15 carats, unheated. I don't know if it's overpriced or priced just right at $699 with option for best offer. They did counteroffer for $550 but I don't know what to do. I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for a sapphire that turns out to be worthless. If anyone has any input, please help me. I have purchased an unheated sapphire and setting from Ebay through odysseygem and AmericanSet before but have little information on stones with inclusions. I also included a screen grab of the gem from the video they posted and the gem information they have on their site. Thank you!

 

[chrono]

What is your intention for this sapphire? It is so included that it will take extremely soft hands to set it and even then, perhaps a pendant is best if it survives the setting process. Should you decide to sell it one day, you may not be able to find a buyer at any price. The sapphire is beyond SI clarity. It also has obvious colour zoning.

 

[cloreene]

Thanks for your input. I liked all the swirls and color zoning and wanted to make a fun ring. I never knew about how fragile it would be with all the inlcusions. Is there any reason for the price to be set so high for a stone that can break easily?

 

[chrono]

I agree it is a very interesting stone but the price is too high for what it is.

 

[GliderPoss]

Agreed, it's an interesting stone but I'd barely be willing to part with $50 for this let alone hundreds...

 

[cloreene]

Thanks for the feedback! I was confused with how high the price was set and why there weren't more sellers of highly included stones. Your answers helped reassure me that I didn't make the wrong move.

 

[Michael_E]

There are all kinds of neat inclusions in gems, some of which look interesting and won;t cause a problem and some of which are a guaranteed problem. The straight lines at different angles in this stone are a coarse silk which will not cause any problems in setting or wear. The rainbow on the right is a fracture in the stone, the rainbow being caused by light reflecting off the two sides of the break. This is a potential problem since that fracture can cause a large chip or break in the stone if it's close to the surface. The whitish marks on the left could also be a fracture and warrant asking for pictures from other angles. When a stone is shown from just one angle it is always a good idea to ask for pictures from other angles, or better yet a video, to get a better idea about any potential problems like this, (fractures can be virtually invisible from one angle and stick out dramatically at other angles. Make sure to see what you're buying from as many angles as possible if there is any question about inclusions.

 

[Rockinruby]

Interesting stone. Another vote for passing on it though.

 

[cloreene]

Thanks for those pointers! I don't usually look for included stones so I don't know what to look for. I didn't know if the fractures would hold up if they were below the surface but I guess it's best to avoid them for now. The sellers did have a video but I didn't know how to post that and the listing has been taken off.

 

[cloreene]

Link to listing and video if anyone is interested:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281845888537?ul_noapp=true

 

[theredspinel]

I don't like how they use the GIA clarity scale but another lab for the actual grading. Does said lab use the GIA scale to give a grade or is that there just to confuse people and put "GIA" somewhere on the page?!

 

[digdeep]

Recommended retail price of $4995...........ummmmmm, no way Jose'. If they have the nerve to post that I don't think I'd trust anything in their description.