URGENT NEED PRICING ON THIS GIA CEYLON SAPPHIRE 3.1 CT!!

[chocolateorange]

I am interested in buying this sapphire that is going up for private auction shortly. Can you please provide me with an auction estimate for the stone? Included are pictures as well as the GIA report. It is a 3.1 ct untreated GIA certified Ceylon Sapphire in modified cushion cut.

 

[chocolateorange]

hmm...I seem to be getting views but no replies. Perhaps leave me a comment on whether you think the stone is good or not? Appreciate any and all help/comments. Thanks!

 

[T L]

hmm...I seem to be getting views but no replies. Perhaps leave me a comment on whether you think the stone is good or not? Appreciate any and all help/comments. Thanks!

I think it's very pretty, not top quality for sure, but it has a lovely medium to medium light tone, nice cutting, and it appears to have a slightly violetish blue color. Sapphire prices are crazy these days, so it's hard to give an accurate price on something without knowing if the photos are accurate. Too bad they don't have an AGL prestige report with color analysis on it. That would help.

 

[ChrisA222]

TL, can you explain in a little better detail why this stone "isn't top quality for sure" for some of us that are learning? I know many on this site are going Sapphire-Crazy lately...so whatever more info you can share would be beneficial.

To me, it looks great, maybe not ideal tone of color...as TL reported "medium to medium light" wheras AFAIK top color would be medium to medium dark, no? And shouldn't we see brilliancy throughout the stone, instead of the bright center and darker sides in most of the shots? Or am I wrong about that? I'm kind of new when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I'm very curious if what I'm saying is right, in addition to what TL can expand upon in her post.

I have to say, if that stone is at a good price, I'd certainly like it! Especially unheated/untreated. TL, if the photos are true to life, what is a good number on that stone?

 

[T L]

TL, can you explain in a little better detail why this stone "isn't top quality for sure" for some of us that are learning? I know many on this site are going Sapphire-Crazy lately...so whatever more info you can share would be beneficial.

To me, it looks great, maybe not ideal tone of color...as TL reported "medium to medium light" wheras AFAIK top color would be medium to medium dark, no? And shouldn't we see brilliancy throughout the stone, instead of the bright center and darker sides in most of the shots? Or am I wrong about that? I'm kind of new when it comes to this kind of stuff, so I'm very curious if what I'm saying is right, in addition to what TL can expand upon in her post.

I have to say, if that stone is at a good price, I'd certainly like it! Especially unheated/untreated. TL, if the photos are true to life, what is a good number on that stone?

It has a slight greyish cast, in particular in the last photo. Compare it with a top Kashmir-like sapphire, and you'll see what I mean. That doesn't mean it's a horrible stone, or inferior by any means. I'm comparing it to a stone with more vivid saturation like this one I just picked off the net. I have no idea where this stone comes from, or even if the photo is accurate for color, but I'm just trying to give you an example of what I consider to be vivid saturation with no grey. I really like the tone of the above stone, as I'm not a fan of medium darks unless they have very strong saturation, which is pretty rare to find, and very costly.

 

[chocolateorange]

Thank you, I have decided not to bid on this stone.

 

[movie zombie]

personally, i think it was a mistake not to bid on that stone....within the constraints of your budget, of course. a kasmir is not a ceylon and the reverse. if you're looking top color you're going to pay top price. you might have gotten that ceylon sapphire for a reasonable price. your $, your decision.

why do i think you should have bid? because its certainly not the worst blue sapphire i've seen being considered for purchase and/or actually purchased. but there is no way we could give you a $ amount because as TL stated, blue sapphire prices are out of sight because everyone thinks they have to have one.

good luck in your search.

 

[distracts]

personally, i think it was a mistake not to bid on that stone....within the constraints of your budget, of course. a kasmir is not a ceylon and the reverse. if you're looking top color you're going to pay top price. you might have gotten that ceylon sapphire for a reasonable price. your $, your decision.

why do i think you should have bid? because its certainly not the worst blue sapphire i've seen being considered for purchase and/or actually purchased. but there is no way we could give you a $ amount because as TL stated, blue sapphire prices are out of sight because everyone thinks they have to have one.

good luck in your search.

Yes, personally if I had the money for it, I would definitely be interested in that one. I think sometimes a lot of people rush in to say "not top quality!" without taking the time to explain that "not top quality" doesn't mean "not desirable." They are trying to warn you that you shouldn't pay top prices for that sapphire, because it is lighter and greyer than the kind that would command top prices. Just doing quick comps of things that look like they MIGHT be like the sapphire posted, I am getting prices from $4,000-$12,000. With a range like that, you can see why people are reluctant to speculate on a fair price. Pictures, and even the GIA report, do not give enough information to make that determination.

However... personally I like my sapphires with a dose of grey or violet. I find the top color to be a bit too much BLAMO!BLUE!!HELLO! for my taste in a big stone. I would like a little one though!

 

[chrono]

The sapphire you posted may not the top quality but it's not something to sneeze at either. It's a lovely medium toned, strongly saturated stone. The indoor picture shows a grayish cast but it isn't that terrible. Since it is an auction (and depending on how desperate you are to score this sapphire), I would not bid more than $10K total max. Personally, I would stay between $4K and $6K, but as you can tell, I'm not crazy about blue sapphires.

 

[minousbijoux]

I guess it also depends on how aggressive a price you would want to pay. For a long time, until the Kate/Diana ring, you could buy decent quality, non-precision cut, 2+ unheated Ceylons for about $1,000 - $1,500/ct. Above 3 carats, there would be a price jump. I haven't followed prices lately. But I would not pay more than $2,000/ct for that stone. Actually, I don't care for the stone's medium saturation, which does read as somewhat greyish, so I personally wouldn't bid on the stone. I appreciate the others here who like the saturation level and lighter tone. Chaqu'un son gout.

 

[T L]

It's also important to note that even if you do bid, is there a return policy if it doesn't pan out to the color you like IRL? Is the vendor reputable? You have to be very careful these days and deal only with highly reputable vendors when spending a great deal of money, because once they get your money, you may never see it back again if things don't work out right.

 

[slksapphire]

chocolateorange,

i think you probably made the right decision not to bid on that stone, mainly because it sounds like you haven't had enough time to do research on stones of that type and origin (let's say, above 3 ct unheated oval).

i don't know about current pricing for 3ct unheated stones, but i recently purchased a 5ct+ unheated ceylon sapphire and saw pricing from about $5,000/ct up to about $15,000/ct (for a burma). i think i saw about 20+ stones in order to get comfortable with the price/quality relationship. one conclusion i made was that very very small differences in "quality", especially color and origin for burma or kashmir, make a HUGE difference in price.

i ended up with a very good (agl tqir excellent/very good, color 3) stone, but it was more than $10,000/ct.

good luck with your search.

ETA: i think it is really important to see a lot of stones in person ... i know there are several experts on this site who can "read" stones amazingly well based on photographs on the internet, but i think it takes a lot of time to build up that expertise (even for the purpose of determining comparable stones). in any event, make sure any stone you buy before seeing in person has a reasonable return policy, and for a 3ct+ unheated sapphire, i would recommend getting an agl report.

 

[PrecisionGem]

As was pointed out, pricing on sapphires has a large range, with subtle changes in the color, clarity and cut having effects. For a 3 ct stone you could expect to pay anywhere from $300 per to over $10,000 per ct. Determining the price or quality of a stone from poor quality photographs like the ones shown is irresponsible.

 

[T L]

As was pointed out, pricing on sapphires has a large range, with subtle changes in the color, clarity and cut having effects. For a 3 ct stone you could expect to pay anywhere from $300 per to over $10,000 per ct. Determining the price or quality of a stone from poor quality photographs like the ones shown is irresponsible.

About 15/20 years ago, I heard that top Kashmir sapphires can go for $65K/ct, and I'm unsure of what that price is now, if you can find one. This stone is not in that caliber of quality, but I just thought I'd post that as an FYI.

To the OP, I think you made the right decision based on the little information you had on this stone. Much more research needs to be conducted before you make a serious purchase like that.