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Trying to find a blue-green sapphire

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ras9zg

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
5
Hi ! Total complete newbie here, but found this Forum and the advice on gemstone buying and what to look for has been a real eye opener (in a wonderful way).

My partner and I are looking for an economical - but nice - sapphire engagement ring; however, before this Forum we were looking at the usual suspects: Etsy, Natural Sapphire Company, Brilliant Earth, Blue Nile, etc. I've realized since reading posts that a lot of jewelry places only show stock photos and not the actual stone you get - leading me to now think I should concentrate on finding the perfect stone first and determining a setting at a later date.

I stumbled across this beauty (http://johndyergems.com/catalog_pages/gemstone-Sapphire2838.html) but it's sold ;(

Does anyone have any other ideas of where to find a blue-green hued sapphire? I don't have many demands, other than a nice color, it could probably be heat treated only, and I prefer "emerald cut" or round.

Thanks for any advice! I really appreciate it!

ps: any other tips on gem buying is much appreciated. It's completely overwhelming, but fun!
 
Your strategy of finding the stone first and then the setting is good as it sounds like you want a beautiful stone. If you purchase a stone with in a standard calibrated size, you can use a stock setting instead of buying custom; this will save you $.

Gemfix has pictures of actual stones. You may want to consider having more than 1 stone sent to you as they will different in person, and under different sources of light:
http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html
 
I would concentrate on looking at Montana and Australian sapphires.

pregcurious already linked to gemfix, which has a bunch of droolworthy stones, but I'd also look at:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/MountainMommaGems (this is where I got mine - I think I got a nice value. The cut is better in person than in her pictures, but otherwise her photos are very accurate. Its color shifts a little bit which I find interesting).

http://blazengems.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1 (haven't bought here but will be buying a small sapphire from him for a bridesmaid's gift. Shop owner is very helpful and communicative, and though pics on the website aren't super fantastic, he will send you more, in different kinds of light, etc.)

http://mastercutgems.com/ (check under sapphires, but also the guest cutter, grey weaver, sale, and other links on the site, or email him. There's one that's been on his "guest cutter" page for a while, it was one of the ones I was interested in actually)

http://www.litnon.com has some montana sapphires as well.
 
another vote for a Montana sapphire.
I also like the Australian sapphires but I think you will find many are darker and more zoned.
 
Having just finished the same search, this stone was my inspiration the whole way through:



It's #371 in Montana sapphires at Gemfix, if you're interested. Or Dan Stair at http://www.customgemstones.com/ has one on his site and one in his ebay store. Look through the trusted vendors list. Oh, and I don't know if you've seen this already, but some sites will list blue green sapphires under green sapphires, so don't forget to check there.

sapphire_montana_371_a.jpg
 
You've already gotten lots of good advice from folks more knowledgeable than me, but here are my additional 2 cents...
If you'd like people to suggest specific sapphires, it's helpful to provide a budget (it can be a range, or a max amount) for the stone. (Keep in mind that you'll need to also set aside an amount of your total budget for the setting.)

Please also keep in mind that there are some lurkers who tend to purchase stones once they're identified on these forums. :(( Thus, if you see something that really fits the bill, and from a seller who has a good return policy and solid reputation, you might need to jump quickly.

You're lucky in that blue-green isn't the color of sapphire that most people prefer, so it tends to be priced more affordably than the pure blue or blue with purple modifier stones. However, in my limited experience, this also makes blue-green sapphires harder to find. More than once, I've heard people recommend contacting preferred vendors directly becuase they may have cut stones or rough not posted on their websites.

Finally, Here's a round sapphire available on Master Cut Gems that has a deep blue-green color that I think is really pretty:
http://mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=294&id=6678..
(This might be the one to which DeskJockey was referring.)

Good luck on your hunt! I adore blue-green colors and hope you find something lovely!
 
also, contact gene at http://www.precisiongem.com/
he's also just back from the Tucson show and may have picked up some nice rough to cut.
 
Also try Bespoke gems. I received an email from him last night stating the following:

"I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be seeing my gem rough dealer on the weekend. He has just arrived back from Tuscon so I hoping there will be some goodies there to pick from. So, if anyone is chasing something in particular, please let me know by the end of the week. I have a list of orders for certain stones already that I will try and fill.

If you are looking for something, send me an email letting me know what type of stone (or colour), the shape/design you would like it to cut and the target size in millimeters, eg. a blue tourmaline that will cut a 7 or 8mm round brilliant.

Cheers,
Doug Menadue...
WWW.BESPOKE-GEMS.COM""
 
Thank you everyone! This has been so helpful! I spent a long time yesterday evening scouring the links you all posted and found some I did indeed like.

As for those asking for budget - looking to spend around $1000 probably for the stone and then purchase setting after (bringing the total price around or under $2700). Do you think this is reasonable and I can have a nice ring from it?

I have to admit though, as I was looking yesterday at settings, I wasn't quite sure how I could tell what size sapphire would fit what size setting. I know the measurements are done in mm, but often on websites, I was only able to find "this setting works with a diamond of x size." Are sapphires sized the same or no?

Again - massive thanks for all the help!
 
You can totally do it on that budget. We skimped on the setting, and got one from the clearance case at a local jeweler. Our total cost, stone + setting, was $1700. You should have no problem getting a nicer setting than we did, either by scouring for used/vintage ones, or looking at good value type places. A great place to start (and I almost got one of these... still might when we "upgrade" the setting in the future) is Gabriel & Co. Pricing seems reasonable, nice designs, and from reading other forums here, quality is good.

Size wise, generally a 6.5 mm stone is the equivalent in diameter to a 1 carat diamond. But a sapphire of that diameter will weigh more, carat-wise, than a diamond would (partly a difference in the stone itself, and partly because a well cut sapphire will be deeper top to botton than a diamond, to best show it off). Here's a chart that lists the mm size of diamonds, it's helpful so you can look at a setting and see if it's the right diameter for your stone (like, if the setting is for a half-carat diamond, you can look and see what that actually translates to):

http://www.ajediam.com/Sizes-of-Diamonds.html

Even with that you may have to be careful - again diamonds aren't as deep as sapphires, generally, so a setting that is the right width may occasionally be too shallow (mine is right at the edge - if the stone was even a hair deeper it wouldn't fit).
 
ras9zg|1393422212|3623347 said:
Thank you everyone! This has been so helpful! I spent a long time yesterday evening scouring the links you all posted and found some I did indeed like.

As for those asking for budget - looking to spend around $1000 probably for the stone and then purchase setting after (bringing the total price around or under $2700). Do you think this is reasonable and I can have a nice ring from it?

I have to admit though, as I was looking yesterday at settings, I wasn't quite sure how I could tell what size sapphire would fit what size setting. I know the measurements are done in mm, but often on websites, I was only able to find "this setting works with a diamond of x size." Are sapphires sized the same or no?

Again - massive thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...

Thats quite a nice budget for your ring? Do you have a setting in mind? Is that why you have such a strict budget for the stone? DJ is right, Gabriel and co is a great place to find settings... Im dont want to bombard you with ideas if you already have one , but there are settings like this that are a very fair price and lovely. that would leave you 2k for the stone. There are lots at gemfix under that that are quite lovely.

If you do have a setting in mind, do share! Id love to see. :wavey:
 
for that budget you could probably go on holidays to sri lanka getting your two rings done in ratnapura.
nobody there wants greenish blue sapphires.
you might get each ring (custom) for 650$ at max.-gems included

seriously..
 
ras9zg|1393344087|3622649 said:
Does anyone have any other ideas of where to find a blue-green hued sapphire? I don't have many demands, other than a nice color, it could probably be heat treated only, and I prefer "emerald cut" or round.
Click to expand...

Most sapphires which look like the one that you've shown originate in Australia or East Africa and are fairly easy to find. The blue and green colors come from light traveling in different directions through the crystal and then getting "mixed" when the stone is cut. if you do a search on E-bay for, "Australian sapphire rough" you can see some pretty good images of the shapes that the rough can be had in. These stones are often shaped like a "dogs tooth" with the blue color along the long axis of the crystal and the green color showing when looking across the crystal. The finished stone will look different depending on where the table is placed during cutting and it can be a challenge knowing how it will turn out before one's finished with the cutting.

Anyway, to find a stone like this I would suggest e-mailing the usual custom cutters and seeing what they have in their Box 'O Rocks as all of us cutters tend to accumulate a small hoard of these sorts of stones. Also make a point of asking about how green the green axis is. Some are a muddy khaki green and some are a bright, almost emerald green. The brighter the green, the more attractive the finished stone IMO.
 
Michael_E|1393455430|3623709 said:
ras9zg|1393344087|3622649 said:
Does anyone have any other ideas of where to find a blue-green hued sapphire? I don't have many demands, other than a nice color, it could probably be heat treated only, and I prefer "emerald cut" or round.
Click to expand...

Most sapphires which look like the one that you've shown originate in Australia or East Africa and are fairly easy to find. The blue and green colors come from light traveling in different directions through the crystal and then getting "mixed" when the stone is cut. if you do a search on E-bay for, "Australian sapphire rough" you can see some pretty good images of the shapes that the rough can be had in. These stones are often shaped like a "dogs tooth" with the blue color along the long axis of the crystal and the green color showing when looking across the crystal. The finished stone will look different depending on where the table is placed during cutting and it can be a challenge knowing how it will turn out before one's finished with the cutting.

Anyway, to find a stone like this I would suggest e-mailing the usual custom cutters and seeing what they have in their Box 'O Rocks as all of us cutters tend to accumulate a small hoard of these sorts of stones. Also make a point of asking about how green the green axis is. Some are a muddy khaki green and some are a bright, almost emerald green. The brighter the green, the more attractive the finished stone IMO.
Click to expand...

Michael_E this is totally off topic but what kind of a stone is that in your avatar and where did you get it? It looks amazing!
 
Crystal72384|1393534759|3624209 said:
Michael_E this is totally off topic but what kind of a stone is that in your avatar and where did you get it? It looks amazing!
Click to expand...

The magic of photography at play with that sapphire. In most lighting conditions it is a very deep blue...so I "fixed" it. I took the shot with a very bright LED ring light and that really brought out the color in the stone. It would never look like that under any normal lighting conditions, but the shot looks neat so I kept it. I would NEVER use that shot to sell the piece...unless it was going on E-Bay, (which it didn't) :saint: / :devil:
 
Thanks, Michael, that's a great tip about the green axis.
 
Niel|1393798873|3626009 said:
maybe?
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/blue-green-nigerian-sapphire/
Click to expand...

Wow. Loving this! :love:

I've also been stalking this stone every day - any opinions?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/129669774/color-change-genuine-montana-sapphire?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest

Thanks to the poster above who mentioned Mountain Momma on etsy. Her gemstone colors are very much in the "look" of what I am going for. I had no idea I could find such nice loose gemstones on Etsy of all places.
 
ras9zg|1393877833|3626647 said:
I've also been stalking this stone every day - any opinions?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/129669774/color-change-genuine-montana-sapphire?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest
Click to expand...

That's the same cut as the one I have - it looks great in person, though you will see tilt windows fairly easily (you can see them in her pictures too - they look like hearts). Lots of sparkle with the cut. I like the color of that one, it is bluer than a lot of the ones I've seen and I think less grey (the better eyes here can probably make a better determination on that). Since she mentions the color shifting, if you get it, carry it around with you a bit to see how it does in different kinds of light (mine goes straight green under LEDs, grey-blue at work under flourescent, more blue at home under incandescent, silver in the bathroom, and does its best teal outside in indirect or slightly overcast light). Make sure you like it in all lights. She has a reasonable return policy and is easy to deal with. About all I can say :) Keep in mind I am a newbie to "real" colored stones, so if other people pipe up, definitely listen to what they have to say. :)
 
Oh fun hope it's just as lovely in person.

Do tell. What are you thinking for the setting??
 
I contacted Gemart about a dark blue sapphire, and he responded that the closest he has in my preferred size is a blue-green Montana sapphire. This one: http://gemartservices.com/stones.php?id=monsapp002 1.76 ct, just over $1K. The website says sold, but it's a return. He sent me more lovely photos, but I decided to stick to dark blue. I see you bought a stone online yesterday, but if that one doesn't work out, this may be an option for you. Good luck!
 
Niel said:
is this ring for you or your partner? I think that ring is neat. very unique like the sapphire color.

if you were going for a most classic route i think this setting is cool for a pear. and the gold would be a nice color with the stone

http://erstwhilejewelry.com/product-item/1-42-carat-pear-shaped-diamond-antique-engagement-ring/
Click to expand...

+1 on that vintage setting, though I think I'm biased to slightly misshapen old-cut diamonds in a halo. just to throw an idea out there - how about a bypass design? pears seem to lend themselves so well to the style!
 
Hopefully this is OK to post about, but I'm Jeff Hapeman, the owner of Earth's Treasury. I post here occasionally. I stumbled across this post while looking around and realized that it was started by my customer while she was in her search. She sent me some photos of her with the ring taken by her engagement photographer and she gave me permission to post them online as long as I credit the photographer.

I actually like the darker blue and blue-green sapphires from Nigeria and Australia. You definitely don't see them as much as you should, but that's in part because the gem treaters in Thailand and Sri Lanka have developed a way to treat them with beryllium that lightens them up and removes the green component. They are then sold as sapphires from other more "desirable" localities, typically with no disclosure on the treatment or at most disclosed as heated, since the costs to detect beryllium treatment can be quite high. I have one large sapphire from Nigeria that I faceted from a huge 41-carat crystal. I have received a lot of inquiries on that stone from Sri Lanka and Thailand--no doubt because it would be very profitable to treat a stone like that, and if the color came out right, the value would skyrocket.

Anyway, without further ado, I am attaching the photo she sent me. Photo Credit: Flavia Catena Photography

10519759_594313764018830_3797595520046739838_o.jpg
 
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