Unheated Blue Sapphire for Art Deco Mount

[chrono]

I have a very small admission to make. I took a giant leap of faith to buy this from........eBay! *Gasp* The reason I did so is because I wanted an inexpensive 5.5 mm to 5.8 mm blue sapphire to mount into my existing Art Deco setting. I purchased this setting very inexpensively as well and so didn’t want to spend a lot on the stone. Knowing how eBay can be a very dangerous place, I asked many questions and made the sale contingent upon an AIGS memo stating that it is heat only. Knowing that it balances right on the 1.00 ct mark, I knew the stone could measure below 1 ct and accepted that fact because it was more important to me that the stone fit my setting than carat weight. What came back as a surprise and a plus is that AIGS stated that the stone is unheated! I believe the stone to be of Madagascar origin but it has the colour of a “cornflower” Ceylon sapphire.

 

[chrono]

Here’s proof of the AIGS fast track brief with the stats. I’m disappointed that the stone in the picture shows a lot of much glare and was taken at an angle, rather than face on.

 

[chrono]

Here’s the bare stone on my hand taken in the wee hours of the morning before the sun really came out.

 

[chrono]

Another hand shot showing the excellent faceting work.

 

[chrono]

This is the Art Deco setting I mean to set the stone in. It fits perfectly, both size wise and colour wise with the Art Deco period.

 

[chrono]

This is the second empty Art Deco mount that needs a 6 mm round stone. I plopped the sapphire into the setting only for picture taking purposes. It’s too small for the setting, as you can see, because it ‘fell” right to the bottom of the basket. One day, I’ll find the right ruby for this Art Deco setting.

 

[Deia]

Wow! What a great find Chrono, it's a beautiful color and it has a nice cut! Can't go wrong with that NIce suprise that it's unheated as well!

I like it in that first setting too - it's a very delicate setting...adorable.

 

[VapidLapid]

That is fantastic, both the stone and the story. The happy combination of a good eye applied judiciously and some good luck as well! And the ring looks great too!

 

[ma re]

Great stone, great setting!

 

[Kismet]

Gorgeous sapphire! And both mounts are beautiful too.

 

[dzop]

That''s a gorgeous sapphire. Who''s the seller?

 

[chrono]

Date: 3/31/2010 1:40:26 PM
Author: dzop
That''s a gorgeous sapphire. Who''s the seller?

Tan from Gemburionline.

 

[Gailey]

You did good Chrono!

 

[dzop]

Do you have the vendor pic for comparison? I''ve been thinking of buying from Odysseygem/Gemburi but I can''t get a feel for how the color in their pictures on their website/ebay comapare to the color in real-world lighting situations...

 

[Indylady]

Chrono, its beautiful!! I love the richness of that sapphire, and it looks perfect in that setting.

 

[chrono]

Date: 3/31/2010 1:49:11 PM
Author: dzop
Do you have the vendor pic for comparison? I''ve been thinking of buying from Odysseygem/Gemburi but I can''t get a feel for how the color in their pictures on their website/ebay comapare to the color in real-world lighting situations...

Thank you to everyone who commented on the stone and settings. I count myself as partly lucky to get such a good deal.

Dzop,
I still don’t know how to read his pictures and videos. Here is where I admit I had additional help from another PSer and we went through many different choices before narrowing down to this particular stone. I also had Tan give me his opinion on my narrowed down selection of 3 stones. You can see the rutile needles in his picture but as eagle eyed as I am, I cannot see it with the naked eye no matter how I tilted the stone every which way under various lighting. I also worried about the bright reflection off the tweezers but thankfully, it was unnecessary. The sapphire also showed some colour zoning from bottom up to one side of the stone but it is not apparent from the table view.

 

[FrekeChild]

That''s a beautiful blue stone Chrono!

 

[virgoruby]

What a fantastic find! It''s a beautiful sapphire.. & it looks perfect on your art deco setting!

 

[T L]

If you purchased it assuming it was only traditional heating in his listing (Tan states if a stone is heated or unheated in his listings), he would have been on the cautious side, and that means a lot to me as an avid ebayer. Having rutile needles intact in the stone would indicate to me that the stone was unheated. I do agree with you that it''s extremely important to ask a lot of questions, and more importantly the right questions, when purchasing a stone from anyone, including Tan.

Wonderful stone Chrono!! Congrats!! It looks beautiful in your settings.

 

[delayedreaction]

Nice pairing! I hope you find a ruby for that second setting. I'm a big fan of Art Deco.

Date: 3/31/2010 2:09:39 PM
Author: Chrono

Date: 3/31/2010 1:49:11 PM

Author: dzop

Do you have the vendor pic for comparison? I've been thinking of buying from Odysseygem/Gemburi but I can't get a feel for how the color in their pictures on their website/ebay comapare to the color in real-world lighting situations...

Thank you to everyone who commented on the stone and settings. I count myself as partly lucky to get such a good deal.


Dzop,

I still don’t know how to read his pictures and videos.

For the spinel I bought from Tan, the video was pretty close--in real life, it's maybe a half a shade lighter under fluorescent light. I do have a 5500 Kelvin light (home theater backlight), so maybe that accounts for the difference or it could just be the camera sensor, or just monitor differences; I'll check when I get home because I'm curious now. My monitor at work is color calibrated, but it is an LCD. The still pictures are a little more saturated and a shade deeper than the stone is in real life, but you'd still recognize it as the same stone.

I did notice some minor inclusion-like things in the video, Chrono, and I can't find them either. (I'm guessing it was either dust, or my eyes just aren't that good.)

 

[StonieGrl]

Chrono, thank you for sharing the details behind it all. Well done!

Lovely stone and it looks fantastic in the mount you have for it. I''m partial to Art Noveau so of course I was drooling, LOL.

Excellent deal.

 

[enbcfsobe]

great find, Chrono! i love both of those settings! so you mind dishing on where you picked up the one that this is destined to fill?

 

[chrono]

Date: 3/31/2010 3:36:05 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
great find, Chrono! i love both of those settings! so you mind dishing on where you picked up the one that this is destined to fill?

Do you mean the Art Deco settings? I purchased both settings from Pearlman’s in the Antique section at a super discount early last year because they had been sitting in inventory for many months. The simpler setting is platinum and the fancier “square” setting is white gold.

 

[enbcfsobe]

Date: 3/31/2010 3:42:27 PM
Author: Chrono

Date: 3/31/2010 3:36:05 PM
Author: enbcfsobe
great find, Chrono! i love both of those settings! so you mind dishing on where you picked up the one that this is destined to fill?

Do you mean the Art Deco settings? I purchased both settings from Pearlman’s in the Antique section at a super discount early last year because they had been sitting in inventory for many months. The simpler setting is platinum and the fancier “square” setting is white gold.

exactly -- thanks!! i don''t think i''ve ever looked at their "antiques" section. clearly i''ve been missing out!

 

[Arkteia]

I thought it was Tan. Congratulations, great stone and great setting!

 

[oddoneout]

Great price. Great service. Thanks.

 

[Upgradable]

What a great stone!! I love the color and the slight sleepiness. IMO, that''s the perfect look for a sapphire.

Thanks for sharing both your concerns and kudos regarding buying on ebay. I think it is useful to know that there are some "gems" to be found. Congratulations!! The ring will be stunning!

 

[Gempassion]

That is absolutely beautiful... I love art deco settings!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Wow! This is such a great find. It''s so pretty!

 

[cellentani]

Just stunning color Chrono, and it will really pop in that setting! Thanks for sharing your experiences with the vendor - there''s been a lot of discussion about him lately, and he seems to be a great source, providing you do your homework and ask the right questions.