Joe Escobar in Campbell, Ca (looking at blue sapphires)

[eringnewbie]

Hey everyone!

My bf is now really set on buying me a Sapphire e-ring. I really liked the pads but now royal blue has grown on me. I saw a great e-ring someone got at joe escobar under the eye candy e-ring thread which lead me to their website. I looked on their website and saw this beauty: http://www.escobardiamonds.com/show...cushion sapphire pave halo split diamond ring. Thoughts on their Sapphire selection? They don't give many details about the stone so I assume it's heated (no biggie) but I really want something dark and glowing in a royal blue shade.

 

[chrono]

Definitely assume it is heated at the very least. It could be more than heat only though; best to confirm. From the description, it sounds like a stock piece so the stone you'll get may not look as pictured. No idea on the dimensions of the stone nor quality.

 

[eringnewbie]

http://www.brilliantearth.com/8x6mm-Super-Premium-Unheated-Blue-Oval-Sapphire-SBSL8x6OVU/

I live in sf and Brillant Earth has a show room downtown. Does this look like a decently priced Sapphire. I know it's hard to tell from just one picture but do you see anything that is obvious?

 

[eringnewbie]

http://www.brilliantearth.com/8x6mm-Super-Premium-Unheated-Blue-Oval-Sapphire-SBSL8x6OVU/

I live in sf and Brillant Earth has a show room downtown. Does this look like a decently priced Sapphire. I know it's hard to tell from just one picture but do you see anything that is obvious?

 

[michellechan2211]

Lack of treatment disclosure was something that jumped out at me immediately XD

 

[pregcurious]

Welcome! It's difficult to give you much guidance on prices without more information, especially about treatment. Sapphires are often treated, which affects it's value. LD has written a nice synopsis for new buyers:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

This is also a great thread about one person's journey buying a sapphire for an ering. It touches upon a lot of important factors to consider:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/[/URL]

 

[eringnewbie]

Welcome! It's difficult to give you much guidance on prices without more information, especially about treatment. Sapphires are often treated, which affects it's value. LD has written a nice synopsis for new buyers:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

This is also a great thread about one person's journey buying a sapphire for an ering. It touches upon a lot of important factors to consider:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/[/URL]

Wow that thread on Justin's story was amazing! Thanks for sharing. Her ring is exactly what I want but I'm looking for a smaller stone. Not sure ill be able to find such a wonderful stone. Def have sapphire envy now

 

[chrono]

It is stated that the sapphire is unheated although no proof is provided. I worked out the price to be $2400 / ct which is super high. Colouration is nice but for the price, I would expect something more vivid. Can't tell much about the evenness of colour or the cut due to the angle of the stone.

 

[eringnewbie]

Chrono Thanks for the insight. I went to their showroom today and saw the unheated Sapphire. It is much darker and saturated in person with great flashes of violet. I tried to take some pictures but they aren't great. I walked around with Sapphire on my hand to see how the light changed the color. It did get very dark but still held flashes of violet and dark blue. Definitely more saturated than the others we saw. That being said, I feel like the price may be too high as you pointed out. Again, New to the Sapphire search so maybe I'm way off.

Do any of the oval or cushions on gemfix stand out? I want something about 1.5 to 2.5 cts. Unheated is great but not firm. I really act something medium to dark royal blue. I definitely don't want it so dark it appears black.

I appreciate the help so much!

 

[chrono]

Even if I account for poor lighting in your pictures, the sapphires are so dark as to appear black or extinct! Only being able to see blue flashes in a dark stone is not a sign of a fine sapphire. You should be able to make out the blue colouration easily over most of the stone. I am sorry but both sapphires pictured look unattractive. For photography, place the stone on the back of your hand.

 

[minousbijoux]

From what you wrote, it sounds like you may be mistaking tone for saturation - which is an extremely common confusion. I would suggest you go read the new to colored stones thread again. Then, I can't remember whether its now embedded in that thread or not, but there is a tutorial on saturation. If its not in that thread, then go to Pala gems here: http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm#color.. It will also help to do a search yourself here for threads on blue sapphires; you'll soon see that there are some photos here of vivid saturation, like silksapphire's stone, and others where the color is not as deep, bright and intense (hard to describe without using the word "vivid"). Of course, there are light stones and dark stones, but the ideal is to consistently see the body color of the stone - it shouldn't be, unless the lighting conditions are very low, that all you should see are flashes of color (unless, of course, that's what you want).

 

[eringnewbie]

Thanks Chrono. I agree they are too dark. The smaller stone held its color overall better than the larger stone. I like a deep intense blue so slightly darker colors appeal to me but I want it to appear blue not black. I'm still learning so please bare with me! My pictures don't do the stones justice at all either.

 

[eringnewbie]

From what you wrote, it sounds like you may be mistaking tone for saturation - which is an extremely common confusion. I would suggest you go read the new to colored stones thread again. Then, I can't remember whether its now embedded in that thread or not, but there is a tutorial on saturation. If its not in that thread, then go to Pala gems here: http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm#color... It will also help to do a search yourself here for threads on blue sapphires; you'll soon see that there are some photos here of vivid saturation, like silksapphire's stone, and others where the color is not as deep, bright and intense (hard to describe without using the word "vivid"). Of course, there are light stones and dark stones, but the ideal is to consistently see the body color of the stone - it shouldn't be, unless the lighting conditions are very low, that all you should see are flashes of color (unless, of course, that's what you want).

Thanks for the help. I did read the new to colored stones thread earlier this week but it's a lot to remember! I'll get the hang of it.

 

[eringnewbie]

https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewel-week-sapphire-halo-engagement-ring

I really like this color level. Maybe slightly lighter in hue.

 

[minousbijoux]

From what you wrote, it sounds like you may be mistaking tone for saturation - which is an extremely common confusion. I would suggest you go read the new to colored stones thread again. Then, I can't remember whether its now embedded in that thread or not, but there is a tutorial on saturation. If its not in that thread, then go to Pala gems here: http://www.palagems.com/quality_4cs.htm#color..... It will also help to do a search yourself here for threads on blue sapphires; you'll soon see that there are some photos here of vivid saturation, like silksapphire's stone, and others where the color is not as deep, bright and intense (hard to describe without using the word "vivid"). Of course, there are light stones and dark stones, but the ideal is to consistently see the body color of the stone - it shouldn't be, unless the lighting conditions are very low, that all you should see are flashes of color (unless, of course, that's what you want).

Thanks for the help. I did read the new to colored stones thread earlier this week but it's a lot to remember! I'll get the hang of it.

Of course you will. I have no doubts! Its just that saturation is one of those concepts that's hard to get, because you never don't see the color; its just that with saturated color, you see more of the color, if that makes any sense...

 

[minousbijoux]

If the hand shots are any indication, that is a medium dark to dark stone. I know I may sound like a broken record, but have you had a chance to look through some of the many blue sapphire thread here? You will see so many examples of light, medium, and dark stones, pure blue, greyish, greenish, and violetish blue, and of various shapes and sizes. That might really help...

 

[eringnewbie]

If the hand shots are any indication, that is a medium dark to dark stone. I know I may sound like a broken record, but have you had a chance to look through some of the many blue sapphire thread here? You will see so many examples of light, medium, and dark stones, pure blue, greyish, greenish, and violetish blue, and of various shapes and sizes. That might really help...

I have been reading through and looking at hand shots nightly. I was originally going to get a diamond and spent a lot of time finding cuts I liked and building my knowledge on the 4 C's--now I'm learning all over again. And truth be told, I think gems are so much harder to gauge.

We are going to checkout Joe Escobar soon. I know deals can be had online but I need to see more stones in person to get a handle on everything. Plus, MissRocks (I believe is her username) posted her amazing Joe Escobar e-ring on here and I LOVE it! I'm hoping we can find something close to it.

I'm noticing so many sapphires have a large window, sometimes down the middle. I'm scared buying online not only the color will be off but the stone will have windows. Gemfix and wild fish both have great stones but I hate the idea of not seeing them in person since photos can be enhanced, color can be off, or problems can be concealed with various tricks.

At least it will be an experience finding the perfect gem! I'm saving my bf lots of time by assisting in the search.

 

[minousbijoux]

I don't know what your timeframe is, but since you're right here in the Bay Area, you might as well attend the next Intergem show where you'll be able to see quite a few sapphires and get a sense of what you like.

 

[eringnewbie]

I don't know what your timeframe is, but since you're right here in the Bay Area, you might as well attend the next Intergem show where you'll be able to see quite a few sapphires and get a sense of what you like.

Awesome suggestion!

We are taking our time. If the right stone shows up I'm sure we will snatch it up. Otherwise I suspect late summer may be the true date. We have some big items to deal with money wise. But again we've been narrowing down what we both want in a ring to figure out the budget.i know he wouldn't mind spending a decent chunk of time finding the perfect stone which makes me happy.

 

[minousbijoux]

Well then you are in a very good position. There is a good one coming up at the end of March. If you remind me closer to the event, I can look through the vendor list for you and make suggestions as to who to check out for sapphires. You will see enough to get a sense of where you stand with hue, tone and saturation.

 

[chrono]

Isn't Gemfix in the Bay Area too? If so, you can contact Andrew to make an appointment to view the stones in person.

 

[minousbijoux]

No, he's in Southern California. Good try though

 

[Justin_Cutter]

eringnewbie,

So if I am reading this correctly you want the following:

1.5-2.5ct
Cushion or Oval
Heat Treated or Unheated
Medium-Medium Dark Blue Tone
Strong-Vivid Saturation

If you don't mind me asking, what budget are you wanting to stay within for the Sapphire?

~Justin

 

[eringnewbie]

Hey Justin,

I think we would like to stay under 4k for the stone if possible. And yes, we want something that has a strong blue base in a medium to medium-dark tone. Ideally it would always look blue and rarely black. Hopefully that helps!

 

[Justin_Cutter]

Hey Justin,

I think we would like to stay under 4k for the stone if possible. And yes, we want something that has a strong blue base in a medium to medium-dark tone. Ideally it would always look blue and rarely black. Hopefully that helps!

Cool that helps me know what to look for. If I see something that would be a good fit I will let you know!
~Justin

 

[chrono]

Are you open to PSers making suggestions from online sources?

 

[eringnewbie]

Definitely!

 

[chrono]

Okay, I'll start looking. For some reason, I was under the impression that you are only open to B&M stores.

 

[eringnewbie]

Okay, I'll start looking. For some reason, I was under the impression that you are only open to B&M stores.

Chrono, I think my hesitation with online vendors is the color discrepancy. From recent posters I've seen thread after thread discussing the color difference between real life performance vs. online. I know there are deals online for sure. It would be great to get a Sapphire at a decent price of high quality.

Over the weekend I saw these. What do you think? Color performance was great inside the store but we didn't check natural light.

 

[eringnewbie]

Any thoughts on these?