sapphire123
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2014
- Messages
- 5
Hey all,
I need help determining whether a particular sapphire I'm looking at is a fair price. First the specs:
- cushion cut
- light blue dominant with some grey and purple depending on the light
- eye clean from the top
- roughly 10x7x5.5
- just shy of 4 ct
- allegedly from Ceylon
- allegedly unheated
- cut quality: the stone has a huge asymmetric window, the outline from the top is crooked, the girdle is likely too uneven in thickness to set the stone safely, and the pavilion is very crooked and asymmetrical.
- price: $3k US
- See the attached pic
My intent is to recut it with a rectangular radiant cut. I've been talking to a precision cutter, and we think it has enough depth to do the cut with no window. However, multiple cutters have told me that $3k is way too much to pay for a preform stone with poor cut. Also, the blue in this sapphire is not very saturated, which I know should also decrease it's value.
On the other hand, I've had a couple jewelers source finished sapphires with this cut for much higher prices. One was $3600 with a large window (and not enough depth to fix it), one was $4200 and looked decent, and another was $5900 with a cut that didn't window but had some uneven facets. They all had somewhat deeper/more saturated color than the one I'm considering recutting, and were 2-2.7 ct in weight and around 8x6 - 9x7 in face up dimension.
So the question is, is $3k a fair price? The cutters tell me no, but from my searching as a consumer, I haven't come across anything with a better price. As a consumer, I don't necessarily expect to have access to the same prices that members of the trade do, but I don't want to get taken for a ride either. What do you guys think?

I need help determining whether a particular sapphire I'm looking at is a fair price. First the specs:
- cushion cut
- light blue dominant with some grey and purple depending on the light
- eye clean from the top
- roughly 10x7x5.5
- just shy of 4 ct
- allegedly from Ceylon
- allegedly unheated
- cut quality: the stone has a huge asymmetric window, the outline from the top is crooked, the girdle is likely too uneven in thickness to set the stone safely, and the pavilion is very crooked and asymmetrical.
- price: $3k US
- See the attached pic
My intent is to recut it with a rectangular radiant cut. I've been talking to a precision cutter, and we think it has enough depth to do the cut with no window. However, multiple cutters have told me that $3k is way too much to pay for a preform stone with poor cut. Also, the blue in this sapphire is not very saturated, which I know should also decrease it's value.
On the other hand, I've had a couple jewelers source finished sapphires with this cut for much higher prices. One was $3600 with a large window (and not enough depth to fix it), one was $4200 and looked decent, and another was $5900 with a cut that didn't window but had some uneven facets. They all had somewhat deeper/more saturated color than the one I'm considering recutting, and were 2-2.7 ct in weight and around 8x6 - 9x7 in face up dimension.
So the question is, is $3k a fair price? The cutters tell me no, but from my searching as a consumer, I haven't come across anything with a better price. As a consumer, I don't necessarily expect to have access to the same prices that members of the trade do, but I don't want to get taken for a ride either. What do you guys think?
