Help with Sapphire

[elle_71125]

I'm am looking for a sapphire but I will be the first to admit I don't know what's important in the search.
So I have a couple questions:
1. What is the difference between heat treated and non heat treated? Should it affect the price point?
2. How do you know if it has a window?
3. What is the best color range to look for (strong, intense, vivid, etc.)?
4. How do you know what the brilliance is (how it sparkles)?

Here's a couple I have looked at:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Unique/U3346/Cushion/stoneid=U3346

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B4488/Cushion/stoneid=B4488

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B4223/Cushion/stoneid=B4223

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B4208/Cushion/stoneid=B4208

I am also in love with this color (but the price range is way out of my budget ) I wish I could find this color in a 2-3 carat size.
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Unique/U3507/Cushion/stoneid=U3507

Thanks for your help.

 

[chrono]

Before I get into the individual links, let's go through your questions first:

1. To the eye, there is no visible difference between a heated and non-heated sapphire. When magnified, a skilled person will be able to point out the telltale signs of heating. An unheated stone is rarer than a heated stone because it doesn't need the help of additional applied heat to get that colour (if the colour is the same or close enough). Thus, there will be a price difference between a heated and unheated sapphire.

2. Windowing is when there is light leakage through the center of the stone. Either there isn't enough depth or the angles of the last few steps in the pavilion isn't "correct", hence instead of colour bouncing back to the eye, you can see whatever is directly under the stone, be it a hand, background picture/text, or object. It also appears "dead" and dull.

3. As with most gemstonese, the more vivid the saturation, the more desired and expensive it is. In order of saturation strength, it goes up from light, medium, strong to vivid. In a sense, it is a personal choice what you want as long as you pay the right price for it.

4. Brilliance depends on the cut, RI, and lustre. You will be able to note this based on most pictures and definitely though videos, if provided. Of course, seeing it firsthand is the best method.

http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm

 

[elle_71125]

Chrono, Thank you for your detailed explanation. Also, the link is a great resource!

 

[chrono]

Overall, I am not enarmoured with any of the choices. I feel that the pricing is too high for what is advertised and you can do your own research on NSC here to read past reviews.

Stone 1: Well cut with a lot of flash and brilliance. The downside is that the saturation is just medium and the colour shift is slight but at least noticeable. It is also super deep at 81% so it faces up small.

Stone 2: Good blue with better saturation but it seems dull. Although you can see the inclusions in the video and pictures, I expect it to be eye clean. Not impressive considering the pricetag.

Stone 3: I rather like this one but a few things are holding me back. The outline of the stone is a bit funky but not a deal breaker. Cutting also sometimes appears a little funky but not a deal breaker either because it seems like a flashy and brilliant stone. There's quite an obvious inclusion on the lower left but should be coverable by a prong. Overall, a decent stone but again...a lot of "minor point deductions" here and there, so to speak.

Stone 4: Looks to be a bit silky/sleepy so you won't see much brilliancy. That said, that bit of silk might help amp up the colour under the right lighting conditions. I noticed a "natural" inclusion smack dab in the middle of the lengthwise edge of the stone. I don't know if it will be safe enough in a ring. It is also a deep stone at 80%, so it will face up smaller than its peers.

 

[elle_71125]

Overall, I am not enarmoured with any of the choices. I feel that the pricing is too high for what is advertised and you can do your own research on NSC here to read past reviews.

Stone 1: Well cut with a lot of flash and brilliance. The downside is that the saturation is just medium and the colour shift is slight but at least noticeable. It is also super deep at 81% so it faces up small.

Stone 2: Good blue with better saturation but it seems dull. Although you can see the inclusions in the video and pictures, I expect it to be eye clean. Not impressive considering the pricetag.

Stone 3: I rather like this one but a few things are holding me back. The outline of the stone is a bit funky but not a deal breaker. Cutting also sometimes appears a little funky but not a deal breaker either because it seems like a flashy and brilliant stone. There's quite an obvious inclusion on the lower left but should be coverable by a prong. Overall, a decent stone but again...a lot of "minor point deductions" here and there, so to speak.

Stone 4: Looks to be a bit silky/sleepy so you won't see much brilliancy. That said, that bit of silk might help amp up the colour under the right lighting conditions. I noticed a "natural" inclusion smack dab in the middle of the lengthwise edge of the stone. I don't know if it will be safe enough in a ring. It is also a deep stone at 80%, so it will face up smaller than its peers.

Thank you. I have looked at a few of the vendors recommended here at pricescope but it seems like the sapphires are not quite what I would look for. The really low price points of some make me wonder about the quality. I appreciate your breakdown of the stones I linked. I am not even close to being that knowledgeable and you helped break it down in a way I can understand. I guess the hunt continues. Do you know any good sapphire vendors? I can see that NSC is not overly popular here...and I trust the wonderful people of pricescope's opinions.

 

[chrono]

You are looking for an unheated blue sapphire, between 2 to 3 carats, correct?

 

[minousbijoux]

Roger Dery has a new one on his website - its heated and slightly bigger, but he's a good place to start.

http://www.spectralgems.net/

 

[elle_71125]

You are looking for an unheated blue sapphire, between 2 to 3 carats, correct?

Yes, I am looking for a bright color between 2-3 carats. I am also considering a color change (blue/purple).
I have another question about heat treating. Does it effect the quality of the stone in respect to durability?

 

[elle_71125]

Roger Dery has a new one on his website - its heated and slightly bigger, but he's a good place to start.

http://www.spectralgems.net/

Thanks for the link. I am looking for a cushion shaped sapphire...and I did see a couple there. I can't figure out how to open up the stats on each gem though.

 

[chrono]

My understanding is that as long as the sapphire has not undergone extremely high temperature heating (diffusion temps), it isn't going to be any more brittle than an unheated sapphire.

I've seen some decent reviews for SimplySapphires as a good source of unheated blue sapphires although I do not have any experience with them.

 

[chrono]

Roger Dery has a new one on his website - its heated and slightly bigger, but he's a good place to start.

http://www.spectralgems.net/

Thanks for the link. I am looking for a cushion shaped sapphire...and I did see a couple there. I can't figure out how to open up the stats on each gem though.

Click on the picture and a bigger picture will pop up, with the stats listed at the top of the pop-up page (carat weight, dimensions and treatment status).

 

[slksapphire]

elle,

i am a relative newbie myself but i found this article to be very helpful in understanding the basics about sapphire quality ... happy reading!

http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/r-s-bk-quality.htm