Want to start a blue sapphire project...where to begin?

[divergrrl]

I''m dreaming of a blue sapphire rhr. But I''m lost as to where to begin. What are the good learning threads on here? (Natural is better than heat treated, right?)

What color am I going for, I''ve seen light cornflower blue sapphires, but aren''t they supposed to be darker? (but not inky blue)

I''d like a cushion cut, oval, or round, I think...want to put some diamond side stones next to it (possibly traps or half moons, not sure)

Most importantly, if I''m just too tired (read: have a toddler at home and a bun in the oven) to do a bunch of legwork, who are the good vendors here to work with? It would be nice to just buy, set, and go without a lot of obsessing...don''t have time or brainpower for it these days.

I have a September birthday, so I''ve always loved my birthstone.


Thank you!

Jeannine aka divergrrl

 

[bar01]

You do need to do a search here as there are so many posts on sapphires. Lot of discussion on treatment/no treatment. Untreated is a personal preference - not better necessarily - but some of us like the idea of a stone that is untreated by man and extremely rare.

But to get you started - lets start with some of the "Richards" who know a little about sapphires.


Richard Wise

Richard Hughes

Richard Sherwood

Richard Orbach

And a few other useful links as well

Michael Arnstein

Wink

GIA


It might be helpful to understand what your level of expectation/size/quality/price is for your sapphire. A fun example might be... if your sapphire were a car - what kind of make/model car would you want ?

but if money is no object and you don't mind a little extra weight on your RHR - just skip all that reading and buy this sapphire

 

[widget]

Date: 3/13/2007 1:32:38 PM
Author:divergrrl
......I''m just too tired (read: have a toddler at home and a bun in the oven) to do a bunch of legwork, who are the good vendors here to work with? It would be nice to just buy, set, and go without a lot of obsessing...don''t have time or brainpower for it these days.

I have lately become very impressed with the "off the rack" sapphire rings offered by The Natural Sapphire Company (Michael Arnstein link below). If there is no ''ready to wear'' ring that appeals to you, it would sure be easy have them help you pick out a stone and mount it for you.

I''d sure check them out if I were in your shoes!!

widget

 

[Catmom]

Oh what a fun project. I don''t think you could go wrong with any of the ones listed so far. Good luck on your search.

 

[divergrrl]

Bertrand: Yeah...that''s is one heckuva rock! wooowooo!

Widget: I''m thinking between 1k and 2k, so not a big budget.......and I can lose the side diamonds, I just want a real simple ring (a la Treysars new pretty) , and I''m thinking cushion or oval might be best pricewise......wg setting.... most likely heat treated, seeing my budget.

I''m in the middle of having babies, working on this dang house, so no big jewelry budgets for a while. But I do have my own savings account & I''ve been stashing cash there for jewelry related obsessions...

I love how helpful everyone is on this thread... Pricescopers are the best!

Jeannine

 

[LdyNghtWng]

I have gotten a couple of lovely sapphire rings on Ebay...yes, I know it''s scary but the vendor I work with has a 100% return policy. Lately some rings have been going very cheaply. His listings have an exuberant style the reflects how enthused he is about the items. By the way, insurance replacement value is not retail value but it does give you an idea how much the items are worth compared to one another.

He has heated, unheated, rich cornflower blue and kashmir blue sapphire rings, and occasionally loose stones, and he will make rings to order if nothing he is selling works. He has his phone number in the listings, and will personally answer any questions about the items.

Recently for $2000.00 I got a platinum three stone ring, with a three carat sapphire flanked by two nice half carat diamonds. For about $3500.00 I got a 4 plus oval sapphire with a halo of 2 carats of oval diamonds...that''s going to be my 30th anniversary present! Those stone were on the dark side, an intensely cobalt-glass blue. He has no shortage of brighter stones. His items generally look even better in person than in the pictures.

His buy-it-nows are quite negotiable, and generally go to auction if they don''t sell...I wait until then and hope for the best!

Here''s a recent item that sold just to give you an idea of what you can get even under $1000.00:

http://cgi.ebay.com/33-500-3-15cts-Gem-Fine-Sapphire-Diamond-18KT-Ring_W0QQitemZ130087714727QQcategoryZ67727QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This is just an example, you can scroll through the current and completed listings to get an idea of the scope of his items.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 3/13/2007 3:23:06 PM
Author: widget

Date: 3/13/2007 1:32:38 PM
Author:divergrrl
......I''m just too tired (read: have a toddler at home and a bun in the oven) to do a bunch of legwork, who are the good vendors here to work with? It would be nice to just buy, set, and go without a lot of obsessing...don''t have time or brainpower for it these days.

I have lately become very impressed with the ''off the rack'' sapphire rings offered by The Natural Sapphire Company (Michael Arnstein link below). If there is no ''ready to wear'' ring that appeals to you, it would sure be easy have them help you pick out a stone and mount it for you.

I''d sure check them out if I were in your shoes!!

widget

I bought off the rack from The Natural Sapphire Company. Have to say I am very impressed. It''s even better in person. The guy who does the settings used to work for Cartier and is a master craftsman. On par with Leon Mege. They have rings in all price ranges, so you don''t have to break the bank. HTH, and happy hunting.

 

[Pandora II]

Did you have your rings from this ebay vendor appraised?

I'm a little suspicious - especially of the $9k emerald ring he currently has on offer. His rubies are seriously nasty, and why is everything advertised as worth huge amounts of $$$$?

I may be wrong here, but in my book there is no such thing as an amazing bargain unless you have the knowledge to buy something that the vendor does know he has.

 

[LdyNghtWng]

Yes, I''ve had them appraised and for lots more than I spent. My local jeweler loves everything I have shown him, too. Shon has great feedback, and many of his customers are themselves dealers. Like I said, insurance replacement value isn''t retail value, I just use that to compare one item to another. The prices you end up paying are usually far less than I have seen from other retailers. Looking under feedback, or doing a search under completed auctions gives you a decent idea what the items actually sell for in the end. Given the full refund, no questions asked policy, you can''t go wrong. He also has a big selection.

Yes, the listings are a tad exuberant; that''s his style and I guess it works. I certainly don''t let it put me off. The colors of the stones are well-represented and Shon answers any and all questions when you call, so you know just what you are getting.

For anyone working on a budget, I think his auctions have incredible potential. I can say for sure that he has many blue sapphires that are a rich electric blue, like a bunson burner, not the least bit inky, if that''s your preference.

Nasty rubies!?!?! I have bought a couple of untreated, no heat, Burma type rubies from him, a 2.2 or so carat oval that is to die for, for myself, intensely red and lively, and a 3.4 carat oval unheated "pigeon blood" colour for my husband that practically glows in the dark. Nothing nasty about them! I have worn mine to Tiffany & Co. and it outclasses rings that were selling for three times the amount I paid. And their stones went purplish in daylight, while mine held a red colour

Shon sells a wide range of goods from commercial grade to high end; I''m not suggesting that Pricescopers would be happy with treated stones

He''ll tell you what''s low heat, high heat, whatever and you can decide what suits your taste and budget.

 

[divergrrl]

Date: 3/13/2007 11:31:35 PM
Author: Kaleigh

Date: 3/13/2007 3:23:06 PM
Author: widget

Date: 3/13/2007 1:32:38 PM
Author:divergrrl
......I''m just too tired (read: have a toddler at home and a bun in the oven) to do a bunch of legwork, who are the good vendors here to work with? It would be nice to just buy, set, and go without a lot of obsessing...don''t have time or brainpower for it these days.

I have lately become very impressed with the ''off the rack'' sapphire rings offered by The Natural Sapphire Company (Michael Arnstein link below). If there is no ''ready to wear'' ring that appeals to you, it would sure be easy have them help you pick out a stone and mount it for you.

I''d sure check them out if I were in your shoes!!

widget

I bought off the rack from The Natural Sapphire Company. Have to say I am very impressed. It''s even better in person. The guy who does the settings used to work for Cartier and is a master craftsman. On par with Leon Mege. They have rings in all price ranges, so you don''t have to break the bank. HTH, and happy hunting.

Widget & Kaliegh, I''m thinking NSCo. too. I checked out LadyKntwings ebay seller briefly, and although I didn''t give it a proper perusal, I only saw pre-set rings, and none of the settings appealed to me. Very interesting about the setter at NSCo..nice to know.

I''d like a Leon-esque ring--perhaps a 3 stone with traps, half moons...or even 3 stone oval (sapphire center). (Is it Kristy Darling htat has the new oval 3 stone diamond ring from Leon?)

I could also be very happy with something from Fay Cullen as well.....

I looked on Cherrypicked.com and can I say YOWZA, some niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice stones on there...

Thanks for all the help, I''ve had a handful of questions answered about color (there''s a good color thread going on right now) I''m somewhere around cornflower blue to a little darker in my preference, and I now do not mind having a heat treated stone (I was under the impression that was a no-no, but apparently it is very common!) and given my thin budget, that really makes life easier.

I''m only 36...I''ll save the kick-bootie untreated stones for my 30th or 40th wedding anniversary...

hee hee ...

Thank you so much everyone, you are so helpful!

Jeannine

 

[divergrrl]

Wow...figured out how NSCo''s site worked...playing with this setting, but not this stone ..

http://thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/nscnet/expandjsring.aspx?stoneid=JS73B

well below my budget....

THIS ROCKS!! (no pun)...

love you guys! (now I just have to save a little more and convince dh...lol....easy...hmmm...time to pull the prego card!)

Jeannine