I think I found my dream blue!

[MakingTheGrade]

Finally, my obsessive stalking of gem sites pays off. Last night I bought this lovely sapphire from Gene (precisiongem.com), and I won't see it until January when I return from my trip, but I'm easily excitable and I can't tell you how much I look forward to seeing it when I get back!

0.96 ct and 6.05 x 5.26mm.
A blue sapphire from Winza Tanzania. The color is a very deep vibrant blue, which he described as a medium dark pure blue. I adore me some medium dark stones, and it was absolutely love at first virtual sight.

So it's a little smaller than my tsavorite, and I know I want a ring but don't know how to set it. I think I'm going to wait and use this for graduation/push present in a few years, so I want it to be special and have a bit more presence. I've really loved some of the 5-stone settings with sapphires, especially those by Leon (although I have little interest in working with him due to his business ethics, I have to say I love his designs)

I would love any advice or recommendations as I honestly have little experience with higher end settings or side diamond stuff. Do you think this is too small for a 3 stone or 5 stone style? I would need teeny tiny side stones, hah.

Thanks for letting me share!

 

[Novel]

MTG, eek eeek eeeeeeeek! What an amazing color!! And the cut is so chunky and gorgeous! I can''t wait to see your IRL pics! I think a five stone ring would be TDF.

Oh, and when you said "thanks for letting me share" you meant the stone, right?

 

[chrono]

5 stone is iffy but a 3 stone is still a definite possibility. After all, I’ve seen plenty of diamonds around 6 mm that are set as a 3 stone rings. Perhaps a good place is to check out SMTR where there are many 3 stone rings with center stones of that size.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/17/2009 9:45:04 AM
Author: Chrono
5 stone is iffy but a 3 stone is still a definite possibility. After all, I’ve seen plenty of diamonds around 6 mm that are set as a 3 stone rings. Perhaps a good place is to check out SMTR where there are many 3 stone rings with center stones of that size.

Hehe, already going through them

See how much I've learned from PS?
Although it's a little tricky because the shape is very different than many of the diamonds (most of which are rounds), the closest matches are generally the ovals or longer cushions, and there are surprisingly few of those set in 3 stones.

I may need to do some creative photoshopping later.

Also, I was wondering if there was anything particularly significant about it being from Winza? I've actually never heard much of that location before, is it just a well known recent find for nice sapphires?

 

[Kismet]

It''s beautiful! And of course it''s not too small for a 3 or 5 stone ring.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/17/2009 9:44:35 AM
Author: Novel
eek eeek eeeeeeeek! What an amazing color!!

Haha, that''s what I said!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

This is one of my favorite designs. But would require my finding the world's smallest trap diamonds, haha. Also, the sides of Gene's sapphire are bowed out instead of straight. Still, it's such a lovely design I think.

Of course, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself since I haven't even seen the stone yet

But a gal can dream right? I bet Leon would have a nice laugh if I were to send him a subcarat sapphire to put in a ring

 

[chrono]

Yes, Winza is the latest find of very nice rubies, and I suppose blue sapphires now too. You may find more luck looking at emerald cut diamonds. Many are set as 3 stones although usually with 2 smaller side ECs.

 

[T L]

MTG,
It''s lovely. It reminds me a lot of your tanzanite from Gene. Small tapered baguettes perhaps. The traps might be too large since sapphire is such a dense stone, a 96 pointer will have less face up than many other gem species the same carat weight.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/17/2009 10:09:07 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
MTG,

It''s lovely. It reminds me a lot of your tanzanite from Gene. Small tapered baguettes perhaps. The traps might be too large since sapphire is such a dense stone, a 96 pointer will have less face up than many other gem species the same carat weight.

Thanks TL! I know you aren''t much of a sapphire fan. It does remind me of my tanzanite, but I can wear this one on my finger and stare at it! It also doesn''t shift colors, and stays a pure blue, which I think is great since I''m not actually a huge fan of purple (ack, don''t hurt me). Still, maybe from afar they can pass off as a set

I have a relatively good idea of the sapphire size (since it''s close to my tsav size but a little shorter), I think it''s diamond sizes that I''m more clueless about oddly enough. I''ve never seen tapered baguettes in real life, I may have to check that out next time I''m out and about.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Oh, wow - that''s a really lovely stone!!!!

I saw your Leon inspiration (which I love

) and thought I''d link you to this setting I found on ID Jewelry; http://www.idjewelryonline.com/product_info.php?cPath=42_43&products_id=673&cType=ER

 

[Porridge]

Oh what a beautiful rich blue! I''m useless for setting suggestions - no imagination. But it''s a gorgeous stone!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I also really like the graduated look. I really love BG''s melee.

 

[packrat]

What an amazing color!!

 

[ma re]

Tapered baguettes are a good idea, and I think you could actually set 4 of them on each side (two along each of the straight lines). They're also readily available and easy to find in many sizes, so it wouldn't be too expensive - probably.

If you'd like something more unusual and less budget-friendly, try having it set in a tapering pave shank. So a shank that widens towards the center and is all covered with diamonds. That would be quite exquisite, but could cost a lot, and would require a really good jeweller to do properly. You can achieve a similar look with graduating straight baguettes channel set (or bar set) in the shank, but pave would make much more of a statement.

Also, you could set it in a split shank setting, and have one heart shaped stone set in between each of the splits (so that the pointy side of the center touches - or at least points to - the hearts...cleavage).

It's a really pretty stone, but the shape makes designing the setting a bit more tricky. However it's not impossible, and I'm sure you'll come up with something.

P. S. I'm not crazy about a three stone idea, cause the stone is quite small, and the dark color could make it seem even smaller. I could be wrong of course...

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Thanks Ma Re!

But I have to admit, I have no idea what any of that would look like! Haha, I have embarassingly limited experience with diamonds and diamond shapes and general ring design. I usually go for simple things, so I''m having a hard time picturing any of those things.

"I think you could actually set 4 of them on each side (two along each of the straight lines). " Do you mean 2 on each side set in a line?

 

[ma re]

Date: 12/17/2009 11:57:23 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
Thanks Ma Re!

But I have to admit, I have no idea what any of that would look like! Haha, I have embarassingly limited experience with diamonds and diamond shapes and general ring design. I usually go for simple things, so I'm having a hard time picturing any of those things.

'I think you could actually set 4 of them on each side (two along each of the straight lines). ' Do you mean 2 on each side set in a line?

What I mean is - visualize a small tapered baguette diamond placed horizontally. Now visualize two of them, joined at the longest side. Well such two stones times two, on each side. It's tricky to explain it (I'll try to find pics), but in the end those four stones look similar to a small fan. Maybe it would even require that two inner stones are not tapered baguettes, but straight ones (and tapered ones just on the edges).

 

[T L]

Date: 12/17/2009 10:16:58 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 12/17/2009 10:09:07 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
MTG,

It''s lovely. It reminds me a lot of your tanzanite from Gene. Small tapered baguettes perhaps. The traps might be too large since sapphire is such a dense stone, a 96 pointer will have less face up than many other gem species the same carat weight.

Thanks TL! I know you aren''t much of a sapphire fan. It does remind me of my tanzanite, but I can wear this one on my finger and stare at it! It also doesn''t shift colors, and stays a pure blue, which I think is great since I''m not actually a huge fan of purple (ack, don''t hurt me). Still, maybe from afar they can pass off as a set

I have a relatively good idea of the sapphire size (since it''s close to my tsav size but a little shorter), I think it''s diamond sizes that I''m more clueless about oddly enough. I''ve never seen tapered baguettes in real life, I may have to check that out next time I''m out and about.

Not true

I think top sapphires have a color unlike any other blue stone, but one of the downs with them is their specific gravity. You really have to shop large to get some decent finger coverage, unless you like small delicate rings.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/17/2009 12:14:43 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Not true

I think top sapphires have a color unlike any other blue stone, but one of the downs with them is their specific gravity. You really have to shop large to get some decent finger coverage, unless you like small delicate rings.

Haha, gotcha. Yes, luckily for me I do like small delicate rings (and have relatively small fingers). And honestly, this sapphire was more in my budget than any of the blue spinels I was looking at. It's small, but it's the color I wanted.

I don't mind having smaller stones, it'll make future gem shopping easier by having examples of the color I want

So if my husband ever decides to buy jewelery for me, I can just point to it and say "That color, but Bigger!"

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I'm doing some casual reading up on sapphires, and this article just had me cracking up.
http://www.collectorfinejewelry.com/buyers_guide_sapphire.htm

"A fine gem has an unmistakable sexual quality to it. This should come as no surprise. Both subjects involve a good measure of passion. But the finest gems are like the finest people. Their beauty grows with time.
Some sapphires drive you crazy the moment their azure legs slither from a stone paper, leaping onto the cocktail table and saying: “Baby, let me walk on your back with my high-healed pumps!” These have a fast rise time. But there is a difference between love and lust, the subtle versus animal desire. Each has its moments. But in lovers, as with gems, I look for staying power, those which combine the cerebral with the physical. For the physical alone is not enough.
The beauty of love is its sublime, understated nature. It offers you a glass of wine and conversation, before suggesting at the end of the evening that the two of you retire to the boudoir (just for friendship, of course). In my experience, such attraction is an emotion that develops with time. Exceptional gems grow on you. They are experts at hiding, more interesting with every listen, more exciting with each glimpse. When you gaze at their beauty for hours, days, weeks, years on end without tiring you know you have a fine gem. That, my friends, is what I call love. This takes distance, the kind that only time provides.
So the next time you are taken aback by a gem, stop yourself. You may be looking at infatuation. Stand back and judge. Take your time. What you want is balance – Buddha’s middle path – pure animal sexuality and love – a fashion model/pornstar lover who left the business to pursue a dual doctorate in physics and fine arts.
And just what, pray tell, would the perfect sapphire look like? My dear friends, that would be akin to finding the perfect woman or man. Leave D-Flawless to the gem of the common man – it doesn’t exist in sapphire. Don’t seek perfection, just look for something you can spend the rest of your life with."

 

[deorwine]

Oh my gosh, what a beautiful stone! I am totally with you on not liking purple shift and being a big fan of pure blue. That is totally the color of my dream blue too. Congratulations!

 

[Kay]

Love that color! If you really want a 5-stone ring, I''m thinkiing half mooms and tapered bullets, like a slightly smaller version of this beauty: http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=511

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hehe, thanks Kay! I''m a big fan of TG''s pad ring too! I didn''t know if the half moons would look funny against the angular lines of this sapphire though. When I get the stone, I might have to indulge in some creative photoshopping.

 

[gemgirl]

I saw that stone too. What a drop dead gorgeous color! Pure blue...... Oh geez, however you set it, it''s going to look great.

 

[ma re]

MTG, thanks for the exceprts from that Kamasutra gemstone buying guide, game me quite a laugh - someone must''ve been stoned while writing it

HERE''s what I was thinking by "4 tapered baguettes on each side". Not sure if there''s eight of them in this pic, but I''m sure you can now imagine how they''d sit against your sapphire (two pointing towards the upper half of the sapphire''s side, two towards the lower half...).

 

[risingsun]

That is one beautiful sapphire, MTG

I''ve been on Gene''s site looking at sapphires and never saw anything like that one. Goes away muttering to self....

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hehe you can ask if he has any more of this rough!

 

[princessplease]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LD]

A yummy Sapphire! I would definitely prong set and get as much light as possible into the gem to really show it off. It''s a beautiful blue isn''t it?

I have a zircon (cut by Gene) in exactly the same shape. I''ve halo''ed mine (in an LOGR setting) because in real life, the actual shape of the gem doesn''t scream at you that it has a pointy top, bottom and sides and it could pass on first glance as a cushion cut. I was really worried how mine would set but it was much easier than I thought.

Have you considered going for a princess cut diamond on either side and then, if you want a 5 stone look, a tapered baguette on either side of the princesses?

 

[Catmom]

It''s beautiful!!! I love the color.