Need help with an inclusion

[gladyskristen]

Hi! I''ve recently fallen in love with coloured stones (while still retaining my love for diamonds!) and saw this untreated sapphire. It''s described as follows:

WEIGHT: 1.04 Cts.
CUT: Brilliant Pear
DIMENSIONS: 5.44 x 7.36 mm
ORIGIN: Nigeria
TREATMENT: None
COLOR: Royal Blue
CLARITY: Very Good (Nearly Eye Clean)
PRICE (U.S. Dollars): $182

Is this a good price and should I be concerned about the inclusion at 2 o''clock?

 

[geckodani]

The price looks great to me and that inclusion wouldn''t bother me personally. But if it''s going to bother you that''s a whole other story.

 

[Proteus]

It''s a bit hard to tell from that photo, the reflected light on the facets masks the flaw. I can see that it breaks the surface, so it''s a feather/fingerprint type inclusion. My guess is that if it were a diamond, it would be graded either SI2 or I1 in clarity.

This kind of clarity grade is usually still good for a colored stone, but you may see it in bright light. It''s really up to your opinion in the end. If flaws bother you, then it''s no good. If you don''t mind an inclusion, then it should be fine.

 

[gladyskristen]

Gekodani & Proteus,

Thanks for ur opinion! I don''t think I really mind it from the way it looked in the photo, but tot it''ll b gd to ask cos I wasn''t sure if inclusions in sapphires r as acceptable as those in diamonds. I think I''ll ask him for a couple more photos and probably buy it. He offered it to me for $150 (down from $182) including shipment, so it''s a pretty fair deal.

 

[chrono]

The inclusion is hard to spot - unlike Proteus, I cannot tell if the breaks the surface or not. Dan is very honest. Just ask him about the inlcusion. What I'm not liking though is how dark the sapphire looks in that picture. Even the reflection picture shows a very dark stone.

 

[LostSapphire]

hmmmm....

$182 for a +1carat untreated sapphire?

Seems extremely low price-wise.

Can you get some more information?

Is the vendor a reliable, well known one?

LS

 

[Catmom]

Date: 9/18/2008 9:16:56 PM
Author: LostSapphire
hmmmm....

$182 for a +1carat untreated sapphire?

Seems extremely low price-wise.

Can you get some more information?

Is the vendor a reliable, well known one?

LS

That''s what I was thinking, LS.

 

[gladyskristen]

Ya it is. I found the vendor cos he was recommended on PS!

I''d tell u who he is, but I''m afraid of lurkers stealing my stone!!

BTW, this is what he said abt it:
This is a deeper blue sapphire that has very nice royal blue flashes in direct lighting. There is a lilipad type inclusions in the wide end that can be seen if you look for it, but most people wouln''t notice it.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 9/18/2008 9:22:18 PM
Author: gladyskristen
Ya it is. I found the vendor cos he was recommended on PS!

I'd tell u who he is, but I'm afraid of lurkers stealing my stone!!

BTW, this is what he said abt it:
This is a deeper blue sapphire that has very nice royal blue flashes in direct lighting. There is a lilipad type inclusions in the wide end that can be seen if you look for it, but most people wouln't notice it.

Sorry to sound like I'm lurking! I'm not!

The thing with sapphires is, the prices are all over the map. And the "cost per carat" is usually directly related to the colour + clarity + cut + overall quality of the stone.

Also the way the photograph is really wonky. I'll try and find you a link to tell you what I mean.....you'd need to either see it, or be REALLY comfortable with the seller to trust their eyes....

Back in a sec....

LS

 

[gladyskristen]

Date: 9/18/2008 9:12:41 PM
Author: Chrono
The inclusion is hard to spot - unlike Proteus, I cannot tell if the breaks the surface or not. Dan is very honest. Just ask him about the inlcusion. What I'm not liking though is how dark the sapphire looks in that picture. Even the reflection picture shows a very dark stone.

Lol. Chrono has already revealed who the vendor is. It's Dan from Custom Gemstones.
Chrono: I've asked him for a picture that shows the true colour of the stone, cos I felt that the reflection picture is a misrepresentation. If the colour doesn't bother me, I'll probably get it. I'm looking to set it in a rather modern east-west bezel/semi-bezel setting.

Either this...

 

[gladyskristen]

Or this (I''ve photoshopped in the colour of a dark blue stone)...


LostSapphire: Oh dear! I''m definitely not referring to you! I was hoping you''ll reply BTW, cos I love ur sapphire.

But there r pple on PS who''ve had stones snatched from right under their noses and nobody hears about the stone anymore...

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 9/18/2008 9:37:54 PM
Author: gladyskristen
Or this (I've photoshopped in the colour of a dark blue stone)...


LostSapphire: Oh dear! I'm definitely not referring to you! I was hoping you'll reply BTW, cos I love ur sapphire.

But there r pple on PS who've had stones snatched from right under their noses and nobody hears about the stone anymore...

NO worries gladyskristen! I know what you mean. Wasn't trying to get you to disclose who it was, but just to suggest you look really carefully when dealing with online.....(I am mostly talking about Ebay as being problematic!).

LS

ETA: I'd be interested to know how deep it is. And more pics would be helpful, especially ones of the stone in natural light, not in a studio environment.

ETA #2: that 2nd second setting with the photoshopped blue stone is really lovely.

 

[gladyskristen]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I''ve just emailed Dan for more photos and am anxiously waiting for his reply now! I do hope that the stone is as gd as it seems to me, cos it''s really growing on me now...

 

[gladyskristen]

I know this is probably a bit premature, my excitment is really getting the better of me...

Photoshopped blue...

 

[jewelerman]

I actually find this gem appealing...the color and shape are nice in my opinion.

 

[movie zombie]

the photoshop picture is the color of a many thousands of dollars per carat sapphire, very different from the first picture posted.

what is important is that you like the stone when you receive it.

i do like the setting you''re using. nice clean lines and will set a stone off nicely.

movie zombie

 

[gladyskristen]

Hi Movie Zombie,

I was trying to make it look like the sapphire in the 1st photo, but thousands of dollars a carat was the only colour i managed.

 

[historychick]

Dan''s stones are quite well cut and have always looked better in real life than online imo. I ordered a sapphire from him that was very reasonalby priced and it''s fantastic. You can trust what he says. I hope you get it...can''t wait to see more pics.

 

[movie zombie]

ah, the joys of photoshop!

movie zombie

 

[chrono]

The bezel setting is awesome but I don''t think it''ll do any justice to the stone. My personal experience with Dan''s gemstones is that they are darker in person than pictured. So this dark looking sapphire will be darker in person, and bezeling it will make it look almost blackish. There is a good reason why this 1 ct sapphire is going for under $200 - very dark colour and that inclusion. Just something to think about.

 

[gladyskristen]

Chrono, what kind of setting do you think will set it off well then? Perhaps something like this? I''m not too crazy about the prong setting though, I think it de-emphasize the shape of the pear.

 

[gladyskristen]

Will a semi-bezel like the one i posted earlier allow as much light in as a prong setting?

 

[gladyskristen]

I just received another photo and a video of the stone from Dan, and I''ve decided to get it. Like Chrono said, the stone is darker than what was shown in the first picture, but it has really nice, high contrast flashes. I like it!

Now I need setting ideas that will NOT make the stone appear darker!

A clearer photo of the inclusion. I couldn''t spot the inclusion in the video!

 

[gladyskristen]

Here''s a sceneshot from the video to show the blue flashes that I was talking about...

 

[gladyskristen]

Does the stone look too dark to be in a bezel/semi-bezel?

 

[Pandora II]

I wouldn''t bezel it - I think it will look darker than you will be happy with.

BTW, I like the setting you posted with the greeny blue stone.

 

[LostSapphire]

I like the prong setting with the greenish-blue stone too. My only concern is that the inclusion would be totally exposed in that setting...

LS

 

[gladyskristen]

Date: 9/20/2008 4:43:57 PM
Author: LostSapphire
I like the prong setting with the greenish-blue stone too. My only concern is that the inclusion would be totally exposed in that setting...


LS

Is this a durability issue or a looks issue?

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 9/21/2008 7:11:49 PM
Author: gladyskristen

Date: 9/20/2008 4:43:57 PM
Author: LostSapphire
I like the prong setting with the greenish-blue stone too. My only concern is that the inclusion would be totally exposed in that setting...
LS

Is this a durability issue or a looks issue?

From where I can see (IMO) that the inclusion is located, leaving it exposed may be a bit of a risk. I don''t like the looks of it either but that''s just me. I''d be more concerned with it getting whacked on the end (even gently) and the fat end of the pear breaks off....

Perhaps a gem cutter or someone with more experience can answer this properly.

LS

 

[FrekeChild]

Being that I've worked with Dan a lot (A LOT!) I know that if you're interested in a stone, he'll hold onto it until you've made a decision on it unless he has other buyers lined up. His site isn't like one of those where you can just go and snatch something from underneath someone else's nose because you actually have to talk to him via email to order it.

Having said that, you have to jump fast on stuff you like with him, because it can go really really fast--like as soon as the rough is posted.

Regardless, I saw that it's already sold, so I'm sure it's on it's way to you. Can't wait to see pics!