WTB a cushion cut blue sapphire already set...

[Erinleigh]

Hi all!
This is my first post in coloured gems, but after spending alot of time in smtr and seeing the occasional blue sapphire ering, I had to come here to get the scoop! So I'm looking to buy myself a grad school graduation present for working so hard these last few years and finding a good job and i've fallen head over heels for blue sapphires! Ideally I'm looking for a cushion cut stone already set in a ring (white metal, but it doesn't really matter what type). I haven't totally figured out a budget (as I don't really even know how much they'd cost)... But if anyone can point me in the direction of a good place or online vendor (must deliver to Canada), I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks

Eta- I'm also extremely uneducated in regards to what one would look for in a good gemstone, so pointers there are definitely welcome too!

 

[Nomsdeplume]

You can look at thenaturalsapphirecompany.com, simplysapphires.com, cherrypicked.com, wildfish.com.

Look for: No windows, no visible inclusions, a good cut, color that is not too dark or dull. For starters.

It's also important to look for treatments. Ideally, you want an untreated stone, but gently heated is not too bad if you are on a strict budget.

 

[Erinleigh]

Thanks kribbie! I''ll check them out. Lame question- I''ve heard about heating sapphires, but why is this something you don''t want? What does the process actually do?

 

[Nomsdeplume]

No problem. It's not lame. We all had to learn, and are still learning.

Heat treatments are generally used to enhance the color of stones when they are covered by what is sometimes called a "silk veil". This happens when the temperature was not high enough when the sapphire formed.
Here is a basic breakdown of all the treatments:

a. Natural (Untreated) Sapphires.
This may be totally clear or may have small inclusions or silk bands.


b. Simple Heat Treatment

This is considered quite acceptable in the jewellery trade as no chemicals are added and the sapphire is not changed chemically apart from the removal or conversion of the rutile and contaminant bonds. This is a simple process brought about by a one-off heat treatment, and the resultant clarification of the sapphire is permanent and irreversible. No radiation, chemicals or health risks are involved in this process.

c. Multiple Heat Treatment

In certain cases, the amount of included material is too great to be removed by the simple one-off heat treatment process, So a system was developed of multiple heat treatments, which eventually lead to a clearer or brighter stone of acceptable colour. The stone is heat treated as many as six or eight times in order to clarify it and produce the pale "Ceylon Blue" which is sold at quite high prices, but is essentially a heat generated colour.

d. Bulk Chemical Diffusion - Beryllium Treatment.

The chemical diffusion process is carried out by multiple heat treatments of the sapphire in the presence of artificially introduced elements like beryllium or titanium, which penetrate the structure of the sapphire. The beryllium treatment is carried out to produce golden, yellow, orange, apricot, padparadschas and similar colours from lower grade rough sapphire or from sapphire of less desirable colours. The beryllium can penetrate the sapphire to a considerable depth and can be difficult to detect. The chemically modified stone may have good colour and brilliance, but it is no longer a 'natural sapphire' and cannot be sold without proper and adequate disclosure of the treatment it has suffered. It is essentially a "fake", albeit sometimes a very good one!! The titanium treatment is carried out to enhance the colour and brilliance of blue sapphires, but the depth of penetration is far less than that for beryllium treatment and consequently repolishing of a stone may remove part of the chemically imparted colour. Concerns have been raised as to the possible health risks arising from the beryllium treatment process, and these concerns are very real for the operators of heat treatment furnaces as the beryllium vapour is highly toxic. Beryllium treated sapphire has only been recently present on the world markets and it is still too soon to know whether the process may result in any long term health problems for the wearer of such chemically treated stones.

 

[chrono]

Actually, the first thing you have to decide on is budget and treatment or rather, the lack of treatment. I would gladly accept a gently heated stone since it maximizes my budget. All other treatments are no-nos in my book. To get a feel of the shade of sapphire and cost, you can look here:
www.multicolour.com
www.ajsgems.com
www.awesomegems.com
www.diamondexpert.com
www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com
www.simplysapphires.com