Talk to me of the star sapphire....

[mrs taylor]

I know nothing. I'm looking at making a purchase and would like it to be an everyday ring. I'm not certain this is wise.

I'm searching through the archives now (and hopefully I'll find great stuff!) but if anyone has tips-what to look for, what to avoid, what makes one desirable etc. I'm all ears!

 

[minousbijoux]

Ooh, I think you should do a search for MakingTheGrade's blue star sapphire. It is like a drop of water with a pronounced star. It sure seems to be the prettiest one I've ever seen because its practically transparent.

 

[mrs taylor]

I'm on it! The search feature does not love me but that sounds worth it!

ETA: it totally is. Here it is for anyone reading:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/reset-star-sapphire-ring-from-sally-photos.157470/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/reset-star-sapphire-ring-from-sally-photos.157470/[/URL]

 

[Burberrygirl]

AmberGretchen has a beautiful pink star sapphire.
https://www.pricescope.com/communit...inherited.134185/page-2#post-2472223#p2472223

 

[Arkteia]

Don't know much except for the star should be pronounced. I mean, the rays.

 

[JewelFreak]

And well centered.

 

[chrono]

A star sapphire is an excellent choice for an everyday ring. Just as with faceted corundum, you have to think about treatment and how fussed you are about it. Some have been etched and/or lead glass filled. There are also many synthetic stars sold.

In terms of quality, look for one that is evenly coloured, preferably with good saturation. It's nice to have a stone that isn't too bottom heavy and is almost flatish for ease of setting. Higher transparency is desired. A strong pronounced star is also desired. The legs don't have to be stick straight as that is almost guaranteed to be synthetic. A well centered star that rolls around easily is also highly desired.

 

[Upgradable]

Here's a very helpful thread from when I was considering buying my star sapphire. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/need-input-on-star-sapphire.119208/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/need-input-on-star-sapphire.119208/[/URL] I'm also attaching a finished picture of the stone set in a James Meyer gold mounting. Very unique and I love it!

 

[Pandora II]

It's hard to find really nice ones and when you do they are expensive!

Getting good colour, transparency, clarity plus a great star and a decent shape that isn't too high, or too low or too wonky is a real search. Unfortunately there are not only a lot of synthetics out there, but corundum can be heated to high temperatures and then cooled in a controlled manner to cause the inclusions needed for asterism to grow - not a synthetic but not what came out of the ground either if that makes sense.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Aw, thank you guys!
I love my star sapphire, I can't tell you how much I enjoy it. I think beautiful asterism stones are highly highly under rated, there is something just magical about them!

I found this article helpful when learning about stars, just scroll down to the section on star sapphires and rubies.
http://www.wildfishgems.com/sapphire_on_photo

ETA: This was my thread in CS with the majority of the photos of the star reset.
https://www.pricescope.com/forum/colored-stones/my-sally-pieces-are-done-t157445-60.html

 

[mrs taylor]

thank you for that! and I totally agree, in fact I wrote to someone just the other day that they were mystical. They just feel otherwordly. So beautiful! I'm off to read!