Yellow sapphire advice please

[Bron357]

Hi, I have a 3 stone sapphire ring which I've owned 30 years. I bought it on a whim after my girlfriend changed her mind about our long planned overseas trip. In a moment of madness I blew all my savings on this ring. And I've basically never worn it because of it.
I did have an idea of replacing the yellow sapphire centre with a diamond. Ha, I'd need a huge diamond to fill that space.
My questions, how are yellow sapphires graded ? Mine is a gentle lemon cushion cut and about 5 carats. Can I myself tell if it's been heated treated or do I need a gemologist to test it? I'm going to sell it so is it worthwhile getting a report done prior to sale? I know what I paid for it retail (ouch) but I don't think yellow sapphires are popular so if it's a $500 resale value ring, it's not really worth spending $100 on a report. Many thanks.

 

[Bron357]

And to add, it isn't flawless under 10x. There is a distinct sort of feather / fine lines area near one claw. Hard to see looking down but if you tilt the stone it becomes apparent. I'm thinking that this makes it less likely to have been heat treated ? It is set in 18ct gold and made by a well regarded Australian jeweller in the 70s. I paid $3000 for it by the way.

 

[marymm]

At apx 5 carats, the sapphire is on the large side, and its soft pale yellow is sought after by some. Are the side-stones Tanzanite?

I'd suggest sending the ring as is over to American Gem Lab, and requesting a Gem Brief (Mounted) for the Sapphire and for the side-stones. Since there are two gem types, AGL may consider it (and charge you for) two Gem Briefs; certainly you could email them ahead of time and ask them directly.

http://aglgemlab.com/pricelist/

Once you have the Gem Brief(s) from AGL, identifying exactly what you have (sapphire over 5 carats, under 5 carats, heated, unheated, etc.), if you post here again PSers can help you search for similar sapphires for comparison purposes to assist you in figuring out value and pricing.

 

[Nsmike]

This page should help you feel better about incurring the fees for a gem brief http://www.wildfishgems.com/yellow_sapphire_over_2_carat

 

[Bron357]

Many thanks and Whoa - I thought yellow sapphires were like $50 a carat. And the two sides are blue sapphires. Very nice colour but weirdly, one is a different shape, it's a lot deeper. I think they cut it that way to get the same blue colour for both stones.

 

[qubitasaurus]

I was under the impression that many yellow sapphires are difused (although I don't know if this applies to pale yellow stones)? I think a gem brief would be a great idea; just to highlight the distinction between your stone and other more heavily treated ones (which obviously wont be as valuable).

 

[Bron357]

The ring is definitely circa 1970 so I don't know what treatments were around then. In Australia, we are a bit of a backwater, especially in the 70s so nothing "fancy" ever landed here. I did have a valuation report, which I now can't find, but I'm pretty sure they were identified as natural Ceylon sapphires. We have Australian sapphires but they are normally a much darker blue or green. I'll send it off for a Gemmology report seeing as I can be reasonably confident it's not a $500 ring. Cheers

 

[qubitasaurus]

They did not start diffusing yellow sapphires with B.E tell around 2000, when you send it to AGL it will cost about $100 more to have it certified no B.E unless its a no heat stone. Also the color for the B.E is pretty dramatic and intense like a golden or orange yellow

Thanks, I was wondering about this.

 

[Niel]

Based on the age I've been told you can expect probably basic heat treatment .

I would absolutely get an agl cert. I would unset the stone first. They'll grade it with the stone set, but they won't print the ctw on the cert if it's unset. They'll do a gembrief for fancy sapphire's up to 10 cts.
I think you would be more successful selling it loose than in that setting. So maybe decide if you also want to unset the side stones and sell those as well.

 

[DDOC]

Are you still Australian based?
If so, what state? We have several reputable gem labs here in Aus that could view it for you without having to post OS.
Generally based off the colour and age it is not BE treated, and a good look at the feather inclusions you mentioned will help determine if it has been heated.

 

[Bron357]

Hi, yes, I'm in Sydney Australia. If you can recommend any suitable establishments that would be most appreciated. The haziness area is near the bottom ring prong. It's on a angle within the stone.

 

[arkieb1]

This is one of, if not the best gem labs in Sydney;

http://www.gemstudieslaboratory.com.au/contact.html

 

[DDOC]

Hi Bron,
I second GSL.
Bill Sechos is amongst the top Diamond experts in Australia and gives lectures to the trade on Diamonds and coloured stones at all the trade fairs.