Quality of this sapphire

[nathalie]

Hello,

I'm thinking about setting this sapphire into a ring, but I'm a bit worried the quality of the stone is too poor for jewelry. It has crystal inclusions that's obvious but I'm a bit more worried about the lines in this sapphire. Are those fractures? Or just grow lines? Has this stone the potential to stand the test of time?

 

[voce]

I heard a gem cutter on these forums express before that if a stone has withstood the high pressure, high abrasion process of gem cutting itself, it's not going to spontaneously crack open, and it's not going to break during the setting process, either. That said, I think you should ask yourself if you love this sapphire and whether it's worth your money to set the stone (i.e. will you be wearing this often)?

 

[nathalie]

Thank you for your answer; I love the sapphire cos it's a big stone (11 ct) and I know for sure it isn't treated. It's a shame he has many inclusions and different color hues, + those strange lines in it. On the other hand, a stone so big that's eyeclean is only for royalty

 

[ChanterelleJ]

I find it hard to say from that picture whether there are any issues that may prevent setting, but that your jeweler will be able to tell when you show him/her the gem. I do not think that the stone looks too bad. I love big sapphires even if they are not perfect

 

[Anne111]

If you like it and it is in your budget, then you are luckier than many who post here. I also heard that cutting a gem is so 'rough' (no pun intended) on it that the little setting pressure hardly matters, as long if it is untreated and doesn't melt under the torch or falls apart under soup and warm water.

 

[Arcadian]

The biggest worry would be a surface reaching crack or fissure. I don't see anything on this stone. Make sure that anyone that sets it checks for those first. As long as you take it to someone experienced in setting colored stones, you're going to have very little to worry about. I would worry more by taking it to someone that hardly sets them.

 

[nathalie]

I'm gonna take it to a professional setter, I can make the ring myself I'm a jewel designer, but setting a stone is a profession on its own. I live near Antwerp so I will find an experienced setter in the diamond quarter that's no problem. I know a little bit about gemstones, like the hardness of each type of stone etc. But I'm still learning; It's a big stone, I like to create a Kate Middleton replica;

 

[LilAlex]

The problem with a big stone that tends to the dark side and is included is that it will be more noticeable, imo, whereas a smaller stone of suboptimal quality is just a little splash of color. Sounds like you're already an expert so you must have spent some time looking at it.

Since no one else has weighed in on your question, I've been cautioned that cutters often don't know all the details about what goes on in the setting process. And I would think a prong setting like you envision would be a lot gentler on the girdle than a flush or bezel or gypsy-style where (I'm told) there is a lot of pressure placed on the stone.

 

[nathalie]

LilAlex, yes you are right. The sapphire is big but it's not gonna be a sparkler when it's set into a ring. Plans changed a little bit, I bought an 8,8 ct sapphire instead. (14 x 1O) no treatment.. also with inclusions but much less than the 11ct.
It's also a rather dark stone; I'm looking for very good quality diamonds now to set into the halo around the sapphire (H of G color, VSI) so the ring will get some sparkle.

I'm posting a picture of the stone later on.