Please help me choose a blue sapphire

[Quentissential]

Hi everyone

I am looking for a blue oval sapphire in preparation for an engagement ring. I know very little about coloured gemstones and I would love to have your advice and honest opinion about the stones I am looking at.

Here are the two sapphires I am thinking of buying. In my search so far, these are the highest quality sapphires I have come across in terms of colour. You will notice that one of them has an octagonal shaped table while the other has a rectangular shaped table. The photos were taken on my phone and the colour is not accurately represented. The blue in all the photos have a lighter tone and higher saturation than my eyes perceived (in some instances the photos look a bit fake). Nevertheless, both gems looked stunning in person at certain angles and lighting despite being darker and less saturated than they are shown in the photos.

My only concern is that they were a bit dark when viewed next to the window with overcast light. They seemed to look their best inside the shop with indoor lighting. Like most people, I dream of buying a 'cornflower blue' sapphire that doesn't lose most of its blue in low light conditions (Acinom's come to mind) but I also want to be realistic about what I am likely to find when compared to the experts in this forum.

In this context, what do you think of the colour of both stones and are they too dark? In the photos where they are placed side-by-side, the gems aren't catching any of the light and you will see what I mean by dark.

And out of the two, which one would you pick?

Gem 1

 

[Quentissential]

Gem 2

 

[icy_jade]

Do you have some side by side pics?

 

[Quentissential]

Side by side

 

[icy_jade]

Wow that’s a tough one. They both look very similar to me but based on side by side the one on the right looks a tad less dark and I’ll go for that if everything else is equal.

Otherwise I’ll...

• Compare the price (cheaper better ha)
• Compare the face up size (bigger usually works for me)
• See which stone is closer to standard size if I plan to get stock setting instead of custom
• Go for the unheated/untreated one

Are they both certified by a reputable lab? That’s really important as you can’t tell otherwise if they have been treated or not.

 

[meely]

I'm not an expert at all, so I won't comment on your stones but I believe Acinom's stone is a little silky which helps it to stay that intense blue colour in different light conditions.
Have you looked at loupetroop arbieb has a couple of nice stones listed, for very reasonable prices.
Also, there was an amazing stone here posted here some time ago now that was that intense blue you seek, I cannot remember the name of the pricescoper but I do mention it in one of my threads when I was looking for a blue sapphire. This stone was a silky stone from Finewater, he does have some very vivid looking sapphires and may be worth speaking to.

 

[Acinom]

Based on the pics alone I would vote for stone 1, which seems to be a tad more vibrant and a nice roundish oval shape

 

[scouty]

I also would go for stone 1 based on the pics, it looks like it would have more sparkle to me. Good luck

 

[chrono]

If they are darker than pictured, less saturated and only flashes or looks nice at certain angles, I'd pass on both and keep looking. Once set, most gems will only appear darker compared to being unset.

 

[deorwine]

I'd also say both of those are way too dark if what you're going for is "doesn't lose most of its blue in low light conditions." But they look quite nice if you're going for that deep royal blue color.

 

[ShinyPink]

I like gem 1 out of the multiple photos, but gem 2 looks better in the side-by-sides. However, you aren't going to see that pretty blue very often in either stone. You're going to see dark, and probably end up repeatedly holding your hand a certain way to see the color blue you want. So, I would look elsewhere. I don't know where or for how long you've searched, but please give us the measurements and price you're after. There are some excellent hunters here!

 

[lambskin]

Stone 1.

 

[lovedogs]

Based on the pics alone I would vote for stone 1, which seems to be a tad more vibrant and a nice roundish oval shape

Yup, definitely stone 1 because it's brighter and more vibrant/lively.

 

[Quentissential]

Thanks for your comments everyone.

@meely thanks! I will keep an eye out on loupetroop. I have been in contact with Finewater but unfortunately he doesn't have much available at the moment. He did recommend this colour change sapphire to me.
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p462/2.05_ct_Unheated_Color-change_Sapphire.html

I am actually based in Australia so that rules out a number of online sites like Gemfix. I am looking for a roundish oval shape between 1.5-2.0 carats and I have a budget of roughly $5000 USD. I would be thrilled if you guys could help me find a nice cornflower blue.

In the meantime, I will go back to my seller and ask if he has any lighter sapphires in his collection.