Need advice on where to buy sapphire or ruby for e-ring

[Kay]

A good friend is ready to pop the question and asked for help locating a sapphire or ruby for an e-ring. His girl likes Edwardian style settings and has large fingers, so he needs a good sized stone, probably at least 2 carats. His max budget is $15K, but he would prefer to spend a little less. He probably needs to set aside at least $5K for a setting, which leaves $8-10K for the stone. He is perfectly comfortable with heat treated stones, and just wants something with good color, eyeclean and well cut. I would appreciate any leads. He wants to propose in Paris in 2 1/2 weeks (yes, he waited until the last minute), so he needs a stone quick. He will propose with a temp setting and let his FI pick her own setting. TIA!

 

[FrekeChild]

Here''s a 3.82 ct oval sapphire in a edwardian style ring for $6,000 from Fay Cullen. There are a lot of pretty rings on that site. link Why sapphire or Ruby?

 

[Pandora II]

Could I suggest that he proposes with a 'placeholder ring' and then they both hunt for the centre stone. (Maybe a sapphire or ruby eternity???)

I wouldn't want to spend that sort of money on a coloured stone in such a short time scale. Also colour preference is so subjective. (Oh, and it's FUN!)

It took me over 5 months to do my e-ring, in the end FI re-proposed on Valentines with an antique sapphire and diamond eternity band. I wear it when I'm not wearing my e-ring (very handy for travelling in places where ring would not be safe).

Tell him from me that he is a twit for leaving it so late!

 

[innerkitten]

I love both sapphires and rubies but a ruby would be more unusual.
How about cherrypicked.com? I think the tough part will be finding the right stone. There are lots of beautiful settings out there to choose from.

 

[innerkitten]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the natural sapphire company. They have a huge selection and some of he cuts are kinda funky but there are some really nice ones too. Plus you could probably get a temp setting from them if you wanted.

 

[pamplemousse]

Date: 6/27/2008 9:38:10 AM
Author: Pandora II
Could I suggest that he proposes with a 'placeholder ring' and then they both hunt for the centre stone. (Maybe a sapphire or ruby eternity???)

I second that emotion.

When you have a colored center stone, I feel like it's so important to LOVE it. Every colored stone is different and people resonate with different things. If the two of them can shop for a stone together, they'll probably end up with something much more "them" than if he just gets something on his own. Alternatively, he could let her know what's up and get her to send him some specific suggestions or parameters or.. something... and then he could make the final pick so it's more of a surprise.

Finally, a plug for my colored-stone site of choice: wildfish

ETA: I forgot to mention.. he's working on a deadline.. and desire to meet a deadline is the WORST reason to buy a stone/ring. If he can't find something that he knows he/she will love, placeholder is the way to go. Good luck!

 

[Bob Brucker]

Hello Kay

If you are in SanDiego, I''d check out PALAGEMS.com... their web site is very informative and have a great selection... but, if you can''t find exactly what you want, write to Josh and he will find it for you

 

[letscm]

Ok I have a few for you let me know what cut she/he looking for as that is important this first one is a bit larger...

5.20ct Oval Cut, VVS1 Clarity, Has been Heat treated only, 11x8.7x7.2mm, Great Luster to it, pictrure here just doesn't do justice...also this is fully certified!

 

[letscm]

This one is a 4.65ct, Oval Cut, 12.2x9.5x4.3mm, Clarity not as good as the first one this one is an SI, but this has been un heated...

 

[Kismet]

fyi, you''re not supposed to try and sell stuff (especially your own) on the forums.

 

[letscm]

Lastly I have a beautiful very dark very rich looking 2.15ct, Oval, VVS Clarity, 8.33x6.80x4.48mm, this has been heat treated also...

 

[letscm]

No I don''t mean I have personally but I have access to...

 

[letscm]

Was just letting him know anyone can goto a website and order a gem or diamond, but why not save some money? Sorry if I stepped on anyone''s toes around here did not mean any harm by it...

 

[RevolutionGems]

Selling anything on the forums is stricly forbidden. Trust me on this one. I am a cutter and could save people a lot of money but that is NOT what these forums are about.

I suspect your posts will be removed by the moderator in pretty short order.

I know you are new but for future reference, these forums are for information exchange only. If you want to sell, set up a website and get it into the sellers section on Pricescope. There are several posters here that do that but they still do not discuss or sell via the forums. I apologize if this sounds harsh. It isn''t meant to. I just wanted to be clear because I have overstepped the lines a few times myself.

 

[letscm]

I was not trying to sell was just saying here are some stones that are available and I know where you can get them...does the person I refer them to, to buy a stone have to be approved through pricescope?

 

[Pandora II]

Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend those last 2 stones. They just aren't good enough quality.

I would ask the admin for advice on recommending sellers. It's one thing to point someone to a vendor's website, but you couldn't act as a middleman for someone you know.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/27/2008 8:10:46 PM
Author: Pandora II
Sorry, but I wouldn''t recommend those last 2 stones. They just aren''t good enough quality.

I would ask the admin for advice on recommending sellers. It''s one thing to point someone to a vendor''s website, but you couldn''t act as a middleman for someone you know.

Ditto.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/26/2008 11:43:32 PM
Author:Kay
A good friend is ready to pop the question and asked for help locating a sapphire or ruby for an e-ring. His girl likes Edwardian style settings and has large fingers, so he needs a good sized stone, probably at least 2 carats. His max budget is $15K, but he would prefer to spend a little less. He probably needs to set aside at least $5K for a setting, which leaves $8-10K for the stone. He is perfectly comfortable with heat treated stones, and just wants something with good color, eyeclean and well cut. I would appreciate any leads. He wants to propose in Paris in 2 1/2 weeks (yes, he waited until the last minute), so he needs a stone quick. He will propose with a temp setting and let his FI pick her own setting. TIA!

Given the time constraint, your friend''s best bet is to ask someone experienced like Richard M. (www.artcutgems.com) to source the stone. We could help him, but we would be relying solely on photos, which are not always accurate.

 

[Kay]

Thanks all. Yes, he is a twit for waiting until the last minute. I don''t think he planned to propose on this trip, but he suddenly realized she would expect him to (based on recent comments) and the trip might turn unpleasant if her expectations are dashed. He wants to marry her, he just doesn''t have his act together on the proposal. They have shopped together for rings in the past, so he knows she doesn''t want a "typical" diamond ring. She wears several pieces of ruby jewelry so he knows she is fond of them, but she has also expressed interest in sapphires.

I took a look at cherrypicked. They have some gorgeous stones, but their website is frustrating since 80% of what is listed is already sold. I also took a look at NSC but it is hard to tell much about the cut. I will check out the other vendors you all recommended.

For the style she wants, I think an oval or cushion would be a good choice. I may try to convince him to drive to LA to check out Singlestone, but they may be out of his price range.

A placeholder ring is probably a good idea. For a custom ring, it might be better to choose the setting first and then have the stone cut to the right size and shape. Of course, he won''t want to blow much of his budget on a second ring, but will want to propose with something nice.

 

[Kay]

Date: 6/27/2008 12:53:52 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Here''s a 3.82 ct oval sapphire in a edwardian style ring for $6,000 from Fay Cullen. There are a lot of pretty rings on that site. link Why sapphire or Ruby?

That''s a lovely ring! I love poking around that site, but the return policy is horrible.