Seeking Reputable South Florida Gem Dealer

[floridagemseeker]

Hi, everyone.

I'm new to the forum and to colored stones.

I'm currently looking for a high-quality natural sapphire for an engagement ring for my girlfriend.

I live in South Florida and would like to find a gemstone dealer here who is reputable and can provide a sapphire that doesn't
have much, if any, treating.

I must admit that I'm new to the world of gemstones and have only started reading about them and looking at them in stores.

I can spend up to $4000 on a natural blue sapphire. But, it appears that I'm out of my league when it comes to colored stones...
or any gemstones.

Any dealer or cutter recommendations you could give me would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[iLander]

I've never found a reputable South Florida Gem dealer. Ever. Not for colored stones.

I suggest you use the reputable vendors list/sticky at the top of the CS forum. Then be prepared to order and return several stones.

 

[floridagemseeker]

Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

I stopped by one gem dealer today in Boca Raton and was told that I couldn't get a decent blue sapphire
for less than $10k. That didn't really sound right.

 

[iLander]

Yup, that's bull.

I was once told by a jeweler he could give me a "deal" on a Chatham emerald, "only" $10,000.

That sounded fishy.

I now know that "Chatham emerald" is a trade name for a synthetic stone.

The thing about colored stones is that they are a very obscure speciality, even among jewelers. Those of us on the board know far and away more than your average jeweler. Even a good jeweler knows the 4C's of diamonds and thats it. The reason is simple; an excellent colored stone is MUCH rarer than a diamond. There's a lot of black sapphires out there, called blue for marketing purposes.

Read the trusted vendors list, read the intro to colored stones thread at the top, and take the time to purchase and return as many as it takes. The returns are necessary because gem photography is ridiculously hard. Briefly, for a sapphire, you want;

Excellent color- vivid blue or whichever color you choose.
Treatments- from best to worst; untreated, then heat only, then beryllium treated trash
Cut- an excellent cut makes all the difference

That's it.

Good luck.

 

[floridagemseeker]

Thanks, iLander. Your advice makes sense.

Since you mentioned looking at the list of vendors posted on the threads here, I looked at Gemfix and thought they might be worth trying.

 

[minousbijoux]

Hi FGS:

There are so many of the trusted vendors that are good for sapphires. If you don't mind buying from ebay, Tan has some great ones from time to time (his stores are Odysseygems, gemcatalogue, vvs1gem, etc.). Besides Gemfix, another vendor who specializes in Sapphires (his favorite stone) is Roger Dery of Spectral gems. Also, Dana at Mastercut gems has worked out a deal with some cutters in Sri Lanka and has occasionally been posting what look to be like well cut and saturated deep blue sapphires of good quality, though I have not seen them firsthand. I would say of the three, though, Roger's will likely be the best cut and more likely to be unique - so in that way, you may want to approach him for this very important ring...

Congratulations, by the way!

 

[chrono]

I recommend reading this first, then looking at the recommended sticky.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

Other than a budget, what else have you considered:
1. Colour preference?
2. Approximate size and carat weight?
3. Treatment?
4. Preference for shape?

Depending on all the above, $4K could be perfectly fine or maybe you'll need $10K. Is your budget for only the stone or the entire ring?

 

[floridagemseeker]

Hi, Chrono.

The $4k would be for the stone, and I'd allocate another $2000 - $2500 for a platinum setting.

 

[floridagemseeker]

Thanks for the recommendations, minousbijoux.

I'll check out the people you listed.

 

[SB621]

I know you said 4k for the stone but are there other points? What shape and size are you looking for?

My personal #1 choice is to ask Jeff White if he has any rough available but I don't think 4k would get you terrible far. Once again I'm not sure as I have never requested pricing from him on sapphires. I would also check out mastercutgems as he got in a few sapphires recently that sold like hot cakes and were gorgeous.

Dang this is really make me want to start my own sapphire hunt!

 

[chrono]

All I know is your $4K budget. You have not listed the following:
1. Colour preference?
2. Approximate size and carat weight?
3. Treatment?
4. Preference for shape?

If you want an untreated very fine quality 3 carat sapphire, $4K is insufficient. If looking for a 2 ct stone, then your budget will net you a beautiful stone. If you don't mind a heated stone, your options open up. Same with colour preference - colour sets the price and any slight difference in hue, tone and saturation make a big difference.