Noob Sapphire Fever; Tell me about this stone?

[SweetAsscher]

I know absolutely nothing about sapphires. But I want one!
I've been trying to read up on them and learn, but it's a little hard applying it practically vs theory when I have no hands on experience looking at stones.
I came across this one but have no idea of the value. All I know is that it's 2.05 carats. I have not seen it in person. Pics below.
What do you guys think of it?
Is the color good?
Is the cut very bad?
I realize I have not given much information to work with but hopefully someone can help me even a little.
Thanks!

 

[chrono]

Colour is all right; has some violet in it but is also a bit gray.
Cut is decent. It has a small window which is less apparent because of the setting. I wonder if it's just the picture (camera shadow) but the lower half of the stone seems quite a bit darker than the upper half.

Any idea what sort of treatment the sapphire has undergone?

 

[SweetAsscher]

I see what you mean about the grey, and I think I kind of like the violet.
No idea on heat treatment.
I would scrap the setting and reset in something else.
The vendor's photos are usually very accurate although I will agree with you on the camera obstruction. They tend to take the photos from very close and sometimes you can see the reflection of the camera on the jewelry piece.
The price is currently asking about $700. Is that way too much for this color and if it is heat treated?

 

[T L]

Very dark, extinct and grey. Not a big fan of that stone.

 

[slksapphire]

hi there,

i am not an expert like some of the others here but am a relative newbie, too, who very recently bought my first sapphire. i thought i'd share my experience/advice ... you've taken a terrific first step already by coming into the colored stones forum!

1. read everything you can (pricescope is a great place to do this) about attributes of sapphires: color (tone, hue, saturation), windowing, extinction, zoning, cut, clarity, origin, etc. there are some good articles / examples by richard hughes and others (available free online)

ETA: heated vs. unheated is a big decision (and significantly impacts price)

2. find out what the trade views to be "ideal" -- i think most would agree that the "rockefeller sapphire" meets most of the ideal attributes. you can search for it on pricescope

3. figure out what YOU like -- it may NOT be what the trade views to be ideal (especially with respect to color). some people just like the navy blues while others like light green, light blue, etc. (this is probably the hardest part) this is where you are just going to have to get out there and look at as many sapphires in real life as humanly possible. alternatively, you can order gems online one-at-a-time, but i really encourage going into b&m stores to have a look. don't limit yourself in terms of price range; just try to see everything you can.

4. set a budget.

5. find your stone! (this is the 2nd hardest part). unlike diamonds, it may take months or even longer to find a stone. sorry, sapphires aren't diamonds! a little luck never hurts, either.

ETA: it is REALLY hard to evaluate a stone in a setting. you need to be able to look at it from all sides and angles to evaluate it correctly.

ETA:
6. if your stone is unheated or is expensive, make sure to get it certified; in my opinion, AGL provides the best for colored stones.


good luck. and the folks on here are great for vetting stones -- i got great advice when posting photos of stones here.

 

[chrono]

I like a touch if violet in my sapphires as well but not as gray as shown. Getting a vividly saturated blue sapphire is usually very expensive so most accept varying degrees of grayness.

Heating improves the colour of cruddy sapphires into something beautiful, hence if it comes out of the ground looking great, then it is obviously more rare, and the asking price increases. Sometimes, a mineral called beryllium is added to the heating process called diffusion. This further improves the colour of absolutely gravel looking sapphires into something saleable. Diffusion is NOT accepted by most people (and the trade) and isn't always disclosed. This type of stones are very inexpensive though. As you can see, treatment affects the price greatly.

 

[T L]

I like a touch if violet in my sapphires as well but not as gray as shown. Getting a vividly saturated blue sapphire is usually very expensive so most accept varying degrees of grayness.

Heating improves the colour of cruddy sapphires into something beautiful, hence if it comes out of the ground looking great, then it is obviously more rare, and the asking price increases. Sometimes, a mineral called beryllium is added to the heating process called diffusion. This further improves the colour of absolutely gravel looking sapphires into something saleable. Diffusion is NOT accepted by most people (and the trade) and isn't always disclosed. This type of stones are very inexpensive though. As you can see, treatment affects the price greatly.

Also note that all diffused stones are heated, but not all heated stones are diffused, and an unscrupulous or uneducated vendor may not disclose full treatment on a heated sapphire. A lot of diffused sapphires are sold at "heated only" prices. The price point for a heated only sapphire is much higher than a diffused one (all things being equal). A heated sapphire can also sometimes be costly to deem as simply unheated, as the tests for diffusion can be an added expense on top of the general lab report. I paid $100 extra, in addition to the regular lab report price, to get my sapphire tested for diffusion. That being said, if you only have the budget for a diffused stone, AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING, and you are paying a fair price, then that's acceptable. I don't have a problem with treatment, I only have a problem with undisclosed treatment, and diffused stones are often used to deceive the uneducated buyer. One must also worry about the prevalence of synthetics too.

I will agree with Chrono that the amount of grey acceptable varies among people. I don't mind a little grey, but when it's overwhelming, and coupled with dark tone, it's a big negative to me.

 

[SweetAsscher]

Thanks so much for all the information and help.
I think I'm not going to get it. The auction ends today and I don't have extra money to risk when I don't have all the information on the stone. It is from a government auction and they don't always provide all the details one would like as well they have so many items that they aren't able to research questions on them.
I'll just keep looking I guess!