Star sapphire questions

[blumoon]

Hi, I have always loved star sapphires. My grandfather had a ring with one in it and I was fascinated by it. I may ask my grandmother about his ring, maybe she would like to part with it

but I would be surprised if 1. I had the nerve to ask and 2. she said yes.

I would like to have a ring made for me with one. I like the blue color. I have done some looking around on the web and was discouraged at how expensive they are! Oh well, maybe this project will take longer than I expected.

Does anyone know of some reputable sites to begin my search?

What size should I be looking for? I want it to be kinda biggish, I know all gems have a different weight scale (?)
I love the ring a PS''er posted that was her mom''s...surrounded by diamonds..any ideas on what the size was? I dont know how to link but I will try to pull up a picture of it

Any advice on educating myself on these particular stones? I dont want to end up with a Linde...(artificial sapphire). Is there a way to tell an fake stone from a real one?

Last question, Any ideas of what the price would be? I know my specs were a little sketchy but please tell me what you think.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Sorry for all the questions...

 

[blumoon]

Here is the ring I was referring to (I hope it works). Isn't it beautiful? Edited to give credit to the PS'er Indecisive.

 

[TKC]

Date: 7/22/2005 3:31:33 PM
Author: blumoon
Here is the ring I was referring to (I hope it works). Isn''t it beautiful? Edited to give credit to the PS''er Indecisive.

The stone on the ring to me like a diffused star sapphire. I don''t know, don''t take my word

. That is just my opinion. Probably, the experts of star sapphires can give their opinion.

 

[glitterata]

Blumoon, the (beautiful) ring that you posted looks to me like a synthetic (Linde) star sapphire. I''m judging by the color, the opaqueness, and the evenness of the star. I hope the experts will correct me if I''m wrong.

If you like that look, the good news is that synthetic star sapphires aren''t that expensive. However, if you insist on natural stones, make sure you have lots of money in your pocket.

Things that make star sapphires more valuable: an even, centered star; color; and transparency. Opaque, brownish black star sapphires are very inexpensive, but the closer you get to transparent blues with strong, straight, centered stars, the more you have to spend.

 

[blumoon]

No, I really would like a natural star, untreated if possible. Is there any way of distinguishing a Linde from a natural? Some of the Linde stars I have seen on E bay seem to have a wavy star. By the way that is not where I plan to shop!

I am only considering the blue color as that is what appeals to me. I think the cornflower blue is also a good indicator of the price. Sheesh I think I will be saving for years for this project!

It seems like the natural stones are comparable to diamonds in price...gulp.

Does anyone think they can guestimate the carat weigh of the sapphire in the above picture?

Thanks!

 

[widget]

To get a sense of prices, you might check out www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com for natural unheated star sapphires...as I recall they have a range of stones, from moderate to high end.

For more moderately priced stones, checkout www.ajsgems.com .

Both of these vendors have good reputations. It does pay to know your vendor. I made a mistake a couple of years ago. I found this star sapphire in a pawnshop, and was told it was natural. I much later learned that it was a Lindy. (synthetic).

According to that gemologist, Lindys' stars stay in one fixed position as you move the stone around, while the stars in natural stones "move"...

Here's a picture of my boo boo. It's pretty, but worth a lot less than the "bargain" I thought I was getting!

widget

 

[Richard M.]

blumoon and Widget,

blumoon: Original Linde star synthetics (there are many colors) have a small "L" engraved in the bottom. But don''t depend on that when shopping because Linde''s patent expired and unmarked synthetic stars are now manufactured by several companies.

Price is generally your best quick indication of natural vs. synthetic. Synthetics are not very costly. Just be sure you''re shopping with reputable and knowledgeable suppliers. Another indication is that synthetics are almost "too perfect." Very expensive natural star sapphires with the finest body color can be that perfect but most have some noticeable flaw like zoning, one weak "leg" in the star, a visible inclusion, less than ideal body color, etc. If synthetics are translucent enough, telltale clues of the Verneuil process also can be observed: large randomly placed gas bubbles, curved growth lines, etc. Natural star corundums often have visible growth lines (zoning) that are angled, not curved. Some synthetics like the Japanese Inamori stars have imperfections that could lead to a mistaken I.D. as natural.

Widget: You were misinformed about "fixed" and "moving" stars. Stars in both natural and synthetic corundums "move." That is to say the center of the star seems to travel up and down, side to side or in apparent circles as the stone is turned in the light. But they return to a "fixed" basic position when viewed from a top-down angle.

 

[rubydick]

Richard M. seems to have it right here. The original Linde stars featured an engraved L on the back, but those are rare today.

One thing you can do is look at the back of the gem. If it''s flat and polished, it''s probably synthetic. To my eye, it is most likely a Verneuil synthetic star sapphire, with a slight chance it is a surface-diffused star. Even smaller chance it is natural, but the only way to know for sure is to have it tested.

 

[widget]

Thanks for straightening me out, Richard and Richard!

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[rubydick]

Date: 7/22/2005 10:24:19 PM
Author: widget
Thanks for straightening me out, Richard and Richard!

widget

No straightening needed. Your advice is always spot on.