How Much Would You Bid? BE Sapphire at Christies

[iLander]

Here's the link: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/jewelry/a-treated-sapphire-ring-5547249-details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=5547249&sid=648132b2-e38b-4faa-9d43-c915afe63f80

A TREATED SAPPHIRE RING
Set with a rectangular-cut diffusion treated sapphire , weighing approximately 17.44 carats, mounted in silver
With report CS 47520-D dated 10 January 2012 from the American Gemological Laboratories stating that the sapphire has been diffusion treated. The color of the sapphire has been induced and/or modified by adding specific chemical elements during the heating process

Special Notice: From time to time, Christie's may offer a lot which it owns in whole or in part. This is such a lot.

The estimate is $4,000-6,000. I don't think I would bid at all on this one. Also, I thought Christies had some standards . . .

It's huge, but to me, it's a man-made object, about as valuable as cut glass.

Or do you think the price about right, considering size versus treatment? But mounted in silver? Who does Christies think their market is? I'm going to be tracking this lot, just to see how this pans out.

I also wonder about the fact that Christie's own the lot. How did that happen? I've seen the special notice before, and always pictured a poor dowager in need of quick cash. Now I'm wondering if Christies got taken. The certificate date indicates that this information is pretty new.

What do you think?

 

[chrono]

It is difficult to believe the estimated $4k to $6k price tag. The setting is nothing special and only silver. The stone is diffused although large. Can a dyed stone really warrant such pricing? Should it? I think not.

 

[VapidLapid]

It isn't even nice looking. I think they must be testing the market

 

[Jeweljunke]

LOL I wouldn't give you $400 let alone $4,000. OUT of their minds. Maybe they feel if they attach Christies to it, it must be worth that much. Or they are hoping the public thinks so.

 

[T L]

They get prices for such garbage at Tiffany & CO all the time, so why not Christies.?

 

[JewelFreak]

I suppose there truly is a sucker born every minute -- and Christie's knows it. I'd bid $zero myself!

 

[Tanzigrrl]

I would pay $50-100 for it, and then liberate the treated sapphire from its setting and give it to my husband to practice setting (he's learning jewlery-making / metalsmithing).

 

[kenny]

In many goods there is the informed market and the uninformed market.

People who are informed won't pay that but if the uninformed market will pay that price then . . . well . . . there you go.
That happens with Steinway pianos every day.
A rebuilder or tech will offer, say $7000, knowing lots of expensive work is needed to restore it to an musical instrument that works well, while the public may run a bidding war up to $25,000.
They say Steinway makes the best piano marketing in the world.

Christies itself confers a certain panache to whatever they offer.

 

[distracts]

Diffused stone + silver... IF I liked it, which I don't, I wouldn't bid over $700. But I don't like it, so I wouldn't pay any money for it.

 

[pregcurious]

Hmm, very interesting.

 

[Dioptase]

Is it Be or Fe/Ti diffusion?

 

[Starzin]

Ooerr...that zoom is a bit scary

LOL I wouldn't give you $400 let alone $4,000. OUT of their minds. Maybe they feel if they attach Christies to it, it must be worth that much. Or they are hoping the public thinks so.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[T L]

Well, at least they admit to treatment unlike places like Tiff&Co, and many designers who charge a fortune for treated and/or cheap gemstones. Saw a $30K necklace by a designer today, in a magazine. It was full of windowed poorly cut quartz, blue topaz, and bad quality peridot. It had some tiny melee and was made of gold. It had a name attached to it, so therein lies the huge price, just like designer clothes.

I looked down at some of my rings, with much more rare and untreated gems that cost a fraction of the price. Thank you Pricescope!!!

 

[Michael_E]

Is it Be or Fe/Ti diffusion?

Most likely Ti diffusion, (since I don't see any gray in it). Be diffusion is only used to lighten dark blue sapphire and this stone would have produced more value, if it started as a darker stone, having been cut into smaller stones. It probably started as a white sapphire and was changed to blue through surface diffusion. As for value, well it's probably worth the $4K mark. That's only $230 per carat, a very low price for something that would difficult or impossible to obtain as a synthetic. I imagine that they get that price rather easily.

 

[Dioptase]

Most likely Ti diffusion,

Then it's fine: a slight recut (or even a repolish) and you'll end up with a large natural colorless sapphire

 

[chrono]

Most likely Ti diffusion,

Then it's fine: a slight recut (or even a repolish) and you'll end up with a large natural colorless sapphire

I thought diffusion with Ti is also evenly throughout the stone? Your answer implies that it is a surface only diffusion.

 

[Dioptase]

I thought diffusion with Ti is also evenly throughout the stone? Your answer implies that it is a surface only diffusion.

Fe/Ti diffusion is just surface diffusion indeed: it goes through a fraction of a mm in the stone. They're "big" atoms compared to Be.

 

[iLander]

UPDATE

The final gavel price was $2500. That's about half of the estimate.

I guess Christie's tested their market and their market said "Meh!"

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5547249

Well, at least they were honest and disclosed the treatment.

 

[minousbijoux]

Ooh, thanks for the update! Interesting - really hard to believe that it even went for that much!

 

[chrono]

Since it is a white sapphire underneath, the final price paid isn't that bad after all.