Oval Sapphire Opinions

[jenzgemz]

Hello all, been tasked with a pretty exciting project of helping source a sapphire for my future daughter in law's engagement ring! With the budget constraints of the setting, my son looks to find something appx 1.5 carats with a good cut/color for under 1k. It will be set low into a halo, yellow gold, plain band. I've been pouring through the vendor list, and also threads with successful Etsy purchases. Here are some of the choices, what do you think?

#1. Stone Viewer 1.522 CT, 7.83 x 5.98 x 4.0 - has a chip on the edge, vendor said they will polish it out. Risky to future stability of stone?

#2. 1.64 CT, 7.9 x 6.3 x 4.2 mm Madagascar, unheated



#3 https://stoneviewer.lk/stoneviewer/?d=SS-000000351&type=1 , 1.67 CT 8.08 x 6.47 x 4.06, Heated, Sri Lanka

#4 1.55 CT, 7.6 mm x 6.1 mm x 4.1 mm Unheated, Madagascar (Peacock tones are good if they lean more towards the blues/teal)



My list of stones has about 10 more on it, but these were the ones that stood out first. Appreciate your thoughts!

 

[Ionysis]

I’m afraid the price of sapphires has escalated drastically (150% rise in the last three years). It’s hard to find. Good colour, clarity, cut and size for the budget you’re looking at.

Gold prices are at an all time high as well. So setting it will cost $$$.

Have you thought about perhaps sourcing a vintage piece?

 

[jenzgemz]

I’m afraid the price of sapphires has escalated drastically (150% rise in the last three years). It’s hard to find. Good colour, clarity, cut and size for the budget you’re looking at.

Gold prices are at an all time high as well. So setting it will cost $$$.

Have you thought about perhaps sourcing a vintage piece?

Thank you! We have been scouring the web looking for vintage pieces. Found some lovely things, but none with room for a straight wedding band to sit flush up against it. A vendor I've bought from previously gave a reasonable quote for the setting, should be pretty close to what is pictured below We are also heading out today to double check a couple of estate jewelers in the area, but leaning towards having it made.

 

[Avondale]

My 2c.:

Stone 1 has really nice colour, definitely some violet to it, so it might be a shifter. I can easily see the possibility of the chip being polished out, but it will lose a tiny bit of size, because they'll have to polish out the entire length of the oval, or it will still be a chip, only a polished one, and I'm guessing that's not the goal.

Stone 2 looks lovely and it faces up like 2ct. Seems to have a small window but I don't think it will be noticeable once it's set. It would probably get on the dark side in low light, though, while I expect stone 1 to keep a pretty, open blue throughout.

Stone 3 is a no from me. It has the darkest tone of all, but not the saturation to make it attractive. The only thing about it I find interesting is it's cut in a way that will allow the pleochroisim to show the green colour clearly. But you don't want green, so that's probably a con for you.

Stone 4 immediately caught my eye. It's beautiful. But if you're after blue-blue, this has a chance of being too green.

I think I like 4 most of all of them, but that's only my personal preference. For what you're looking for, I'd say either go with 1 or 2, whichever fits the vision and idea better (and given the chip on 1 won't be a problem).

 

[Autumn in New England]

Of the stones you've provided, #1 would be my first choice if we're strictly talking traditional blue sapphires. Once that girdle chip is polished out, you shouldn't have any issues. What is the origin and is it heated? I also really love #4 if teal shades are on the table. Good luck and big congrats to your son and his fiancé!!

 

[jenzgemz]

My 2c.:

Stone 1 has really nice colour, definitely some violet to it, so it might be a shifter. I can easily see the possibility of the chip being polished out, but it will lose a tiny bit of size, because they'll have to polish out the entire length of the oval, or it will still be a chip, only a polished one, and I'm guessing that's not the goal.

Stone 2 looks lovely and it faces up like 2ct. Seems to have a small window but I don't think it will be noticeable once it's set. It would probably get on the dark side in low light, though, while I expect stone 1 to keep a pretty, open blue throughout.

Stone 3 is a no from me. It has the darkest tone of all, but not the saturation to make it attractive. The only thing about it I find interesting is it's cut in a way that will allow the pleochroisim to show the green colour clearly. But you don't want green, so that's probably a con for you.

Stone 4 immediately caught my eye. It's beautiful. But if you're after blue-blue, this has a chance of being too green.

I think I like 4 most of all of them, but that's only my personal preference. For what you're looking for, I'd say either go with 1 or 2, whichever fits the vision and idea better (and given the chip on 1 won't be a problem).

Thanks so much for the detailed thoughts on these stones, it really helps!! #1 and #4 are my favorites

 

[jenzgemz]

Of the stones you've provided, #1 would be my first choice if we're strictly talking traditional blue sapphires. Once that girdle chip is polished out, you shouldn't have any issues. What is the origin and is it heated? I also really love #4 if teal shades are on the table. Good luck and big congrats to your son and his fiancé!!

Thank you! We are so excited for them both, and grateful to have a chance to help him with this project #1 is unheated, from Sri Lanka. We spent the afternoon at jewelry stores and it was eye opening for him, much progress is made. He does like the medium to darker tones, going to see if we can get videos of the stones side by side. Also contemplating the sapphire posted in PreLoved. Have a wonderful evening!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Thank you! We are so excited for them both, and grateful to have a chance to help him with this project #1 is unheated, from Sri Lanka. We spent the afternoon at jewelry stores and it was eye opening for him, much progress is made. He does like the medium to darker tones, going to see if we can get videos of the stones side by side. Also contemplating the sapphire posted in PreLoved. Have a wonderful evening!

How lovely! Now I'm sort of rooting for the PS stone. lol But I know whatever your son chooses, with your invaluable assistance, will be quite special. Have fun with it!

 

[jenzgemz]

Hello again! We found one more option that he is curious about your opinions on. Specifically the table. 2.237 carats, 9.04 x 7.11 x 3.85, heat, Sri Lanka:

Stone Viewer

stoneviewer.lk

Thank you!

 

[Avondale]

Oh dear god no.

Huuuge window. This one will be lifeless and entirely unimpressive. You have much better options than this dead shallow rock.

 

[jenzgemz]

Oh dear god no.

Huuuge window. This one will be lifeless and entirely unimpressive. You have much better options than this dead shallow rock.

Thank you, that's what I thought as well Option #1 and #2 are his favorite so far, but he was finding 2+ carats pretty tempting. Appreciate it!

 

[Avondale]

Pretty understandable, the bigger the carat number, the greater the bragging rights. This is why it’s good that he has you to guide him. Quality over quantity, right?

 

[Autumn in New England]

Oh dear god no.

Huuuge window. This one will be lifeless and entirely unimpressive. You have much better options than this dead shallow rock.

+1!

 

[jenzgemz]

Just an update, this one from GemOcean was ruled out, not the right shade of blue for him. But if it speaks to anyone else I'm glad to send you the videos

Would love thoughts on the pretty little sapphire in the preowned forum (last picture).

 

[Avondale]

Just an update, this one from GemOcean was ruled out, not the right shade of blue for him. But if it speaks to anyone else I'm glad to send you the videos

Only if it's okay, can you share the basic specs (size, treatment) and price? I am slowly preparing for the holy grail blue sapphire search which is still some time away, but first step is always budget.

Would love thoughts on the pretty little sapphire in the preowned forum (last picture).

It looks very much like one I own. Darker, deeper body tone with bold, saturated blue flashes. I've shown it quite a bit here because my heart belongs to that sapphire in a way I find difficult to explain. It's the bigger one on this picture:



I can share some personal experience with it, if that will be helpful.

 

[jenzgemz]

Only if it's okay, can you share the basic specs (size, treatment) and price? I am slowly preparing for the holy grail blue sapphire search which is still some time away, but first step is always budget

Glad to share! Specs are 7.30*5.50*4.8, 1.55 carat. Sri Lanka, heated. There is likely room for negotiation, he started at $1300 then offered to make the entire ring with this stone included for $2500. In love with this sapphire personally but my budget will be set to wedding mode for a bit Here is one of the videos he sent

Thanks for sharing the pics of your sapphire, it's really lovely!

 

[Avondale]

Thank you! That's not as bad as I imagined it to be. The holy grail sapphire might be actually attainable in the not too distant future.

Thanks for sharing the pics of your sapphire, it's really lovely!

Thank you and you're welcome! Let me know if I can share anything useful in terms of experience with such a darker blue. It has trade offs, certainly, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.

 

[butterflyrain]

I actually think that oval-shaped gems are the second-best shape after diamonds because they are classic. I like oval ones because they manifest delicacy and are more feminine in my opinion, especially for earrings. Deep blue is perfect for this shape

 

[jenzgemz]

Good evening! Anyone mind being a second set of eyes? Keeping in mind his budget is less than 1k, he keeps coming back to that deeper/brighter royal or medium blue vs. teal or lighter blue. Most of the stones in his range are super dark or have terrible polish, this one at least seems to have good color (overall). The trade off may be the cut - doesn't seem to have a window but does it appear a bit wider at one end than the other, or is this just a reflection from a facet. Stone is 8.42x6.00x3.64, heated, Sri Lanka, seller is in the US:




Also, video came through of the teal sapphire (option #2 on list). I appreciate that it shows it in two different light sources. It's the one on the left:

I'm eating, sleeping and breathing sapphires .... see them when I blink. Will be glad when we get this one wrapped up!

 

[Dreamer_D]

These are all very dark and will be darker in person. Is that what his fiancé wants? I’ve read men tend to gravitate to these super dark stones. But it might not be what she wants. They looks like midnight most of the time.

 

[glitterata]

Just popping in to say I had an excellent experience with GemOcean and continue to love the sapphire I got from him.

 

[Avondale]

8.42x6.00x3.64, heated, Sri Lanka

If there is a slight asymmetry in the cut, I don't see it in the photos. Considering the size of the stone on the finger, it would be almost impossible to notice. But I'm afraid the colour is going to disappoint in real life. It's just barely visible in the tweezers photos, the body colour seems to be basically black.

I know the inspo for the ring is a classic halo, is he maybe going for a Princess Di type of ring, and that's why he's gravitating towards the darker blues? The thing is, for this idea to work, the focus has to be on the "blue" with the "dark" being secondary, not the other way around. Otherwise he'll end up with a blackish blob that's utterly boring in most scenarios.

the teal sapphire (option #2 on list)

Wait, I thought the teal sapphire was #4. Is the one on the left the Madagascar unheated #2? It seems very much like it. Certainly shows how photos overdo the blue. Is the second video the poorer light? It loses a lot of blue and starts showing a lot more grey in that second video. But at least it doesn't turn black and is still mostly attractive.

Is the one in the middle the teal #4? It's very pretty, but obviously too green for this project.

Anyway, the sapphire on the right is the clear winner. Yes, it's a lighter shade of blue, but this is the type of colour that will remain blue wherever you stick it, unless you deprive it of light altogether. Only I'm not sure what's happening with the facets at 12 in the first video, whether it's a cutting flaw or just the angle of the video. It looks weird.

 

[jenzgemz]

We have a stone on the way! Should be here Monday night. I'm sure it will be a little darker than the photos, he was fine with anything "better" than the dark navy stone in the ring she tried on.

Stone: Sapphire
Quality: AAA
Shape: Oval
Origin: Sri Lanka
Color: Medium-Dark Royal Blue
Clarity: Eye clean
Hardness: 9
Treatment: Heat Only
Weight: 1.76cts
Dimensions: 8.21x5.75x4.51mm

Confirmed with seller (based in the USA) that this is not diffused, only heat treated. The color and size appears to be exactly what he is aiming for, looking forward to seeing it in person.

 

[Avondale]

I’m curious. What happened? Did it arrive? Do you like it?

Edit: I think I spotted you on Reddit. If I’m correct, the colour looks really pretty.

 

[jenzgemz]

I’m curious. What happened? Did it arrive? Do you like it?

Edit: I think I spotted you on Reddit. If I’m correct, the colour looks really pretty.

Good eye! Yes indeed, you likely spotted me on Reddit, it arrived yesterday. Really struggling with this one! The color is nice, from the top it looks pretty good for a stone at its price point. The undisclosed surface reaching inclusions have me displeased. Its possible the stone could be bezel set, but a gemologist forum is staying the stone could potentially be diffused, so now I just don't know. Took a couple of of videos. Appreciate you asking

He knew the price point was a challenge, pretty sure we got what we paid for with this one, it was on sale for $675! But, bezel set, can it face up to work nicely. That's what we are currently contemplating.

 

[SouthernGent]

I’m curious. What happened? Did it arrive? Do you like it?

Edit: I think I spotted you on Reddit. If I’m correct, the colour looks really pretty.

Reddit? Tell me about this, please.

 

[Avondale]

a gemologist forum is staying the stone could potentially be diffused, so now I just don't know

Well that's a bummer. Add the undisclosed inclusions and I can understand why you're not sure about it. I hope you have the option to return if you eventually decide against it.

Reddit? Tell me about this, please.

Um... about Reddit? You mean you haven't heard of it before?
If that's the case, I'd say it's best to experience it yourself and unspoiled. Type reddit.com in your address bar, hit enter and go to town.

 

[SouthernGent]

Well that's a bummer. Add the undisclosed inclusions and I can understand why you're not sure about it. I hope you have the option to return if you eventually decide against it.



Um... about Reddit? You mean you haven't heard of it before?
If that's the case, I'd say it's best to experience it yourself and unspoiled. Type reddit.com in your address bar, hit enter and go to town.

I know about Reddit - but what subreddit are you specifically referring to.

 

[Avondale]

I know about Reddit - but what subreddit are you specifically referring to.

Oh I don't remember where I saw it. Reddit has several gemstone and jewellery subreddits, not to mention the engagement ring rubreddits... I'll assume it was there somewhere.

 

[jenzgemz]

We have another sapphire in the works, feeling good about this one! Loving the color, hard to tell if it has a small window, but if so, it should close with setting