Need Tips For looking for a Kashmir/Burma Blue Sapphire? (SSEF Guberlin certified)

[WaveOperator6]

Hi all,

I’m buying an engagement ring for my fiancée, and we are looking for a Kashmir or Burma blue sapphire for the engagement ring, would like to hear you pro’s tips on how and where to find a good one.

Our budget is $70k USD (based in the US), and we want something below 5 karats and with SSEF or/and Gubelin certification.

If you have any suggestions to our budget or which experienced dealer to talk with, please kindly reply via DM or in this thread.

My wife and I are contemporary art advisors and we have people from the three auction houses (Phillips/Christies/Sothebys) searching around for us as well. However in this day and age we value a good unbiased forum’s opinion more than ever.

Thanks to you all and have a great day.

Sincerely,
WaveOperator6

 

[dk168]

Good luck with your search, however, please note this board does not have direct messaging facility.

DK

 

[MollyMalone]

My suggestion: Inken Krause d/b/a Enhoerning Jewelry in NYC. She doesn't seem to have a sapphire in hand that meets your criteria, but it looks as if she has had in the past; plus, she offers a search-sourcing service:

Gem Hunt — Enhoerning Jewelry

www.enhoerning-jewelry.com

Sampling of other PSers' very positive experiences with her on similar projects:

My Experience with Inken from Enhoerning Jewelry.....superlative

I wanted to share my extraordinary experience working with Inken from Enhoerning Jewelry. This was my first time sourcing a gem and doing it over the internet made me a bit nervous. I knew I wanted a very special blue sapphire and received several recommendations from the community to reach out...

www.pricescope.com

Sapphire Ring Acquisition Inken Enhoerning

Greetings all. I posted here once or twice while on a search for my now fiancee's sapphire engagement ring. But I read so much and gained so much knowledge from lurking here that I thought I'd make a small contribution by mentioning my experience with Inken at Enhoerning Jewelry. After...

www.pricescope.com

A Blue Sapphire Journey

My hunt for a blue sapphire started 7 months ago. I have always wanted a nice blue sapphire since it is my birthstone. But I’ve never actively pursued one. Through my PS ‘education’, I knew I wanted a pretty large stone (I already had a dream setting in mind) that was either an elongated...

www.pricescope.com

 

[voce]

Chiming in on recommending Inken. I don't know if she still has Kashmir sapphires in her inventory. I do remember seeing eye candy that was Kashmir double certified by Gubelin and GRS in February, and she mentioned she got lucky and was acquiring a "few" Kashmir sapphires from Tucson gem show in 2020 when I had her source some melee emeralds for me at that show.

 

[motownmama]

How exciting!!!!! I can’t wait to see what you get.
You refer to her as both your “fiancée” and “wife”

 

[vik84]

Hi all,

I’m buying an engagement ring for my fiancée, and we are looking for a Kashmir or Burma blue sapphire for the engagement ring, would like to hear you pro’s tips on how and where to find a good one.

Our budget is $70k USD (based in the US), and we want something below 5 karats and with SSEF or/and Gubelin certification.

If you have any suggestions to our budget or which experienced dealer to talk with, please kindly reply via DM or in this thread.

My wife and I are contemporary art advisors and we have people from the three auction houses (Phillips/Christies/Sothebys) searching around for us as well. However in this day and age we value a good unbiased forum’s opinion more than ever.

Thanks to you all and have a great day.

Sincerely,
WaveOperator6

I would recommend reaching out to Robert Genis at National Gemstones Company if you're interested in a Burmese sapphire. He has a few of those in your budget range and he only deals with AGL (one of the best labs) certified stones.

 

[fredflintstone]

You can find a great Burma sapphire for 70k, though the budget is very tight at 4 carats. But it is doubtful you find it at a brick and mortar retail level at that price. You’ have to look to source dealers overseas.


Forget about a top-quality Kashmir for 70k at 4 carats. Maybe (doubtful) a 2 carat, if you're really lucky, but you won’t find it at brick and mortar retail level at that price. But again, you’ have to look to source dealers overseas

You would be better off looking for top Ceylon or Madagascar blue Sapphire. Top stones look identical to what you want, but much more in your budget. Of course, before buying any gemstone at that price, you need a top lab report (Lotus, AGL, Gubelin ) with origin & treatment. & a particularly good return policy.

 

[LilAlex]

Absolutely Inken -- you're her sweetspot! I have not purchased from/through her but have communicated with her. It is like shopping with the most knowledgeable PS'er by your side. Really amazing.

The problem with an auction house is that they will not vet the intangibles. A report only gets you so far. Kashmir, Burma -- even a color ID. You need to know the nuances of the cut, "crispness" vs glow, absence of color-zoning, performance in various lighting, etc. Inken will write you a sophisticated "report card" for something you are considering. She will prioritize your priorities -- like you're willing to compromise a little on clarity but not on color, etc.

You can also look at Berganza (all vintage/antique/even ancient jewelry and all sapphires are untreated) but I have never dealt with them. I could, however, fill up my own "if I won the lottery" thread from their website alone.

You won't get an appealing near-5-ct Kashmir with that budget, imo. But you can get a superb Ceylon or an excellent Burma, I would think.

Don't fall into the Kashmir "trap" -- I would not pay extra for a Kashmir origin that is less appealing than a Ceylon. I'm struggling to come up with an apt analogy. It's like insisting on a "Tiffany" diamond. Yes, they may have produced (cut, marketed) some of the finest diamonds in the world in year's past but if you had two GIA reports, you'd buy the nicer stone irrespective of the provenance. (Gorgeous antique setting would tip the balance, of course, but that's not what we're talking about here.) Most of the web -- esp eBay -- is full of report-documented Kashmir-origin junk that often does not even look facet-grade.

 

[demantoidz]

Never dealt with them but Jogani stock and source Kashmir sapphires.

Search: 3 results found for "kashmir*"

Discover exquisite gemstone and diamond jewels at Jogani.com, one of the most exclusive jewelry shops in Los Angeles. Explore our curated exhibitions in our iconic Silver Lake gallery and find the perfect treasure for luxury and style. Shop now and indulge in timeless elegance and investment.

jogani.com

For Kashmir, to give you an idea of weight for your budget, I remember this 2.63 one had a price tag of 65k: https://jogani.com/products/kashmir-sapphire-engagement-ring-2-63-ct?_pos=4&_sid=c8504be02&_ss=r

This 2.7ct sold for over 100k recently: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder...ils.aspx?from=salesummery&intObjectID=6264703

You mentioned you're also looking at Burmese, but I think Madagascan sapphires in particular can have have Kashmir-like quality, others will have to confirm as I am no expert.

 

[LilAlex]

Absolutely Inken -- you're her sweetspot! I have not purchased from/through her but have communicated with her. It is like shopping with the most knowledgeable PS'er by your side. Really amazing.

Quoting myself since I don't know how to late-edit (is that a thing on PS?).

I omitted the most important part. Inken is a broker more than a vendor -- her "owned" inventory is limited and I feel it is restricted to a few good "finds" that are of high general appeal and are likely to sell quickly. For you, she will work with a variety of wholesalers. She will tell you why not to buy something that she is suggesting. No vendor will do that; for them, everything is generally "magnificent," etc.

 

[voce]

It's true that Madagascar origin is most similar to Kashmir for top sapphires. Burmese blue sapphire has a slight violet hue to the blue. It's a different color. The reason Burmese origin is expensive is not similarity to Kashmir, but rarity. There is only 1 blue corundum mined in Burma for every 99 red and pink corundum.

 

[chroman]

I’ll agree with what everyone else said. These sorts of stones are out there, but they move through different channels than a lot of other stones. Getting connected with Inken sounds like a good plan.

I’d also ask, what is most important to you - origin, color, or size? And what treatment - Heating ok?

Unless you have a firm reason to stick to it, I’d ignore origin and focus on color. There are other locale that have produced amazing blues that you’d miss otherwise.

Do you have a mental image (or a photo collection) of your ideal blue?

 

[chroman]

Another comp for Kashmir (discount the diamonds and the vintage, and even this size stone is probably a stretch for your budget). And I suspect its a lot darker than my ideal (and many others here)

Exceptional 2.62 Carat Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring - AGL

The finest, rarest and most desirable and collectable blue corundum--Kashmir sapphires--descend from a remote part of the Himalayan Mountains known as the Zanskar range. When the Maharaja of Kashmir heard about this magnificent gem, he posted guards outside of the mines to protect their value...

www.langantiques.com

 

[Bron357]

While a top Kashmir sapphire is a sight to behold, there are also Kashmir sapphires that are “meh”. The origin alone isn’t a guarantee of beauty.
Im presuming you are wanting an untreated vivid Velvet or Peacock blue with “glow” (Kashmir) or a Royal blue without (Slight shift to purple tone Burmese origin). Such gems are rare, hard to find and expensive. If you extend your origin to include Madagascar and Ceylon, keeping the same requirement for untreated and vividness you will have a few more options.

 

[Bron357]

Another comp for Kashmir (discount the diamonds and the vintage, and even this size stone is probably a stretch for your budget). And I suspect its a lot darker than my ideal (and many others here)

Exceptional 2.62 Carat Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring - AGL

The finest, rarest and most desirable and collectable blue corundum--Kashmir sapphires--descend from a remote part of the Himalayan Mountains known as the Zanskar range. When the Maharaja of Kashmir heard about this magnificent gem, he posted guards outside of the mines to protect their value...

www.langantiques.com

OMG, under 3 carats, “half eaten” (chips and bites) and it isn’t screaming Kashmir and STILL $195,000!
need to go lie down me thinks.

 

[demantoidz]

Here's a side by side comparison I just came across, 5ct Kashmir and Burmese. The post says 10 to 1 price difference. I can see a difference in hue/tone/saturation (or is it just the silk?), but cant pinpoint what the difference is precisely. Neat video anyway.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Bron357]

Here's a side by side comparison I just came across, 5ct Kashmir and Burmese. The post says 10 to 1 price difference. I can see a difference in hue/tone/saturation (or is it just the silk?), but cant pinpoint what the difference is precisely. Neat video anyway.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

To my eye it’s the vividness of the tone. The colour of the cushion cut colour is much better. And people pay for the “name”.

 

[JackTrick]

Here's a side by side comparison I just came across, 5ct Kashmir and Burmese. The post says 10 to 1 price difference. I can see a difference in hue/tone/saturation (or is it just the silk?), but cant pinpoint what the difference is precisely. Neat video anyway.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

this is a super cool comparison, thanks for sharing helps see the famous “velvet” texture