Jeff White Step Cut Sapphire In The Making!

[endless_summer]

*Knock On Wood*

I think my step cut sapphire dreams might just be coming true!!!

After my first two attempts and continuing to look on my own for a bit, I quickly realized that, as some folks had suggested, I probably wasn't going to find my dream stone without contacting a lapidary to commission a stone, so off to write Jeff White I was. I started corresponding with him way back in November of 2013 and asked if he had an rough that might be suitable for a light violetish-blue square step cut in an 8-8.5mm size. At the time, he had rough that would fit the color, but not both the cut and the size, so I asked if he would keep me in mind when new rough/native stones became available.

Let me just say that Jeff is amazing in his responsiveness, and while I've never commissioned a stone before, has really been awesome about answering all of my questions - truly, the patience of a saint - and, great about corresponding since then with my sending pics, so we could narrow in on color and cut, as I know my CS vocabulary is not the most precise Fast forward to the end of January, and he informed me that an unheated Sri Lanka sapphire was coming that might just work!

The native stone has just arrived, and I am sooooo excited!

He has reported that it is a very lovely blue, similar to my color inspiration picture or a touch lighter and should accommodate an asscher or square emerald cut without any problems. The clarity is quite good for the stone's large size, but there are a few inclusions here and there, in particular one veil inclusion in the stone's pavilion that may or may not be eye visible on re-cut. I've responded with a flurry of questions regarding the color, the veil inclusion, and the expected mm size of the finished stone, but I'm hoping that this one will be "the one"! And, if by some far off chance it's not, goodness knows I'm not going anywhere else on this project because Jeff is so very skilled and amazing at what he does (I think I've looked at every single on of his pieces available on CS multiple times) and just great to work with in every way.

So…presenting the potential stone, I've attached the pic Jeff sent of it as-in in its native cut - what do you guys think? None of the my previous step cut sapphire attempts even approached the way that this blue seems to jump out of the Jeff's photo. Jeff said it appears a bit darker in the photo than he expects on recut, which I'm thinking will put me over the moon. When we had corresponded earlier, he said that he expected the stone to have a touch of lavender in its hue, which I typically love and I *think* I can see in the photo. I've asked for a pic or two more, just so I can see the stone's color in indoor lighting too and asked how he would describe the color and if he sees the touch of lavender in hand, so I can't wait to hear back. I've also attached THE inspiration color as well - if this stone turns out even close to it, I will be jumping for joy!

I've never seen a veil inclusion before, so I've asked more questions about it re: whether he thinks it will be readily apparent to the naked eye or something one would have to look for and the placement, just because off in a corner is a lot less noticeable than under the table, and re-iterating that I certainly don't expect perfect clarity, as it's extraordinarily hard to come by in large sizes. If any of you have pics of a stone with a veil, please feel free to share! I looked them up, but could only find microscope type pics, which doesn't help me imagine what one would look like in a finished stone.

And, next is cut inspiration! I think we're going for a square EC, so if anyone would like to talk me into a full-on asscher, now would be the time! I like the almost-asscher square EC's very much, with the less exaggerated cut corners (so as to not have an all-out octagon or windmill) with the cut-corner diagonal facets stopping just short of the culet (Thank you FrekeChild for the wording to describe this - I'm sure you can understand the recent flurry of reviving the asscher thread and my post from last night! I've been pouring over pics for months now!). I think it's a very elegant look, so long as it doesn't result in the cut-out effect/little square window in the middle. If anyone can cut a stone like that without the cut-out window, I imagine it's Jeff! I think the green tourmaline attached is a nice example of what the above, and the darker sapphire very clearly shows the cut-corner pavilion faceting that I like, even if its too dark to see the stones other faceting. Of course, I also sent off SwissMiss's beautiful yellow stone, and a pic of one of my last step cut sapphire attempts as an example of the dreaded cut out (And, I promise I do actually love the full-on asschers, but I think I have another color or two in mind for a future project, assuming Jeff will work with me)

The finished stone will be sent to AGL - I think I've landed on the prestige report + origin, as confirming unheated from Sri Lanka would be a good idea for insurance documentation, and goodness knows that once I have the stone in hand, I'm not going to want to part with it.

I am really very excited, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one is going to work out. If it does, we'll be on to deposits and cutting and far more fun things to report! I really have been on the edge of my seat for quite a while now, even more so since the native stone shipped, and now that it's here - I just can't not share anymore!

Really & truly, if you guys have any thoughts or reactions, I would love to hear any and all. And, as always - thanks so much!

 

[pregcurious]

Good luck! Can't wait to see the result.

 

[endless_summer]

Good luck! Can't wait to see the result.

Thanks Pregcurious - I'll need it, if only not to get too far ahead of myself!

 

[chrono]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this project turns out exactly as you envisioned.

 

[endless_summer]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this project turns out exactly as you envisioned.

Thank you Chrono! What do you think? Do you like the color? I am looking forward to hearing back from Jeff re: his color description, a pic or two more, the veil, and size. I think the native cut stone that he acquired looks far less grey than my previous attempts at this project, which makes me happy - I wonder if it will turn out medium-light to light, but I'm not a very good judge with only one pic. I like the softer lighter blues, and he said that he expects it to turn out lighter than what shows in the photo, so I have a feeling I'll just have to trust his judgment, which I'm fine with. If it turns out close to the inspiration pic, I'll be thrilled.

The most tricky part is the cut. There are just so many variations between the straight, very simple, square step cut & the full-on wind mill asscher that it's hard to find good examples. He described what I was after as a square EC, but in other threads and even faceting patterns I've seen, they get referred to as asschers as well (example - Egyptian asscher on Bespoke Gem's page), so I wonder if I'm making a distinction without a difference. It's very much an asscher-esque look that I'm after, but without a clear name for it and many examples, its hard to nail down the asscher-esque look, for lack of better words that I'm after. I had sent SB621's pink tourmaline as inspiration as well, asking if that look could be achieved in a square, and of course, Swissmiss's yellow sapphire (below). In theory, I would want to pull the cut-corner faceting down a bit closer to the center as a square in the pink tourmaline example, but it's a stunning emerald cut. Swissmiss's stone has corners that are a bit wider, but has the cut corners pavilion facets that stop short of the culet that I like. I think the green tourmaline is probably the safest example though

 

[chrono]

Jeff did a native recut to an asscher cut for me many years ago. A few things that I learned:
1. His colour description is more accurate than his photography, although not due to his lack of trying.
2. Asschers are generally not as dark toned or saturated due to the facet pattern.
3. Recuts can affect the colour play for the final result; my stone showed very interesting shifts and blending of colours.

I would not try to nail down the details of the cut too much as you will be limiting the magic that Jeff does, which can affect the final colour and performance of the sapphire.

 

[endless_summer]

Jeff did a native recut to an asscher cut for me many years ago. A few things that I learned:
1. His colour description is more accurate than his photography, although not due to his lack of trying.
2. Asschers are generally not as dark toned or saturated due to the facet pattern.
3. Recuts can affect the colour play for the final result; my stone showed very interesting shifts and blending of colours.

I would not try to nail down the details of the cut too much as you will be limiting the magic that Jeff does, which can affect the final colour and performance of the sapphire.

Chrono, your advice is always invaluable, and I'm glad that you shared your experience. It's really helpful for me, being fairly green at CS's let alone commission a stone. And, I appreciate what you've said about cut. It's just such a range of looks, but in truth, I do like a lot of the range the minute it goes from a simple step cut to having the cut-corner pavilion facets. Goodness knows I would never want to limit Jeff's magic, when he has all of the experience and knowledge that I certainly lack. I really appreciate your comments - thank you, Chrono!!!

 

[FrekeChild]

I recommend letting Jeff do his thing as well. He cuts stunning asschers.

What is the anticipated face up size?

 

[endless_summer]

I recommend letting Jeff do his thing as well. He cuts stunning asschers.

What is the anticipated face up size?

Absolutely - I certainly don't mean to limit him in any way and would never want to give him that impression - all of his work is just beautiful. I haven't heard back yet regarding his anticipated face-up size from this particular native stone, but we were going for 8-8.5mm, so hopefully this stone fits!

 

[goldfish17]

Hi Endless Summer

I'm also searching for an emerald cut sapphire and have considered reaching out to Jeff, given all the fantastic reviews. How does the commission work? Does it include the search for a native cut stone/rough as well as cutting (is it billed separately)? Did you email or call him with your specs and then stay in touch over the last 4 months? At what point do you put down a deposit/finalize the budget (eg, at the beginning of the search or after a stone is found?) Sorry for all the naive questions, commissioning is obviously a whole new world for me!

 

[endless_summer]

Hi Endless Summer

I'm also searching for an emerald cut sapphire and have considered reaching out to Jeff, given all the fantastic reviews. How does the commission work? Does it include the search for a native cut stone/rough as well as cutting (is it billed separately)? Did you email or call him with your specs and then stay in touch over the last 4 months? At what point do you put down a deposit/finalize the budget (eg, at the beginning of the search or after a stone is found?) Sorry for all the naive questions, commissioning is obviously a whole new world for me!

Hey!

It's a whole new world for me too! Here's a link to the way that it works from his website:

http://www.whitesgems.com/policies.html#customgemcutting

I reached out via email to ask if he might have any rough available that might work for what I was looking for, and I asked for a general ballpark of what that might cost, so that I could budget accordingly, with leeway of course. He was very responsive - even though he didn't have a piece of rough at the time, he still provided a ballpark for what the stone might cost, and we've corresponded on and off regarding the color and cut and how everything works going forward. He let me know when he thought a piece of rough/native stone that might be suitable was available, and I absolutely jumped at its potential. He let me know when it shipped, about when he expected it, and most importantly when he had it in hand with a short description - this is where we are now. I had a couple of questions about what to expect in the finished stone, so we haven't gotten to the deposit yet, but without a doubt, Jeff has been really, really great. I would summarize exactly how the deposit and payment works & return policies, but I don't want to misspeak, so please check out the link. His policies strike me as very fair. And, he is a joy to work with - assuming this piece of rough works out, I have no doubt that I will be over the moon about the finished stone

 

[goldfish17]

Thanks a ton! Will definitely explore this option further and reach out to Jeff. He does sound like really nice guy.

Good luck with your sapphire... I'm excited for you and can't wait to see the finished result!!

 

[endless_summer]

Thanks a ton! Will definitely explore this option further and reach out to Jeff. He does sound like really nice guy.

Good luck with your sapphire... I'm excited for you and can't wait to see the finished result!!

Thank you, and good luck to you too!!! He is a super-nice guy!

 

[chrono]

And don't be afraid to tell him if the colour of the selected stone prior to the recut isn't the right one for you. He will not be offended; it is better for you to love the colour in the long run.

 

[endless_summer]

And don't be afraid to tell him if the colour of the selected stone prior to the recut isn't the right one for you. He will not be offended; it is better for you to love the colour in the long run.

I agree with you completely, and I'm glad that you said this, Chrono. Jeff confirmed that the color is a medium-light to light blue with a lavender secondary, which is exactly what I'm after. I am going to trust his description over the picture, and he said that he could send a couple more pictures which would be great - it is had to catch color in a photo, without taking pictures in a number of lighting environments. My big question marks are the veil and size. The veil is off to the side of the stone and will likely end up in one of the long steps, but I don't have a sense of whether it will be noticeable in the finished stone, which is hard for him to tell at this point. I know that I've never noticed inclusions in his step cuts that folks have posted here, so I'm wondering if they are typical, and I don't notice them (if so, great!), or if this would fall out of eye clean and into apparent. And, I heard back on size - we were shooting for 8-8.5mm, but he expects that this stone will cut 7.5 to 8mm. I've learned I can see the difference going from 7.8 to 8mm, so for me there is a big difference between 7.5 and 8mm. If the expected range was 8-8.5mm, I wouldn't think twice about it, but this sapphire is a bit of a one-shot deal for me because I wouldn't ever be upgrading for size. I can do a project once, but not twice I've asked if there's a way to get a better sense of whether it would end up on the upper end of the range, so we'll see. I'd rather be patient for the next possible candidate that Jeff might be able to acquire, than be thrilled for right now but wish I had waited for better clarity and a slightly larger size down the road. If we end up going with another piece of rough/native stone, I'll just use the additional time to keep saving - I know that whenever we have a finished piece, I'll be thrilled with the result & singing Jeff's praises for quite a long time