Is this big blue sapphire a keeper?? (Photo Heavy)

[ColoredStonesLady]

I think I have found the sapphire we have been after for 4 months!! Without pricescope, it would have taken 4 years to get here. What do your wise eyes and experience see in this stone that I do not?? What do you think, is it a keeper?? Right now my bf and I are leaning toward keeping it, its the best of all the ones we have seen thus far.

We got this beauty from Ed at Wildfish. He is really, really wonderful to work with, and we will be sure to write him a great review no matter what!!

Stats:
6.2 carats
10.48 x 8.04 x 7.83
Ceylon
Unheated

Pros:
-perfect vivid blue color w/ violet undertones
-does not go grey or dead in any lighting (that was hard to find!)
-nicely cut crown
-perfect size and shape

Cons:
-color zoning
-some inclusions
-wonky cut on one side of gem

Photos:
(please excuse the fingerprints, dust, etc!!)


Inside by a window



Outside, in the shade ( closest to color it looks in real life!!)



Direct sunlight



At night, terrible indoor lighting



On my hand... looks great!!



Color zoning (its really visible at certain angles / lighting... but not all the time)


At first the color zoning was really bothering me... my eye kept searching for it / going to it and that was annoying!! But, I'm starting to think the overall color makes up for it.

If we do keep it, should I attempt to have the girdle recut? Its a bit wonky, and I'm wondering how much that would show up in a 3 stone or halo setting, which is what we want for the final e-ring. Also, could a slight recut of the pavillion make the zoning less noticable, or am I just crazy and obsessing over nothing??

 

[Treenbean]

Wow- We have had some beautiful sapphires lately! I think your stone is awesome. It looks AH mazing on your hand!!!!! It seems nice and bright. I can see the zoning in the one pic but not all of them. Looks like it performs well. I wouldn't recut it, just by the pics you posted.

 

[chrono]

If you do keep it, I might leave the girdle alone. How wonky is it? Is it dangerously thin in certain parts that might be more prone to chipping, just plain wavy or is it sloped to one side? How much it shows up will depend on exactly what wonky means.

A slight recut of the pavilion could very well make the colour zoning MORE apparent. My other concerns with a recut is that the stone is included so you are taking the risk that you end up with a much smaller stone because the lapidary has to cut around it. Also, you are above the 6 carat mark. With an unheated blue of nice colour, dropping below such carat weight will also drop its value by quite a bit.

 

[T L]

Depends on the price.

 

[movie zombie]

personally, i am not a fan of recuts for many reasons.

it has lovely color.

does the stone "speak" to you? if so, you have your answer.

even with a 3-stone ring there are ways to hide the "wonky" if done by a good jeweler. or perhaps get creative with the 3-stone setting.

if the price was right, remember: color stones are all about color.

love the pictures!

 

[minousbijoux]

First of all, two words: Hand Model. Now that I've gotten that out of the way,

I liked the brightness in the first photo very much. Do you ever see that color? Also, and more importantly, say more about the zoning. I love the way sapphires grow and therefore think that in certain stones zoning can add a unique quality - or you can look at it as an eye visible flaw. It sounds like you already have, but you might want to spend time thinking about how you would perceive the zoning over time - a neat architectural element, or something that throws off the stone color.

 

[ColoredStonesLady]

@ Treebeen Thank you!! Yes, I have seen soooo many amazing sapphires here in the past few weeks, and been drooling over them all. That really got my hopes up after the search was dragging on!! I hope this is the end of the search... The sapphire is nice and bright, not dark at all.

@ Chrono you are 100% right about the possibility of it getting much smaller after a recut! I would hate for it to fall below the 6 carat mark. The girdle is a little wavy and a touched sloped, but that doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is the lack of symmetry. If you look at the last photo, you can see the bottom bulges out a bit, while the top is straighter. I just worry that might be accentuated in a halo or 3 stone. I'm meeting with Victor Canera tomorrow to discuss the design, so I will see what he has to say about it. Really though, who else is going to notice that but me?? And if the price to pay for better symmetry is going below 6 carats, I wouldn't get a recut.

@ TL, as Bob Barker would say, "The Price is Right!!". We went over budget, but not that much. I saw a similar one at Pala for more than double. Ed found a lovely sapphire and gave us a very fair price, plus excellent, awesome, amazing service. Totally worth it!

 

[ColoredStonesLady]

@ Movie Zombie yes, the color speaks to me, sings even!! I took the sapphire for a walk today and saw it under a cloudy sky and florescent lighting. The clouds made it glow like a blue neon sign, and the florescent made it vivid, deep and mysterious like a very blue night sky. Sadly, I didn't have my camera. So far, under every lighting condition I have thrown at it, it holds its own. It does sound like a keeper right?? I'm glad you love the photos! I hope they're a help to other newbies out there that are trying to get a hand on all the different moods a sapphire can have.

@ minousbijoux LOL! Thank you! I think any hand with a lovely rock on it looks great! Yes, I do see something like that color by windows or bright shade, if that makes sense. Its actually a little more violet and electric IRL, the camera doesn't seem to do well with violet tones in some lighting. I never thought about it, but you might be right! The color zoning could be the very thing that makes the color pop so much. Also it has no tilt window.. although normal / common those things drive me batty! Yes, I know I have gone crazy! Honestly, against my hand the zoning is not that visible, unless I search for it. But, against a white background I can see it pretty easily. Perhaps the solution would be to have it set with an open bottom, and for me to focus more on its lovely color than on the little imperfections.

 

[ColoredStonesLady]

So my next steps are to hear what Victor has to say about how much that slight bulge will show in a setting. If he says alot, then I'll send the stone to the would be cutter to hear his opinion. I should also send it to be tested by AGL somewhere along the way. On PS I saw one instance of AIGS getting the calling a heated sapphire unheated, so that has me a little worried!!

Right now, the preliminary design my bf & I have come up with is a thin pave halo just around the sapphire (or not! not sure), flanked by half moons, and 2 pave bands. Plus some gallery symbols that my bf is designing with Victor, that will a surprise to me!! It seems to be the perfect combination of things we both love. If it were up to just him, the ring would be very traditional and adorable, and if it were up to me it would be a big ruby with a double halo with multirow pave band. Compromise is a beautiful thing! Not the first or the last in our relationship!