Please help me decide on this sapphire?

[catou]

Thanks chrono. I don't mind when jewellers want to make a customer happy and a good living for themselves. I DO mind overpaying for something. I'm still unclear on the recycling of platinum. Can a platinum ring be slightly remoulded on the top to add side Stones? My current ring is just a plain shank and I thought that perhaps that meant a jeweller can add side stones, redo the prongs to fit a new stone, repolish and be done with it. i just figured that looking online at pre made settings where shanks are sold separately from the tops of rings which hold the ornament.

Rfisher: you are most welcome !

 

[MollyMalone]

Thanks chrono. I don't mind when jewellers want to make a customer happy and a good living for themselves. I DO mind overpaying for something. I'm still unclear on the recycling of platinum. Can a platinum ring be slightly remoulded on the top to add side Stones? My current ring is just a plain shank and I thought that perhaps that meant a jeweller can add side stones, redo the prongs to fit a new stone, repolish and be done with it. i just figured that looking online at pre made settings where shanks are sold separately from the tops of rings which hold the ornament.

I would be skeptical of any typical jeweler who claims that they will actually use the platinum from an existing ring to fashion a new one, as it's rare for that to be done, successfully, in-house. It's far more common, and cost-effective, for platinum and gold pieces to sent off to an outfit that refines scrap metals in bulk.

As for the musing I bold-faced above, I think you'd likely end up with Frankenstein ring -- unless you're willing to pay bigger bucks to a skilled, knowledgeable bench (assuming there's one willing to take on such a job) who will charge you for what would be required to produce an amalgamation with fluid lines & structural integrity. Such a project would be akin to driving a 2-door convertible into an automotive repair and body shop & asking them to convert it to a 4-door SUV.

Jewelers don't just pick any ol' shank and a random head when selecting ready-made components from a catalog as the basis for a ring

 

[chrono]

I'm with Molly; to retrofit will end up looking a bit funky and may not be cost effective as one thinks. A good and honest bench will usually scrap the metal and either make you a new setting from "fresh" metal or order parts from places like Stuller to fashion into a 3 stone ring. What is your recourse if you don't like the end result? What written guarantee is he willing to stand behind?

Changing out an existing basket is possible and easy. Adding a basket to a plain shank isn't.

 

[chroman]

http://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-1263

I love this one! I have been visiting the listing to stare regularly for a while now... So I am secretly happy it is not what the op wants.........

Looks like someone grabbed it - Hopefully its going to a nice PS home!

 

[catou]

So a quick update on this little project of mine for those of you who are interested!

I find myself not trusting my own opinion on stones. I see a blue rock and think "oooh pretty!" Until someone will steer me in the right place. I visited another local jeweller in our own diamond district and he sourced three gorgeous sapphires. One in the navy blue shade I love in a rectangular cushion. Then he brought two more squarish cushions and one scintillators like the sun on the Mediterranean- and I'm back to being confused about making the right call. I can't decide which one I love more!

They are two completely different looks and both beautiful in their own way.

Then I found this one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIA-CERTIFIED-2-63ct-ROYAL-BLUE-SAPPHIRE-VIDEO-in-DESCRIPTION-/322139096618?hash=item4b00fc862a:g:iZ8AAOSwmtJXVUQp I can't tell if it's too light.
But it does look beautiful here!
I still consider the spectral gems stone as well. I just want to be sure I'm putting my money in the best I can buy.

Which would you choose? Sparkly blue looking stone or a royal blue Luster? I also opted to replace the diamond sides with moisannites or maybe white sapphires to cut the cost down. Next year I can save some money And replace them with real diamonds

Thanks!
V.

 

[lovedogs]

So a quick update on this little project of mine for those of you who are interested!

I find myself not trusting my own opinion on stones. I see a blue rock and think "oooh pretty!" Until someone will steer me in the right place. I visited another local jeweller in our own diamond district and he sourced three gorgeous sapphires. One in the navy blue shade I love in a rectangular cushion. Then he brought two more squarish cushions and one scintillators like the sun on the Mediterranean- and I'm back to being confused about making the right call. I can't decide which one I love more!

They are two completely different looks and both beautiful in their own way.

Then I found this one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIA-CERTIFIED-2-63ct-ROYAL-BLUE-SAPPHIRE-VIDEO-in-DESCRIPTION-/322139096618?hash=item4b00fc862a:g:iZ8AAOSwmtJXVUQp I can't tell if it's too light.
But it does look beautiful here!
I still consider the spectral gems stone as well. I just want to be sure I'm putting my money in the best I can buy.

Which would you choose? Sparkly blue looking stone or a royal blue Luster? I also opted to replace the diamond sides with moisannites or maybe white sapphires to cut the cost down. Next year I can save some money And replace them with real diamonds

Thanks!
V.

Something to remember is that the stone will "darken" upon setting. Meaning it will look lighter before it's set. So I think the Jeff Davies stone is gorgeous and definitely not too light! I am not a fan of the middle stone (in your photo with 3 stones), because I think it looks somewhat "flat" and will be too dark once set. The other two look nice, but it's a bit hard to tell about the cut from the photos. What's the relative price difference between the 2 stones from your jeweler (the ones not in the middle) vs. the JD stone on Ebay? Also, for the ones the jeweler showed you: do they have GIA or AGIS certificates? If I were you I'd likely go with the JD stone (since he's well known and trusted) unless the ones from your jeweler come with certs.

 

[catou]

Thank you, Lovedogs! Always appreciate your timely responses.

There's the rub with my local jewellers. I've been talking with manufacturers and wholesalers and not mall jewellers. You'd think I'd get the right level of service and knowledge. So far all three I've seen haven't been able to provide me with ANY certs. Just one of the sapphires I saw (which I eliminated because it was too expensive for my budget) came with a GIA report, so I don't 100% trust that I'm buying the best. If it weren't for this site I wouldn't catch on certain little white lies I've been told so far. Just one seemed honest with me but couldn't source any stones for me. The Jeffery stones and spectral stones I saw on the internet all have GIA certificates and are lower priced. The local jewellers show me excessively expensive stones or mark them up like crazy- and yet they (local jewellers) all warm me about buying on the Internet, getting ripped off, etc. So far these stones are a good double the cost of what if seen recommended here. Truth is there is no real market here for quality jewelry beyond diamonds and standar halo settings/machine made settings. It's sad. So far the best option I found was in NYC but the problem there is that I need to pay hefty duties to get what I want. I'd rather spend that money on nicer quality than taxes

At the end of the day I'm taking my time in choosing a stone and a jeweller because the more I delve into this project the more I realize how little I know! Lol

Rant over. Have a good evening everyone.

 

[MollyMalone]

I'm wondering why you believe you will have to pay "hefty duties" if you purchase a sapphire and/or setting from a US vendor; according to the Canadian government's web site,
no duty is payable on goods imported for personal use, if it is marked as "made in Canada, the USA, or Mexico", or if there is no marking or labelling indicating that it was made somewhere other than Canada, the USA, or Mexico.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ifcrc-rpcrc-eng.html#a4

I realize you will be expected to pay your GST-provincial sales taxes on a US purchase, but that would be true on a purchase from a local jeweler. And if sapphires there in Canada seem priced generally at twice the cost of what Jeff Davies in Thailand is asking, wouldn't it still be financially worthwhile to pay the duty (and brokerage fee if any) on a purchase from him?

P.S. Have you already reached out to Lisa Elser in Vancouver?

 

[chroman]

How about something like this one to throw into the mix:
http://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-1265