Should I get my very expensive jewelry appraised asap?

[Shijitake]

I found a beautiful sapphire necklace on The Natural Sapphire Company. I don't have a lot of time to elaborate (I'm at work) but in short, it costs a lot, and NSC gets a lot of negative reviews (as well as good). I read one saying her ring was fake sapphire and shoddily made.

Also, would it be cheaper to make a replica, buying a loose sapphire and setting it in the same gold carat?

 

[Rfisher]

If you do not trust the vendor's appraisal or reputation - see if you can set up the jewelry to be shipped directly to an independent appraiser. Only if you can get it done and turned atpround within the vendors return period window. And be ok with shelling out for all shipping and the appraiser costs irregardless of the outcome. And all insurance, too (it may be over $50!!). But the appraiser cannot be one that does artificially inflated retail replacement costs. That's useless.
As for making the item custom and sourcing on your own- who knows? You've given nothing to go on. You can find gemstones for as cheap and as expensive as you want. Same as setting fabricator.
You get what you pay for. From this vendor you may overpay or may pay on point. You won't get a steal of a deal. Holiday sale discount or not.

 

[Sabrina31]

@Shijitake it would really help if you consolidated your post and made a clear wish list. Then we can really help you find what you're looking for. We want to help, but at the same if it's not all in the same place you lose out in the value of this forum and thats everyone debating and passing ideas back and forth

 

[Shijitake]

It's this necklace
https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/2.36ct-blue-sapphire-necklace-j7041-/

Sorry to be another Kate-copier but I saw it and soo loved it. The stone specs look great. Too good to be true though? At its price point, I should've gotten the original- from Tiffany's. Although, imo Tiffany's is overpriced.

 

[Shijitake]

@Shijitake it would really help if you consolidated your post and made a clear wish list. Then we can really help you find what you're looking for. We want to help, but at the same if it's not all in the same place you lose out in the value of this forum and thats everyone debating and passing ideas back and forth

Since this is about a blue sapphire necklace instead of a loose pad I thought it was a different topic and so should be a different thread. I could delete this one, I guess.

 

[Sabrina31]

Since this is about a blue sapphire necklace instead of a loose pad I thought it was a different topic and so should be a different thread. I could delete this one, I guess.

I didnt realize that you had moved on, it's ok to keep them seperate.
I may advise you to make sure to shop your top priority first

 

[Rfisher]

It's this necklace
https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/2.36ct-blue-sapphire-necklace-j7041-/

Sorry to be another Kate-copier but I saw it and soo loved it. The stone specs look great. Too good to be true though? At its price point, I should've gotten the original- from Tiffany's. Although, imo Tiffany's is overpriced.

With the necklace known now-
My experience has been in the past two years is $600-800USD for custom bezel setting one stone ( not included of course) in 14k gold
16-18".

Don't know about the Tiffany one to comment further.
Finding one on etsy or Ross Simon that's cheaper /mass produced and glorified costume jewelry? I'm sure can be done.

 

[2Neezers]

It’s pretty and the price is fair for a finished piece. The sapphire is dark and a cabachon, so the value of the stone individually isn’t as high as you would think. I personally wouldn’t bother with an appraisal on this piece, but would ask my trusted jeweler to look at the sapphire. I’m not sure if you could have it made for less, but you could choose a better central stone. David Klass offers a bezel necklace using your own stones for $900 on Etsy, plus the cost of buying the stones.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/585736670/by-the-yard-custom-made-in-14k-solid?ref=shop_home_active_37

 

[Shijitake]

With the necklace known now-
My experience has been in the past two years is $600-800USD for custom bezel setting one stone ( not included of course) in 14k gold
16-18".

Very helpful, thank you so much!

 

[Shijitake]

It’s pretty and the price is fair for a finished piece. The sapphire is dark and a cabachon, so the value of the stone individually isn’t as high as you would think. I personally wouldn’t bother with an appraisal on this piece, but would ask my trusted jeweler to look at the sapphire. I’m not sure if you could have it made for less, but you could choose a better central stone. David Klass offers a bezel necklace using your own stones for $900 on Etsy, plus the cost of buying the stones.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/585736670/by-the-yard-custom-made-in-14k-solid?ref=shop_home_active_37

Ouch, that is a lot, and I don't have a loose cabochon. I do see the sapphire is a bit dark, but I like cabochon (it's also not as dark as Kate's, irl I hope too).

 

[peacechick]

Ouch, that is a lot, and I don't have a loose cabochon. I do see the sapphire is a bit dark, but I like cabochon (it's also not as dark as Kate's, irl I hope too).

It will be dark but since the inspo is also dark, why not right?

 

[Bron357]

I doubt if you could create that necklace for cheaper by sourcing your own gemstones.
Companies like the NSC have the benefit of obtaining wholesale pricing, they might have contacts overseas who can produce such jewellery for a lot less than you can find a jeweller to do similar work. In some countries labor costs are 1/5th of those say in the US.
If you break down the costs for you to do the project ie
14kt gold chain $200, 2.3 carat cabochon blue sapphire $300, 2 x .05 carat diamonds =$100 - bezel set sapphire $400, bezel set diamonds (2) $250 = say $1,250 BUT you have to find the sapphire, find the diamonds pay shipping, get them to the jeweller who is making your necklace, wait 6 weeks for it to be made, pay for shipping and insurance back to you.
So basically it’s not as if you can create a similar necklace for say $600 if you do it all yourself.

 

[Shijitake]

It will be dark but since the inspo is also dark, why not right?

I don't like the inspo sapphire, tbh. I'd like it much lighter, like cornflower blue. But with this necklace I don't have a choice. It's not as bad as that black engagement stone, though.

 

[Shijitake]

I doubt if you could create that necklace for cheaper by sourcing your own gemstones.
Companies like the NSC have the benefit of obtaining wholesale pricing, they might have contacts overseas who can produce such jewellery for a lot less than you can find a jeweller to do similar work. In some countries labor costs are 1/5th of those say in the US.
If you break down the costs for you to do the project ie
14kt gold chain $200, 2.3 carat cabochon blue sapphire $300, 2 x .05 carat diamonds =$100 - bezel set sapphire $400, bezel set diamonds (2) $250 = say $1,250 BUT you have to find the sapphire, find the diamonds pay shipping, get them to the jeweller who is making your necklace, wait 6 weeks for it to be made, pay for shipping and insurance back to you.
So basically it’s not as if you can create a similar necklace for say $600 if you do it all yourself.

Thanks, this is very helfpul. I couldn't gauge for my life how much everything would be. If I had more money though, I would choose a lighter sapphire, like cornflower blue, and use 18-22k gold and have it custom made. Maybe one day, when I'm rich

 

[Shijitake]

Any idea how much it is to have gems looked at?

 

[Arcadian]

When you said "very expensive", I was thinking it was something in the 5-10k range.

This is...on the fence. If you're really worried about it, sure, have it appraised. you'll be adding a decent chunk of money to your overall cost however. Last time I had a stone appraised, it was about 100.00US including shipping back and forth. your location depends on how much it costs

https://www.gia.edu/library-appraisal-associations here's a good starting place to find an appraiser in your georgraphical area.

If you use one, please use one with colored stone experience.

Being that its a dark stone and the price, it could well be unheated. I wouldn't know though by looking at a picture.

If all you want to do is to make sure its a real sapphire, thats easy enough to do. Hopefully you paid by credit card, and if its not real, you can always dispute.

 

[Shijitake]

I'm about to get a loupe tomorrow. Any tips on how to see if it's a sapphire (inclusions, I guess?).

Would you say that necklace's price is right? The sapphire is low quality and the bezel is shoddily done. It's also tiny. Looks smaller than Kate's. Not quite as round either. I don't think it should be more expensive than the original.

 

[Arcadian]

If these things bother you, why did you buy it?

Seems to me that you otherwise accepted these inperfections when you purchased.

Listen, from experience I will tell you to buy what you will wear. It doesn't matter if its cheap or expensive, if you are bothered by bad bezels, you will not be happy with it no matter how "cheap" it is.

That basically means you take a look at your budget, and get realistic on what fits that budget. If you want to recreate this look with a better stone, better and better metalwork, then check the budget. If its not in the current budget, save your pennies and wait until it is. But leave this for someone that isn't so picky about those things.

Honestly take a big deep breath, and be honest and realistic with yourself as to what you want vs what you can afford. Many of us here have had to make that decision more than once.

 

[Shijitake]

If these things bother you, why did you buy it?

Seems to me that you otherwise accepted these inperfections when you purchased.

Listen, from experience I will tell you to buy what you will wear. It doesn't matter if its cheap or expensive, if you are bothered by bad bezels, you will not be happy with it no matter how "cheap" it is.

That basically means you take a look at your budget, and get realistic on what fits that budget. If you want to recreate this look with a better stone, better and better metalwork, then check the budget. If its not in the current budget, save your pennies and wait until it is. But leave this for someone that isn't so picky about those things.

Honestly take a big deep breath, and be honest and realistic with yourself as to what you want vs what you can afford. Many of us here have had to make that decision more than once.

Why not? I was buying another item from them, I figured it couldn't hurt. The shipping was free, I live a state away and I could go there to return, and I wanted to see it for myself, just like I should with the loose sapphires. I "accepted" these imperfections because I couldn't find other replicas like it and this was the closest. I wanted to get it while it was on sale. It bothers me that it costs as much as the original while not having the same quality. It makes no sense that a big company like them would make shoddy jewelry. What's wrong with being picky anyway? If you're going to spend big bucks, the item should be good.

As I said, I would have it custom-made, but that's way out of my budget right now according to previous replies. I'm trying to learn more about gemstones, jewelry, and pricing. Not sure why you sound annoyed by it.

 

[icy_jade]

If you're going to spend big bucks, the item should be good.

I’ve refrained from commenting on most of your threads as I’m quite a noob in terms of CS but...

• You usually get what you pay for. Sure, there are bargains to be found if you are exceptionally savvy or extremely lucky. But otherwise, typically if you go for lower priced items, then some compromises have to be made.
• Good quality gem stones and settings are EXPENSIVE. Even gold is expensive right? I suppose most of us know that. It sounds like from various threads that you are not aware of how pricey good quality gems like sapphires or rubies can be. I strongly suggest you have a look at the various recommended vendors and start browsing for a start. Don’t buy until you can swallow the prices for good quality gems.
  
• $1-2k is peanuts for gems like rubies, sapphires and emeralds. I don’t have a nicer way to say this but I nearly fell off my chair when I clicked on the link you gave earlier. I expected very expensive to mean at least $10k... or maybe at least $5k. Look at it this way, ring settings at $1-2k are considered fairly cheap.

I don’t think anyone wants to be nasty but I’ll strongly suggest that you take the good advice already given by the experienced PS-ers, and do some serious research first. Good luck with your necklace search.

 

[LJsapphire]

I found a site that says Tiffany do a similar one with Lapis Lazuli but when I clicked through it was a sapphire one which is £3,275 so that's quite a lot more than the NSC one.

https://www.tiffany.co.uk/jewelry/n...i+-ni+0-t+color+by+the+yard+necklace&search=1

(i see that's not a cabochon so a bit different)

 

[Shijitake]

I’ve refrained from commenting on most of your threads as I’m quite a noob in terms of CS but...

• You usually get what you pay for. Sure, there are bargains to be found if you are exceptionally savvy or extremely lucky. But otherwise, typically if you go for lower priced items, then some compromises have to be made.
• Good quality gem stones and settings are EXPENSIVE. Even gold is expensive right? I suppose most of us know that. It sounds like from various threads that you are not aware of how pricey good quality gems like sapphires or rubies can be. I strongly suggest you have a look at the various recommended vendors and start browsing for a start. Don’t buy until you can swallow the prices for good quality gems.
  
• $1-2k is peanuts for gems like rubies, sapphires and emeralds. I don’t have a nicer way to say this but I nearly fell off my chair when I clicked on the link you gave earlier. I expected very expensive to mean at least $10k... or maybe at least $5k. Look at it this way, ring settings at $1-2k are considered fairly cheap.

I don’t think anyone wants to be nasty but I’ll strongly suggest that you take the good advice already given by the experienced PS-ers, and do some serious research first. Good luck with your necklace search.

I'm taking their advice, just wanted to learn more about why the necklace is shoddy at its cost. Your reply is helpful, so don't worry about being a newb. As I said, I am a newb too, more so than you, so yes, I really don't know prices for good quality jewelry. I guess I need to take my mindset off of department store prices. (Also the fact that I've never as of yet bought very high quality gemstones/jewelry.)

 

[Shijitake]

I found a site that says Tiffany do a similar one with Lapis Lazuli but when I clicked through it was a sapphire one which is £3,275 so that's quite a lot more than the NSC one.

https://www.tiffany.co.uk/jewelry/n...i+-ni+0-t+color+by+the+yard+necklace&search=1

(i see that's not a cabochon so a bit different)

I've seen that one and it is really pretty! And it's set in platinum <3.

 

[Arcadian]

Why not? I was buying another item from them, I figured it couldn't hurt. The shipping was free, I live a state away and I could go there to return, and I wanted to see it for myself, just like I should with the loose sapphires. I "accepted" these imperfections because I couldn't find other replicas like it and this was the closest. I wanted to get it while it was on sale. It bothers me that it costs as much as the original while not having the same quality. It makes no sense that a big company like them would make shoddy jewelry. What's wrong with being picky anyway? If you're going to spend big bucks, the item should be good.

As I said, I would have it custom-made, but that's way out of my budget right now according to previous replies. I'm trying to learn more about gemstones, jewelry, and pricing. Not sure why you sound annoyed by it.

So.... I laughed at the fact you thought I was annoyed. Not hardly. Look at the date which I joined, which should tell you that what you're doing, I've already been there.

I ask you nothing that I wouldn't ask someone else. You ask for opinions, you're getting opinions. If you don't want opinions, maybe you shouldn't ask for them.

This is a consumer board. As consumers, we need to be very realistic about what we are buying. Yeah the heart may want what it wants but the head needs to be the one in charge about the cost and perceived value. These are the hard realities of buying retail.

Is it shoddy? I don't know, I can only go by the images. but I wouldn't buy it , and especially not from NSC. Little you may know but some of us where here when a lot of shit went down and we got to see it all.

Another thing you'll learn; in retail sometimes price dosen't reflect quality. Price reflects whatever it takes to cover the salaries of everyone involved + enough to make profit.

If custom is out of the budget, then maybe you should wait until it is within budget.

1-2k on a sapphire necklace is really not expensive. Again, you're talking about the salary of the entire supply chain here.

But hey, good luck to you on your necklace, and I certainly hope its acceptable. You're getting plenty of reality based advice so I'll bow out...lol.

Peace & chicken grease X

 

[Shijitake]

So.... I laughed at the fact you thought I was annoyed. Not hardly. Look at the date which I joined, which should tell you that what you're doing, I've already been there.

I ask you nothing that I wouldn't ask someone else. You ask for opinions, you're getting opinions. If you don't want opinions, maybe you shouldn't ask for them.

This is a consumer board. As consumers, we need to be very realistic about what we are buying. Yeah the heart may want what it wants but the head needs to be the one in charge about the cost and perceived value. These are the hard realities of buying retail.

Is it shoddy? I don't know, I can only go by the images. but I wouldn't buy it , and especially not from NSC. Little you may know but some of us where here when a lot of shit went down and we got to see it all.

Another thing you'll learn; in retail sometimes price dosen't reflect quality. Price reflects whatever it takes to cover the salaries of everyone involved + enough to make profit.

If custom is out of the budget, then maybe you should wait until it is within budget.

1-2k on a sapphire necklace is really not expensive. Again, you're talking about the salary of the entire supply chain here.

But hey, good luck to you on your necklace, and I certainly hope its acceptable. You're getting plenty of reality based advice so I'll bow out...lol.

Peace & chicken grease X

The tone of your messages sound annoyed. Maybe you can lighten up your words. I know you're more experienced than me, and I'm not trying to sound like I'm ungrateful, but it's the way you word things.

Not to sound pretentious or anything, but your advice was common sense. Is it within my budget? Yes (I almost bought a $2k blue sapphire that was waay overpriced). Do I want it? Yes. Will I wear it? Of course!

Do I want a custom-made one? Absolutely. But I cut off my budget for a custom made one to increase my budget for a padparadscha.

Jewelry with lower prices have better craftmanship than this, even if their stones are lower quality. I can see it on the website that it wasn't well made. That's what bothers me. I wanted it anyway. But for the price I paid, I'd be better off with the original. That's where the hesitance comes in. I may not know as much as you but just because I'm a newb doesn't mean I don't know anything.

 

[lovedogs]

The tone of your messages sound annoyed. Maybe you can lighten up your words. I know you're more experienced than me, and I'm not trying to sound like I'm ungrateful, but it's the way you word things.

Not to sound pretentious or anything, but your advice was common sense. Is it within my budget? Yes (I almost bought a $2k blue sapphire that was waay overpriced). Do I want it? Yes. Will I wear it? Of course!

Do I want a custom-made one? Absolutely. But I cut off my budget for a custom made one to increase my budget for a padparadscha.

Jewelry with lower prices have better craftmanship than this, even if their stones are lower quality. I can see it on the website that it wasn't well made. That's what bothers me. I wanted it anyway. But for the price I paid, I'd be better off with the original. That's where the hesitance comes in. I may not know as much as you but just because I'm a newb doesn't mean I don't know anything.

I think everyone is trying really hard to be nice and helpful, but you aren't making it easy.

 

[Shijitake]

I think everyone is trying really hard to be nice and helpful, but you aren't making it easy.

I've already responded to those who are helpful and told them so. I've listened to them and just responding to their replies. You haven't made any input on my threads and now you're having problems with me? Just don't read them if you don't like them.

 

[MollyMalone]

It bothers me that it costs as much as the original while not having the same quality.

But for the price I paid, I'd be better off with the original.

A gentle reminder, 'cause I'm not seeing what you gain for yourself by might-have-been's: the Tiffany Elsa Peretti sapphire-diamond Color by the Yard necklace is simply not available (if it ever was) for anywhere near the price of the NSC necklace. Granted it's in platinum (the only metal alloy in which it's currently offered), but with a price tag of $3400, the Tiffany one is almost 3x the cost of the non-sale price of the NSC version in 14K gold.

 

[Shijitake]

A gentle reminder, 'cause I'm not seeing what you gain for yourself by might-have-been's: the Tiffany Elsa Peretti sapphire-diamond Color by the Yard necklace is simply not available (if it ever was) for anywhere near the price of the NSC necklace. Granted it's in platinum (the only metal alloy in which it's currently offered), but with a price tag of $3400, the Tiffany one is almost 3x the cost of the non-sale price of the NSC version in 14K gold.

I'm sure the one she has is different. I remember seeing it on their website a long time ago. It was an oblong cabochon in 18k, $1000. I remember because being just out of college and working just above minimum wage, the price hit me like a brick. And there wasn't a lot of info on the sapphire itself, such as length.

You're right though. What's gone is gone and it's a big regret for me. Sadly, I actually could afford it at the time, because I worked and saved every penny like a scrooge. But I used that money on loans. I really appreciate your help, MollyMalone! That one in platinum though If I can save up and it's still there, I'll let you know

For the record, I really appreciate everyone's help! If I had known about prices earlier, I would've snatched that Kate necklace.

 

[LJsapphire]

Kate has had her necklace since at least 2008 so it has been around a long time.