How nice are these sapphires?

[Barbacoa]

Hi all, I'm new here, and new to gemstones. I hope I am posting this in the right place. I am looking for an affordable way to make a beautiful and unique engagement ring for my SO. I figure I would buy a sapphire that she would like, since I have heard good things about them so far, and then find a setting for it. These are the three stones I have narrowed down to so far. Do they look good for an engagement ring? Are they a good deal? Do the dealers seem honest? I appreciate any help with this or any other tips!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/651211...e-excellent-cut?ref=shop_home_active_33&frs=1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/130936...-sapphire?ref=shop_home_active_46&pro=1&frs=1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/669507...e-excellent-cut?ref=shop_home_active_85&frs=1

 

[Rfisher]

What guidance has your SO given you of their preferences/wants/desires?
Or are you flying solo on picking this out?

 

[Barbacoa]

What guidance has your SO given you of their preferences/wants/desires?
Or are you flying solo on picking this out?

I have shown her dozens of rings and stones, since I wanted to know what she likes. She has seen all three of those in the mix of others, and she said she likes them. But she has even less experience with this than I do, and that's saying something. That said, I am trying to fly solo as much as possible.

 

[Bron357]

All 3 are completely different.
It would be best to find out what colour / shape your fiancée to be prefers.
I like the first green one, but it’s an unusual colour and not what people think of when you say “sapphire”.
The second one is too dark for my liking and the shape is unusual and will require a specific (more $$$) setting.
The third one is nice, but a bit to meh grey in colour.
Remember to check mm dimensions as sapphire is a dense gem (less visual size for the carat weight) and choosing a standard round or oval shape means you can consider “pre made” settings which are most cost effective.

 

[Rfisher]

First one my guess I’d be curious if it didn’t go (dull) army/olive green.
Second one I think might have dark ‘dead’ areas that don’t light up at all. But once again guessing a more subdued color irl. Color change is neat if that’s what you are going for. This particular vendor is retiring/closing business. Don’t know if that matters to you.
Third one, my guess it’s a muted/subdued periwinkle irl. Video link doesn’t work for me.

Are the vendors honest? I’ve not dealt with them directly. Some people here have reviewed their experiences with Prestige in threads here. I know some have been positive.
Neither of these vendors have a reputable lab report for the stones so you don’t know what it is you are buying. What treatment has been done. Some permanent, some not. That treatment affects the market pricing greatly.
Which leads to being unable to answer your ‘value’ question. I don’t think you’d want to spend $1200 for an undisclosed treated ‘blue’ stone that you could have gotten elsewhere for $300 and it’s disclosed.

Look into any vendors policies and only proceed if they have a rock solid return policy you can live with. You won’t know what these look like until you get them in your (multiple) environments.

Lastly, I didn’t pay attention to the diameters and depths of these stones. If not calibrated sizes, the need for custom-to-fit setting just ate up more of your total budget.

Lastly, for real, congratulations on your upcoming engagement!
There’s some fine, thrifty people on here that can find you some solid choices from reputable sources if you can list up your wants, desires, and budget.

 

[Rfisher]

And hit the ‘report concern’ button at the bottom of your post
Ask the mods to move it to the colored stone forum. Youll probably get more traffic and replies.

 

[Barbacoa]

Wow, lots of useful info. Thank you so much for the help!

 

[lovedogs]

I'm not sure that any of these would be my choice for an engagement ring stone. The blue one looks grey-ish, and I think the first and third ones will be much darker in tone than the look in those pics. I would look at the list of trusted vendors at the top and start there.

 

[Bron357]

Depending on your budget, Ivy & Rose have some lovely ring settings and a few pre set ones. As an example, this one is a 1 carat sapphire, nice blue, in a diamond setting (.50 carat) for $700.

 

[cokitty]

For loose sapphires I would check
https://gemfix.com/gem-category/sapphire/blue-sapphire
https://www.africagems.com/bluesapphire.html
For a completed ring
http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/categories/blue-gemstones
https://www.1stdibs.com/search/jewelry/rings/?currency=usd&price=[225 TO 10000]&q=blue sapphire ring

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

IMHO the first one might be dark and muddy looking. The second one doesn't look bad, might not be very saturated and tend to grey. I don't think I would pick a princess cut sapphire unless the setting protected the corners very well. The third one looks like it has a bit of a wonky cut with an off center culet for an "excellent cut" stone. I agree with @cokitty to keep looking and congrats on your upcoming wedding.

 

[fantapanda]

all the sapphires look different- is a sapphire what your SO wants? if so, any chance she could go to a big box store and take a look at some of the sapphires in the store as well as some sapphires posted by trusted vendors, preferably videos to narrow down the color she likes? more teal, more cornflower blue, royal blue, color change?

the other thing is what is the list of priorities- color, cut, size of the stone, cost, does she care if it has heat or no heat?

i think Julia of Julia B on etsy is wonderful to deal with. she has a variety of sapphires in different colors and can set them for you. her prices are reasonable in my opinion and she didn’t scoff at my husband’s budget when he worked with her to find me a ring. I didn’t get a ring from her eventually but am a big fan of her patience through the communications.

hope this helps! good luck with the hunt and congrats!!

 

[LilAlex]

I think it's best and most cost-effective to buy a complete vintage ring under these circumstances. As a retail customer, buying the unset lower-priced stone and custom-designing a setting around it is a spendy proposition. Many here have done it, and so have I. If you have a stone you're already in love with and a unique vision for your ring -- like many here do -- then it makes sense to spend the extra cash for custom, imo. But as a first-time one-off, vintage is hard to beat.