The Natural Sapphire Company

[zoebartlett]

Has anyone ever been to TNSC''s factory in New York City? If so, what was your experience like? I know it''s not a store but you can make an appt. to visit. We''re thinking of going in the spring.

 

[rockzilla]

I haven''t been but I''d like to hear the responses.

RZ

 

[Linda W]

I would love to visit them. That is where I have purchased my Padparadscha sapphires from. Hopefully, dh and I will get to New York again. I will certainly make an appointment to visit them.




Linda

 

[Aurelia]

I''ve posted about my experience at NSC and with Stephen Bliss before -- https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/natural-sapphire-eternity-band-natural-sapphire-company.53356/

Great experience! Friendly, knowledgable, and SO many beautiful stones.

I have a 3 carat natural sapphire eternity band from them in platinum that I absolutely adore.

I will definetly be going back to them in the future! A+ on all accounts (especially service -- easy mailing/resizing/custom work!!)

Let me know if you have any specific questions : )

Aurelia

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Aurelia,

Thanks for the link to you previous thread. I think I had actually read that once but forgot that you had gone to TNSC. I''m assuming you call them to set up an appt. ahead of time and tell them what color, shape, etc. you want to see. What happens next? Is it advisable to get a stone first and then look for a mounting that will accomodate the stone? What did you think of the mountings they had? I wasn''t as impressed at the mountings that are shown online as I was with the sapphires themselves. I''m basically curious to hear what the whole process was like, from beginning to end. Thanks again!

 

[Aurelia]

Zoe,

I emailed & phoned back and forth with Mr. Bliss for a while actually before making a trip down to NYC with my fiance. We had been looking for an engagement ring (traditional) for a while but I hadn''t fallen in love with anything. I saw an el-cheapo sapphire eternity band on ebay (no way was that a possibility but it was good for brain-storming) and then went on a quest to find something similar. We went back and forth about total carat weight, size of stones, shape of stones, etc... I really liked their princess-cut channel set full eternity band but wanted to be absolutely sure that this was it. We talked a lot about natural versus heat-treated sapphires, pros & cons, etc. I ended up going with all natural - just like my milk : )

I think part of the problem is that I''m not much of a setting person -- anything more ornate than a solitaire looks kind of busy to me and yet solitaires look kind of boring. I know - I''m insulting everyone! But I really liked the eternity band and it''s simplicity yet it''s vibrant color! So I didn''t spend much time looking at settings specifically when I was there. He showed me a few sapphire solitaire rings just for kicks and they were gorgeous -- nothing particularly intricate or unique, but very well-made, delicate yet sturdy settings. Very pretty - but definetly not the focus. Their passion is the stones so if you''re looking for something incredible like a Leon setting, perhaps look elsewhere?

I am sure they will sell you a stone separately, but I''m not sure how hard it is to build a setting for a specific stone - they might need it in person to do exact measurements? or maybe it''s just a matter of doing it custom? I''m really not sure about that.

When I made the appointment we really weren''t sure what to expect. Honestly I was a bit nervous. You have to get buzzed in (REALLY tight security there... they have some wonderful sign that says something about robbers getting shot... no I am NOT kidding!) and signed in and escorted everywhere. Not creepy, just thorough! Then we met in a small office with a huge safe in it that had lots of loose stones and finished rings. We talked again about what I was looking for, measured my finger, etc... we looked at a bunch (like maybe 15) different types of eternity bands, though the 1st one was the one I thought I wanted) and ended up deciding on the 1st... but it was definetly fun looking at all those options. He showed us a big range of loose stones, talked about how it should fit, the definite possibility of re-sizing it in the future if need be (even though it''s a full eternity band)... all very comfortable, not intimidating or over-the-top snobby or anything. My fiance and I are not into the whole NY scene but this felt just fine to us

Anyhow, let me know if you have more questions -- hope this helps a bit!

Aurelia