Lively retro sapphire ring I discovered today...thoughts?

[Efleon]

My local jeweler had this stuck in the back of a back display.
Yes, the setting is a little dated but the lively color made me ask to see.
Thoughts?
No pedigree. I asked and he doesn’t know where the stone came from and there is no cert.
18k gold. Nice clean diamonds. I believe .78 carat sapphire.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

what a beautuful colour
i also love the setting

 

[chrono]

Looks very nice. Depends on the price, I guess.

 

[Efleon]

what a beautuful colour
i also love the setting

Looks very nice. Depends on the price, I guess.

So he puts silly prices on things but I’ve known him forever and it’s been there awhile.
My issue is, do I trust my eye that this is a great perky stone or do I listen to my mature more learned gemologist (tyro) brain that says you know nothing of origin, treatment or (heaven forfend...lab!).
The tag says $2400.
I wouldn’t pay over $900.
Thoughts?!!!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

So he puts silly prices on things but I’ve known him forever and it’s been there awhile.
My issue is, do I trust my eye that this is a great perky stone or do I listen to my mature more learned gemologist (tyro) brain that says you know nothing of origin, treatment or (heaven forfend...lab!).
The tag says $2400.
I wouldn’t pay over $900.
Thoughts?!!!!

that is an exspensive unknown

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

To be honest, the setting is what I like best about the ring. If the pics are under jeweler's lights, I'm assuming this is the best the stone will ever look, and will black out some of the time.

BUT, its not my $ nor will I be wearing it so who cares what I think. The real questions are-

Will you wear it? And
if the stone is a lab, would you feel ripped off?


900 isn't a fortune by any means for a Sapphire ring, but too expensive if you won't wear it and it just sits in a box, imo.

 

[Efleon]

that is an exspensive unknown

To be honest, the setting is what I like best about the ring. If the pics are under jeweler's lights, I'm assuming this is the best the stone will ever look, and will black out some of the time.

BUT, its not my $ nor will I be wearing it so who cares what I think. The real questions are-

Will you wear it? And
if the stone is a lab, would you feel ripped off?


900 isn't a fortune by any means for a Sapphire ring, but too expensive if you won't wear it and it just sits in a box, imo.

Thank you both.
That pic was taken by me in sunlight just near the door around noon east coast.
I will look at it again on Monday and try different light.
I will also get more specifics on price and ask more questions re origin.
I think the setting is charming if a little 1980’s but hey I’m an ‘80’s girl!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you both.
That pic was taken by me in sunlight just near the door around noon east coast.
I will look at it again on Monday and try different light.
I will also get more specifics on price and ask more questions re origin.
I think the setting is charming if a little 1980’s but hey I’m an ‘80’s girl!

if retro means '80's im sold

 

[Efleon]

if retro means '80's im sold

Daisys! You made me smile sooo much.
Yes, perhaps just making one feel good is good enough!!

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Since you asked for honesty I hope this doesn't sound harsh. When I look to buy a retro, vintage or antique ring I look at the workmanship. Does the ring have a nice, finished under gallery? Are the diamonds well matched and set well? Is the gold hollowed out where the shank meets the shoulders and the face of the ring?

In this ring the first thing that stands out to me is that the baguette diamonds look crooked and the sizes do not seem to graduate the way I would expect with a better made ring. I see this with a lot of vintage 80's mall rings being sold on Ebay. The shoulders of the ring are more cut out than split shank- which may have been done to reduce gold cost. What is the weight of the ring? How do the diamonds look under a loupe? The sapphire IMHO is most likely synthetic or lab grown because I would expect better workmanship in a ring that featured a natural, beautiful sapphire. IMHO I think $900 is high for this pre-loved ring, but that is just my opinion.

 

[Polabowla]

Parts of the sapphire look a bit dark on my screen so just double check how it looks irl.
Btw, love the color of your nailpolish!

 

[Efleon]

Since you asked for honesty I hope this doesn't sound harsh. When I look to buy a retro, vintage or antique ring I look at the workmanship. Does the ring have a nice, finished under gallery? Are the diamonds well matched and set well? Is the gold hollowed out where the shank meets the shoulders and the face of the ring?

In this ring the first thing that stands out to me is that the baguette diamonds look crooked and the sizes do not seem to graduate the way I would expect with a better made ring. I see this with a lot of vintage 80's mall rings being sold on Ebay. The shoulders of the ring are more cut out than split shank- which may have been done to reduce gold cost. What is the weight of the ring? How do the diamonds look under a loupe? The sapphire IMHO is most likely synthetic or lab grown because I would expect better workmanship in a ring that featured a natural, beautiful sapphire. IMHO I think $900 is high for this pre-loved ring, but that is just my opinion.

This is exactly the type of feedback I am looking for.
This ring is for sale at my local jewelers who does not specialize in antique and estate but has one tiny estate case.
This is NOT my expert antique jeweler (who has a large eBay and Etsy presence) who has everything certified and knows each piece in detail and from whom I have purchased a lot of really quality beautiful pieces.
That is why I needed help!
I will look at it again on Monday and look for those things you pointed out.
I will be interested to see if he knows anything more about it.
Thank you and I will keep you posted on this mystery ring.
PS-I thought about it overnight and decided I’m not interested if it’s a lab stone!

 

[Efleon]

I don’t mean to exhaust your patience but I realized after the first post, there was a second ring at the same not-antique-expert jeweler.
After reading LisaRN’s feedback, maybe this is the “better” one.
Very similar.
Again, I will examine both and report back!

 

[Efleon]

Ok, so my jeweler had no further info so I am stepping away for now.
Thank you everyone!