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Light Blue Sapphire price range and Online vs retail

coralee87

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Hi All!!

I'm totally new to gemstone buying and have been reading a ton of your posts. You guys are so knowledgeable! Was hoping you could answer some basic questions I have...

1. I live/work in both SF/NYC so I have easy access to retail stores. Is there an advantage to buying online? Is it a better value to buy online?
2. I'm looking for a round light/medium periwinkle blue (violetish blue), a little over 2cts, untreated (but open to heated). Is 5k a reasonable budget?
3. I want my gem to be really, really sparkly! How do I ensure this? Is there a refraction index I need to look at?
4. For retail shops - how do I ensure that the gems are what they say they are? Can I ask for a GIA/AGL report? Would I have to pay for it or would they?


Thank you SO much!
 
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chroman

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Welcome to the fun :)

I'd say the more options you have for looking at stones, the better! That said, b&m locations often tend to stock more what the market wants, whatever that is.. If you can find someone with a good color stone offering nearby, you're fortunate!

From a quick check Gary has a couple unheated stones that might be of interest in that price range:
http://www.finewatergems.com/store/c3/Blue.html

This is heated, but just another price reference:
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1287

So if that budget is just for a stone, it seems totally doable, especially if you'd be ok with heated.

The RI is all going to be the same, but you'll probably want to look for something with a good cut. I've found that looking at photos online can help you get a feel for what good cs bad cutting looks like, as it can be tough to find lots of well cut stones to view in person!
 
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S

SparkliesLuver

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Chroman made some great points! To touch on #4 - I'd say most retail stores won't have an AGL report (which is what I'd prefer over GIA for faceted colored stones). Most likely, that cost would be on you; however, you could ask them to pay for it if the results are anything but what they originally told you.
 

partgypsy

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Upside for internet, is you have a far wider range of products to choose from. Downside is you won't be able to view or try on in person, unless you buy it under an inspection period. I think the more shopping you do the better, in the sense you can see how things are priced, what your preferences are and what are no-go for you (too light, included, etc). This can be both internet, and in-person shopping. If you can go to a gem show, that would give you a lot of exposure in 1 place. Good luck, and have fun with it!
as far as being sparkly, that will be a function of the cutting, the clarity of the stone and to some extent how dark the stone is.

Check out gemfix https://gemfix.com/gem-category/sapphire/blue-sapphire
 
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coralee87

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Thanks everyone! Those are amazing tips! All the stones you guys linked look so beautiful, it's so hard for me to know which I'd like better from the online photos, so maybe starting in a store would be better to get ideas. There seem to be sooo many online stores I don't even know where to start!

Gem shows are a great idea!! I just did a quick google search and found this one near my place in August - http://www.sfgms.org/events.html

@chroman - sorry for the dumb question, but what's the difference between buying from a lapidary vs a gem shop? Is it to ensure precision cutting?
 

coralee87

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@partgypsy are gem shows a good place to buy in terms of value?
 

partgypsy

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Coralee, I think you will find if you go to a gem show that prices are all over the place because there are different vendors and different levels of quality. So, I would say it depends.
I've only gone to 1 gem show, and didn't buy anything because I felt I didn't know enough at the time. Maybe others can chime in with more experience. One downside of a gem show, is that you purchase the piece, and the vendors move on (returns are problematic).
I'm sure others here will post examples that they like as well.
 

chroman

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There's also Intergem in San Mateo, in sept I think.

In my mind the custom cutting route just opens up more options, especially if you're looking for something other than what the market forces push (dark blue sapphies, in this case). It could be that someone has spme suitable rough, but hasnt cut it because other matrials sell better. Or it could be that there is nice material in the rough market that is sitting sround just waiting for the right buyer to cut and sell.

There's a sticky thread of vendors people here have had good expeiences with. That might be a starting place to see what catches your eye. Even if its not *the* stone, see what colors and shapes jump out. I know you said round earlier, so maybe the shape is fixed...
 

coralee87

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Hi all! Thank you so much for the suggestions.

@chrono - elle_71125 stone is so pretty! I'm looking for something more bluish-violentish instead a of a straight up lavendar/purple.

I'm liking this one http://www.finewatergems.com/store/p235/3.09_ct_Unheated_Ceylon_Blue-violet_Sapphire.html. However, it's not completely a perfect round shape if it's 7.95 x 7.42, right? Also it looks like it's sort of flat right one on top, is that a roulette cut?

Also like this one -https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1205


One of the most important things to me is how much the stone sparkles and it seems like that's dependent on the cut. Is the only way to get a very sparkly sapphire by going to a lapidary like Jeff white? Does it have to be precision cut? How do I know from gem photos (like the ones you all linked) how brilliant/sparkly the stone is? Does heated vs unheated have an effect on this?
 
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coralee87

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I definitely plan to go to the intercom show on sept 8 just to get ideas.
 

qubitasaurus

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One of the most important things to me is how much the stone sparkles and it seems like that's dependent on the cut. Is the only way to get a very sparkly sapphire by going to a lapidary like Jeff white? Does it have to be precision cut? How do I know from gem photos (like the ones you all linked) how brilliant/sparkly the stone is? Does heated vs unheated have an effect on this?

You could try asking for videos and asking whether the sapphire has silk (which will make it less sparkly). In general though I've found it primarily depends on how light toned the stone is, what type of stone it is (some stones are less dispersive than others, there is a good thread here), whether I am willing to clean it every morning, and a little bit on the cutting.
 

Kyle921

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Hi Coralee,

I found this one that fits the color you described.

https://www.johndyergems.com/catalog_pages/gemstone-Sapphire4744.html

I have contacted Mr. Dyer before. He responds really quickly and provides pics and video if you like. He also has some proprietary cuts that are pretty amazing.

Also, it is not the best website design I have ever seen, but I keep lurking here:

http://www.jewelsbywoods.com/catalog/combination/naturalsapphire.html

I have never contacted them, but really cool stuff and more interesting proprietary cuts.

More food for thought :)
 
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arkieb1

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No, heating in general is not going to have a great impact on the sparkle of a sapphire. Some of the best sapphires btw are more what I would describe as velvety looking rather than sparkly but these will probably be darken in colour than you are looking for.

And yes something that is precision cut will I think probably sparkle more than a lot of native cuts but other things like inclusions, the actual colour of the stone and type of cut you pick will impact how bright and sparkly it is.
 

chroman

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Speaking of silk..

The last gemfix link you posted looks a bit silky to me. If you look at the stone it appears to have a little milkyness or haze to it, as opposed to being super clear.

A stone like that will be less "sparkly" than one thats totally clear (thought, its not super silky, so it may be minor for that stone). Some people like the glow that a silky stone gives (/raises hand), but its totally a personal preference. In your case you may want to avoid silk to maximize sparkle.

My understanding is that heat can reduce silk, in which case heat would be on your side.
 

partgypsy

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MissyBeaucoup

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I just wanted to add that colors might not show up true on your computer screen, especially for blues and purples. If you find a stone online that you like, you might check it from several different screens. Happy hunting!
 

partgypsy

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makes me want to buy it!
 

qubitasaurus

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Yes that is gorgeous :dance:
 

coralee87

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Thanks all! I love all the suggestions.

@chroman omg that gem is beautiful, I only wish it was a round cut!

@partygypsy love that gemfix link - does it look hazy at all to you? Sorry I can't really tell! The video makes it look sparkly but the photo doesn't.
 

coralee87

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@Kyle921 i can't tell from the photo you linked but the description matches. Will email John dyer for some videos
 
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