Hello all,
Over the last little while, I have been hunting for an engagement ring. My girlfriend has given very little instructions over the years except that she would prefer a sapphire over a diamond. During my search, I was directed here. From what I have read so far, this site has been a great help. The "new to colored gemstone buying" sticky was a great learning tool. However, I'm still slightly overwhelmed by the whole thing (sadly, coming here has made this process more overwhelming!), so I am looking for your help.
My budget (including setting) is around $3000.00 (Canadian Dollars). I'm located in Calgary, Canada and am planning to propose in September (most likely the 12th), so I would need something by the absolute latest by the 11th as we are travelling overseas on the 12th. Concerning the setting, it will most likely be pretty basic as I want the stone to be the focal point (think solitaire or three-stone style) and will need to be about 3mm thick in order to sit decently on her hand (she has small hands but slightly larger fingers).
I'm looking for a 1-1.25 carat sapphire (from what I have read, that's around 6.5ish mm, but I could be wrong). Obviously, the higher quality the better. In terms of cut, I think she would prefer round but cushion-cut is something that she would like as well. Thus far, I have looked at local jewellers but, given my limited knowledge, cannot be certain that what they are selling is fair value or that what they are offering is what I should really be looking for. In addition, I have looked at a few online places (Gemsny and Brilliant Earth for the most part, as they seem to have a decent selection of sapphire engagement rings to look at) though, after reading these boards, it seems as though the quality of the stones are not always as advertised and that I would be paying more and getting less by going in that direction.
So, my question to this forum is three-fold. First, given the size specification, what price should I be looking to pay for a relatively good sapphire (it doesn't have to be natural, heat treated is perfectly fine)? Second, would there have to be a serious quality loss in order to make a sapphire engagement ring of that size fit within my budget? Third, does anyone know of any reputable vendors where I can get a potential stone shipped to Calgary (or a vendor in Calgary) by the date specified above?
Thank you very much for your time.
Cheers,
Adam
Over the last little while, I have been hunting for an engagement ring. My girlfriend has given very little instructions over the years except that she would prefer a sapphire over a diamond. During my search, I was directed here. From what I have read so far, this site has been a great help. The "new to colored gemstone buying" sticky was a great learning tool. However, I'm still slightly overwhelmed by the whole thing (sadly, coming here has made this process more overwhelming!), so I am looking for your help.
My budget (including setting) is around $3000.00 (Canadian Dollars). I'm located in Calgary, Canada and am planning to propose in September (most likely the 12th), so I would need something by the absolute latest by the 11th as we are travelling overseas on the 12th. Concerning the setting, it will most likely be pretty basic as I want the stone to be the focal point (think solitaire or three-stone style) and will need to be about 3mm thick in order to sit decently on her hand (she has small hands but slightly larger fingers).
I'm looking for a 1-1.25 carat sapphire (from what I have read, that's around 6.5ish mm, but I could be wrong). Obviously, the higher quality the better. In terms of cut, I think she would prefer round but cushion-cut is something that she would like as well. Thus far, I have looked at local jewellers but, given my limited knowledge, cannot be certain that what they are selling is fair value or that what they are offering is what I should really be looking for. In addition, I have looked at a few online places (Gemsny and Brilliant Earth for the most part, as they seem to have a decent selection of sapphire engagement rings to look at) though, after reading these boards, it seems as though the quality of the stones are not always as advertised and that I would be paying more and getting less by going in that direction.
So, my question to this forum is three-fold. First, given the size specification, what price should I be looking to pay for a relatively good sapphire (it doesn't have to be natural, heat treated is perfectly fine)? Second, would there have to be a serious quality loss in order to make a sapphire engagement ring of that size fit within my budget? Third, does anyone know of any reputable vendors where I can get a potential stone shipped to Calgary (or a vendor in Calgary) by the date specified above?
Thank you very much for your time.
Cheers,
Adam