Need opinion on 2 sapphires...

[nehap1986]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and have used the opinions and expertise from all of you to help me educate myself on sapphires. Thank you again for providing useful information! I wanted to get opinions (as best as you can) on 2 stones that I am looking at for a potential engagement ring.

My boyfriend and I have tried to educate ourselves as best as we can and have finally narrowed down our search to two stones (so we say, but that might change), the two stones are both blue sapphires with the following specs:

1) 2.76 Carats, 7.3mm X 7.3mm, unheated, cushion cut, from Madagascar $5500
2) 2.11 Carats 7.1mm X 7.3mm, heated, cushion cut, from Ceylon $4750

I unfortunately don't have pictures for either of the stones, but wanted to see if any of you could give me opinions based on the information above. The unheated stone looked good to me, but I am no expert and do not feel like I am well versed enough to know a quality sapphire vs. an okay sapphire. That being said, $5500 for an unheated stone that size seems a bit low, no?

One other quick note is that the 2.76 carat stone is actually cut very deep so the stone looks smaller than usual. Would that affect the way the light is reflected off the stone? I saw a similar sapphire (that I didn't like) that was 7mm X 7mm for 1.71 carats.

Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated (and apologies if my questions are very amateur!)

Thank you!

 

[Pandora II]

Without pictures it's not really possible to give an opinion.

Colour is everything in coloured stones and even small changes in tone and/or saturation can make a huge difference to the price of a stone.

Madagascan stones run a bit cheaper than Ceylon all other things being equal. I'd be a bit worried about a very deep stone as much as anything because it makes setting difficult. Do you know how to judge a stone's make? As in do they have windows, are the meet points nice, is the culet symmetrical?

Any chance you can get some photos?

 

[nehap1986]

Thanks for the honest opinion, Pandora.

I will try to get some pictures of the two stones and post them up this weekend. I don't know if the pictures will allow you guys to get a better idea, but to answer your questions, I honestly have no idea about the things you mentioned above. The color looked nice and the distribution seemed much more even than the other stones I was looking at.

I was thinking of taking the two stones to an independent appraiser to get his unbiased opinion, what are your guys' opinions on that?

 

[Pandora II]

Good idea, but make sure that he/she is a) truly independent and b) well-versed in coloured stones - not all are.

Pics here would enable us to point out any major issues and perhaps comment on the price.

Are you buying from an online vendor or from a B&M?

 

[nehap1986]

Thanks for the input. The individual is a total 3rd party appraiser (doesn't work for any other firm, broker, etc.). He's gotten 10 5-star reviews on Yelp, so I imagine that he is trust worthy. In addition, he graduated from GIA and states that he has experience in all facets of stone analysis.

Both of the stones are from B&M shops. One is from an individual that a family friend used for his wife's engagement ring (granted he got a diamond center stone so I don't know how good the sapphire will be, he is shipping it to me so that I can look at it before committing to buy).

I just realized that the B&M shop provided me with a few pictures of the stones that they showed me. Keep in mind that it is the 2.76 carat stone I am referring to. The pictures don't do the stone justice and they aren't great pictures, it looked better in person, but maybe this will give you an idea?







I will take pictures of both of the stones on Friday and post them up. I imagine you'll need face up and bottom up pictures of the two stones, correct?

Thank you again for your helpful feedback!

 

[Pandora II]

Best would be a photo looking straight down onto the table of the stone - so not tilted sideways or anything.

Then a photo of the stone placed table facet down and photographed from the side.

If you can take the pics in daylight then even better.

They all look like pretty stones from here, but those pics aren't much to go on.

 

[nehap1986]

Okay - I was able to get pictures of the two stones. I have a third coming in on Thursday or Friday, but opinions on these two would be REALLY appreciated. Thank you all!

Note again: The 2.28 is Heated. The 2.57 Carat is Unheated.


Left: 2.28, Right: 2.57




These are all pics of the 2.57 stone:





These are pics of the 2.28 Stone: