Yellow Sapphires in Southern California vs Online?

[RunnerGirl]

Hi everyone,

I have been reading through the PriceScope forum for a few weeks now and finally decided to post.

My boyfriend and I have recently begun shopping for engagement rings. I know that I am wanting something a little different and have been leaning towards yellow sapphires for the center stone.

We have visited a few local jewelers in the Orange County area and have very little luck finding a decent (if any) selection of 2+ carat yellow sapphires (I would prefer lighter yellow in color as well). It seems most people only keep blue in stock! I have found numerous sites online but am super leery of making a large purchase on something I have never seen in person.

So that is why I decided to post today.Here are some questions:

1. Any recommendations of jewelers in Southern California (doesn't have to be Orange County) that have yellow sapphires on hand for us to look at in person?

2. Who is the most reputable online dealer of yellow sapphires?

3. Any other suggestions?

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Niel]

Gemfix has a number if yellow sapphires. Quite a few lovely ones in my opinion. They are also in California if in not mistaken, though I don't know where.

I can understand wanting to buy in person, but if you buy from a place with a good return policy and go in with the possibility that it might have to be returned, I think you would be OK

Also people here are pretty good at finding stones from reputable vendors?

What's your budget? What are you looking for exactly?

Sounds fun. I've become quite taken with light yellow stones recently as well

 

[RunnerGirl]

I'm really open as far as the shape. I do like oval which I know is one of the more common shapes, but I really am open to almost anything if it looks good. Ultimately I think we will end up setting the stone in a diamond halo setting.

As far as budget, the boyfriend has said that total (center stone and setting) I can spend up to $5500. So I would like to keep the center stone under 3000 ideally.

 

[Niel]

Thatll be pretty. Do you have a picture of what kind of yellow you're going for?

 

[RunnerGirl]

I haven't seen anything I like in person yet, but from what I have seen online, I seem to like:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/sapphires/c-7-yellow-sapphires/p-53409-oval-yellow-sapphire-y3130/

http://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/yellow-sapphire/2.28-carat-oval-sku-12010

But there is one on gemfix that has warmer tones that also strikes my fancy (the first one in the second row 3.14 ct)

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_yellow_orange.html

I just looked and Gemfix is in San Diego so we may need to make a trip down there next weekend.

 

[marymm]

I second the suggestion of GemFix in downtown San Diego if you want to see a selection of yellow sapphires in person - I'd suggest calling ahead and setting up an appointment if you go this route. http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_yellow_orange.html they are not open on the weekends - only Monday-Friday http://www.gemfix.com/contact.html

As another resource, there's PalaGems.com - http://www.palagems.com/home.htm - they don't sell to the general public, but if you have a trusted local jeweler, they can call in any of Pala's yellow sapphires that strike your fancy - though not sure if you'd be on the hook for shipping or other fees should you decide against purchase. https://www.palagems.com/php/db_sea...es=&inventory_number=&submit=Find+All+Matches

 

[FrekeChild]

You could potentially reach out to http://www.libertydiamonds.com/ and see if they have anything, or can pull from Pala for you. They seem to be pretty pricey, so you might have better luck online, but they might have something you can at least see in person.

 

[swissmiss]

I second Gemfix in San Diego. Andrew is very knowledgeable, and from what I understand, he has stock that is not listed on his website. Let him know what you are looking for so that he can prepare.

I also recommend 2nd Street Jewelers in Santa Monica (to a lesser extent than Gemfix). They do not have the greatest selection of loose stones, but they do have a small, but gorgeous selection of set sapphires. Call them ahead of time so that they can prepare for your visit. They are super friendly, though perhaps not "gurus" in colored stones.

Last but not least, if you're going to head up north at any point in time, visit Joe Escobar in Campbell, CA. You can ogle some of his past goodies on escobardiamonds.com. Again, it's a good idea to contact them ahead of time so they can pull stones for you.

 

[RunnerGirl]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. Much appreciated. We will definitely be setting up an appointment with Gemfix and start there