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The Natural Sapphire Company Experience

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panastas

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
12
.... so far :)

Hi all,

I am planning to propose to my girlfriend and I find diamonds a bit overused and common so the blue hues of the sapphires caught my eye for an engagement ring.

Living in London, which is probably the most expensive place to buy anything really, I embarked on an online quest to find the perfect ring for her.

Naturally I came across TNSC website which caught my eye with all the amazing stones and rings they have.

Then naturally I came across some of the good publicity they have and a lot of the really bad one which made me think and double think about where my money would be going an how much bang for my buck I would be getting.

I read about their terrible customer service, their refusal to get GIA certificates for their stones, and their 300% more expensive prices.

I was / am being served by Caitlyn who has been fantastic in helping me chose the ring, very responsive in her emails and very informative.

The ring she help me chose looks beautiful, she even went through the trouble of wearing it next to other candidate rings and take iPhone pics / videos so I can better decide. The ring on the iPhone pic / video looks even better than their website so unless Caitlyn is a photoshop expert on top of a gemologist it seems to me the representation on their website is accurate.

She has also agreed to send it for a GIA report free of charge.

Now to the pricing issue. My budget was around $30,000 and i am spending just over that for a 7.17ct unheated stone in a platinum setting with 2 half moon side diamonds weighing just under 1ct in total.

I have looked all the major online retailers James Allen, Blue Nile, Gemsny, jewellers in UK, Costco!! and I feel the price is reasonable.

I could perhaps find something cheaper say around 10% cheaper or so but certainly not 50% or anything silly like that (thats keeping my search in the western world from reputable sellers - I am not travelling to Sri Lanka anytime soon so pick up sapphires!!)

Of course the ring will be independently and professionally appraised when i get it so I don't want to jump into conclusions regarding their pricing but if after a few weeks of searching i can't find something significantly cheaper i am either searching on all the wrong places or the ring is priced accurately.

I have attached a pic Caitlyn sent me with the ring (its the 3-stone one) and will update the topic when I have received the ring with the GIA report!!

Thanks for reading

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Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Based on this photo the stone and setting look amazing!
Could you also post their website pic and video of the stone?

I am sure your girlfriend will be amazed by the stunning ring and thought and effort you have put into the process. Does your girlfriend like blue stones/sapphires or is it a complete surprise?
 
Thanks for the link. The ring looks amazing.
Will she combine it with a wedding band?

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Why are the website photos so much lighter blue, did you ask them? Is it just a shadow?
 
You might find diamonds overused and common, but is your girlfriend going to be happy with a sapphire? Assuming that she is, it looks to be a very nice ring, though the sapphire looks to be a lighter, brighter blue on the website, so definitely request more photos for an accurate idea of true color. I hope she is thrilled with the ring!
 
I have looked all the major online retailers James Allen, Blue Nile, Gemsny, jewellers in UK, Costco!! and I feel the price is reasonable.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you found a ring you love, I just wanted to share though for others who will inevitably stumble into this thread, that these online stores are not whereany would look for top quality sapphires
 
panastas|1443877826|3934435 said:
I tried to upload a video but I can't upload .mov files :(

This is a link to the website details http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/p-46084-blue-sapphire-ring-j2906/

The colour is a surprise although my GF likes anything sparkly so I hope it will do the trick!!!
Click to expand...


That's a lot of money to spend on a surprise. Hopefully she's indicated she wants a sapphire, and this isn't a "shell like whatever I buy her" situation.


Again though, thank you for sharing your experience!
 
Welcome!! :wavey: Thanks for sharing your experience and ring journey with us! Seeing your budget and the fact that this will be a surprise gives me some heart palpitations. I have to echo some of the other posters' sentiments: Just make sure a sapphire engagement ring is something she would really, truly want... this is an extremely important ring!!

That being said, the ring is beautiful. I adore trillion side stones on a cushion center stone. I am concerned about the difference in pictures as well. I would ask for plenty of pictures in various lighting conditions. Also, make sure NSC's return policy is good and you have plenty of time to inspect the ring should you get it. Keep us updated!!
 
I hate to be a jerk but when I saw the topic of this thread I thought "somebody with a low post count singing NSC's praises..." I opened it up and it was just that, somebody with 2 posts singing NSC's praises. This isn't the first time I have seen this on these boards and I doubt it'll be the last. This reeks of a shill. If it isn't I apologize, but I would bet money that it is.
 
Thanks for all the answers and the interest!!

GregS --> I am not in any way shape or form affiliated with TNSC and as I mentioned this is my experience SO FAR. I wanted to write it because $30k is a ton of money to spend on a ring and wanted to get other people's (more experienced than me) opinions. The customer service has indeed been great (although i appreciate the true service begins AFTER the ring has been purchased), they have agreed to a free GIA report and pricing SEEMS to my inexperienced eye kind of ok.

Niel --> I appreciate these large online vendors may not be the top choice for finding a top quality sapphire. Can you guide me to vendors who are? Please bear in mind my geographical location (London). I am definitely open to suggestions!!!

Arabella --> My plan is to pick up the ring in person when I visit NY in a couple of months time. If it's not what I want it will be returned on the spot so hopefully that will take care of any refund policies.

I hadn't really noticed the darker color in the iPhone pics, but alarmingly its probably even more profound in the video (which sadly i cannot upload to show you). I will definitely ask for more pics and videos from TNSC.

Thank you for the input and any further assistance is greatly appreciated
 
On NSC's website the ring is $41,350 USD?
 
Will the vendor reserve the stone for a couple of months until you pick it up in NYC?
When would you pay for it? It's possible the return period expires after a while so please ensure what their policy is.
 
Lovinggems --> NSC have been considerate of my budget and the ring has been agreed at just over $30k

Acinom --> Yes I very much intend to. Their policy states that the return period starts from when the ring is collected. I have suggested i pay a deposit to hold the ring for me. We will see how that goes!!
 
You could also consider this one from Johannes Orstadius (from Gothenburg, Sweden). It's 5,05 ct and the asking price is 19.922 USD.
According to a PS friend of mine he is a very nice and reliable guy. He sells via the Facebook page 'Fine faceted gems and cabs market'. More photo's of the stone can be seen there. You have to become a member first. There are a lot of PS vendors selling there as well like Jeff Davies, Jim Mc Cormick, Chris Auletta, Jason Brim and others.

More photo's on his FB page.

I live on the Netherlands were engagement rings are not as common as in the US. I think the UK also has a totally different engagement ring culture? It will be good though to review what is common in your girlfriend's social circle and more importantly whether she would rather prefer a diamond over a sapphire. If you are not sure it could be worth it to propose with a symbolic ring and then pick out the ring together which could be a lot of fun!! And by doing that you ensure that it's THE ring for you future wife before you splurge a hefty amount.

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Usually people find here it the best savings to buy the stone and setting separately. Though with your budget some. Ice rings can be found that already include graded stones.

If 30 k is your budget we can certainly help you look for alternatives. But I'd you're set on the NSC stone then no reason to bombard you with alternative rings. ::)
 
Acinom --> Thank you for the suggestion the stone looks amazing. I have already been in touch with the seller!!!

Niel --> I have no particular interest to buy a ring from TNSC other than i really like this one and its what i feel a fair price. It's also convenient and i can return it easily (hopefully). Buying a stone separately, finding the jeweller, setting it etc would need to have a considerable saving to be worth it. It would definitely be much easier going down that route if I decided to take Acinom's advice and propose with a symbolic ring and then create a ring together with my GF.
 
I can second that Johannes is a great guy and well respected seller. His prices always seem quite fair, and hes very responsive to all questions. That stone is a beauty, and I would definitely recommend looking into it more :) my guess is that it will be a much better value for the money than the NSC option.
 
Going by the color is the latest stone heated?
 
The vendor says unheated and will send it to a lab of your choice.
 
Hi

As you're not tied into the sapphire as of yet I feel free to say it is not a top colour sapphire (as far as trade ideals are concerned).

It's fine, and to be honest I have no idea what price is reasonable in that carat range - maybe top colour would be many $$$$s more, but for me there is zoning, silk where I don't want it, I would want to go one notch darker in colour (arguable depending on taste) and 2 notches stronger in saturation. I also see some violet in it, again a matter of personal taste, but a bit too much for my personal taste when shopping for a blue sapphire (some will disagree).

It will make a pretty ring however if the sapphire is ideal to your personal taste, which is, after all, the thing that is most important (of course your taste and that of your fiancee's).

The question I'd want to pose is - am I paying over the odds for a sapphire that is a few notches off trade ideal.

Have a look here. I'd consider this trade ideal
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-have-my-dream-sapphire-now-i-need-to-set-it.172176/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-have-my-dream-sapphire-now-i-need-to-set-it.172176/[/URL]

If that was my budget I would contact Richard Hughes in Thailand I think he is now, and ask him to find me one. He did so for the lady above. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-dream-sapphire-found.172133/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-dream-sapphire-found.172133/[/URL]
I would also go down to 3 to 4 carats to get better colour for my budget. These are just my thoughts, feel free to do with them what you wish.

Finally, bringing the ring into the UK, be aware of VAT (and duty too on finished jewellery).
 
Thank you all for the very informative replies!!!

I have already been in touch with Johaness who is very responsive and is obtaining a video for the stone plus is looking at a few more around the 5-7ct range.

He has offered to fly to UK from Sweden to show them to me if i make up my mind for one of them which is great!!

I think i am bing sold on the idea of looking across the globe for the right stone and then setting it - it makes it that much more special!!!

I also much prefer to support a smaller business so lets see how it goes i'll keep you posted.

Thank you!!
 
It'll be interesting to hear what you think! Do report back :)
 
Glad to hear it's looking like you're going to find a dream stone! Let us know how it goes, and definitely post pics once you've seen some of these beauties in hand!
 
THese are very grey and have extinction (too many dark areas). Compare these stones to the sapphire in acinom's avatar, which is more of the optimal vivid color. At least if you're going to get a more denim grey sapphire, then spend less, and make sure it's cut well so that you don't see a window or too much extinction.

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Some colour inspiration.
This ring was posted today on Leon Mege's FB page. It looks like a gorgeous blue and according to his post he can source this colour. Leon's prices are on the high end of the scale and make sure you read reviews about his reputation before you contact him.

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Niel|1444064684|3935026 said:
Here's one that seems promising. He had it at "offer", so I might contact him and say, I'd like this stone in a diamond setting of some sort for 39k, see what he can do.

https://leonmege.com/portfolio/elite-gemstones/3.01-ct-natural-royal-blue-sapphire-006522-detail
Click to expand...

Promising indeed Niel!
I would indeed contact Leon by mail or phone (his location is NYC) in case you are interested. If you make an offer directly via the site it cannot be returned.
Please note that most colored stones face up smaller compared to diamonds with comparable carat weight.
 
I am not sure these are the optimum colour in the UK where the original poster is from though. The blues look too bright for our country.
 
Thanks for the continued advice its much appreciated!!!

I attach the video of the NSC ring just to rest my mind in peace for that one since it was my original choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6B2p-pKsJg&feature=youtu.be

Let me know if you still think its such a bad buy.

The Leon Mege stone looks lovely but I think I want some more size so at $28k 3ct is too expensive for me even with some negotiating!!
 
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