Will you pay $200 for this pair of earring?

[chictomato]

Hi there! I was looking at a pair of GIT certified Unheated, well cut, eye clean (no bowtie, window)Top Cornflower blue sapphire earring of a total weight of a mere 1.25carats. Set in sterling silver with sapphire accents. Do you think $200 is a good deal? TIA

 

[T L]

Date: 6/10/2010 11:24:58 PM
Author:chictomato
Hi there! I was looking at a pair of GIT certified Unheated, well cut, eye clean (no bowtie, window)Top Cornflower blue sapphire earring of a total weight of a mere 1.25carats. Set in sterling silver with sapphire accents. Do you think $200 is a good deal? TIA

Well, it seems like a fair price if the sapphires are unheated and very good color. If you discount the price of the silver, than you're paying $100 for each 60 point stone. I don't know the vendor you're buying from, but I would not get a GIT certificate with an already set gem unless they're very trustworthy. There should also be two GIT certificates, one for each gem. The GIT will not certify a pair together from what I've heard.

 

[chictomato]

Tks TL! I got them from Tan here are the specs below:
Top cornflower Blue Sapphire, 1.25ct, Madagascar, VS1-VS2
Unheated, No Treatment
5.5 x 3.9 x 3.5 mm. and the photos, yes its 2 separate GIT reports. Btw, do you see any window to it? I thought I saw a chip along the girdle? Should that be a concern? I thought of just putting it into a simple silver earring setting first What do you gals think? I had actually wanted them as a pair of sidestone for a ring. Is it too small for a pair of earring? . As usual I would love to have a round of diamonds around the earring (to kinda 'enlarge' it too) Let me know your thought pls!

 

[chrono]

I can’t tell much from the picture and if you have the link to the video, it will be helpful to see if there’s any damage to the girdle and if it has a window. I also hear that his videos show more accurate colours?

 

[mhovingh]

I hope you don''t mind me throwing out a thought about the window question. Windows are something I recently think I figured out and have been trying to pay a lot of attention to them when I see stones, I guess sort of training myself to spot them.

When taking my own pictures, constantly turning the stones/pieces to get different angles, I have noticed something that has been a common thing that I haven''t seen a deviation on yet. I could be very wrong so anyone with more experience, please set me straight if I am off with this. If I don''t have it right, I want to be told I don''t have it right so I can correct any misconception.

Here goes my theory... When looking at a stone where the background doesn''t allow for a window to be evident or the angle the stone is viewed at isn''t showing a window, I look for areas of lighter saturation where the pavilions seem to have slightly less sharp defining lines, that is if the area has more than one pavilion within it. In this blurred area of lighter saturation, you see a bit of color distortion from whatever color is behind the gem coming through. From what I have experienced so far, this is the sign of a window being present, though I don''t know how to gauge exactly what angle you will see a window or how big it will actually be.

Without seeing an obvious window, I am looking at your pics for that less saturated area where it looks like the background color is having some influence. In the left stone, I see two areas that are sizable, with one smaller, that could produce windows if viewed in certain lighting or angled a certain way. On the right stone, there are 2, maybe 3 spots, not real big but notable, that might signify windows.

Once again, I am still learning this so any criticism regarding my theory from others who are professional window-less shoppers is much appreciated.

I looked at the chip area under a big zoom and did what I could to clean up the lines. There is a blue coloring on the edge, pushing into the area that looks like a chip, that resembles what you see under the same zoom with some of the white spots in the stone from light reflection. I think that chip may just be a light reflection. To be sure, ask the vendor for another pic, just letting him know you are concerned about the possible chip. People on this site seem to like Tan. I have never purchased from him personally but from what I have read, he is helpful when it comes to concerns so I imagine you could get him to confirm the chip or put your mind at ease with a new picture that shows it was just light reflection.

I have included a pic. It is the photo you shared, cropped down and blown up a bit to see the areas I was talking about better. I added light to make things easier to see. It was harder to see with how dark and saturated the stones were in the vendor pic.

 

[chrono]

The short of windowing is that it is the part of the stone that is see-through when viewed directly downwards through the table, not viewed at an angle. If not windowed, the same colour as the sides are reflected back to the viewer’s eye and you should be able to see the pavilion facet pattern, not the background.

Mhovingh, you have made a good assessment and suggestions. My best guess is that if either pear has a window, it is probably quite small and will not be noticeable once set. As for the “chip”, it could be a reflection, but as always, ask the vendor this very same question.

 

[mhovingh]

Date: 6/11/2010 8:13:18 AM
Author: Chrono

The short of windowing is that it is the part of the stone that is see-through when viewed directly downwards through the table, not viewed at an angle.

I didn''t realize that a window was only considered a window when viewed directly downwards though the table. I thought it was loss of color/saturation allowing something behind a stone to be seen through it from any angle, not limited to just a direct head on view of the table. Thank you for letting me know!

 

[T L]

I think those windows would definitely close up in a setting and I think $200 is a very good price. Pairs are typically more expensive than a single stone of the same quality since it requires matching. Pretty color too, and they are certified by GIT, which costs around $40 per cert, so include that in the cost as well, and you're really only paying $120 for the stones.

It would be nice if you could get a screen capture of the video however. I find his videos more accurate than his photos. It's always important to view sapphires through the pavillion and other angles to assess zoning, but even so, the price is very good on these, and if they are zoned, they are rather small, so it would not be as noticable.

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/11/2010 8:23:47 AM
Author: mhovingh
I didn''t realize that a window was only considered a window when viewed directly downwards though the table. I thought it was loss of color/saturation allowing something behind a stone to be seen through it from any angle, not limited to just a direct head on view of the table. Thank you for letting me know!

NP. When the stone is tilted, it is normal to see some loss of saturation (due to a shorter path for the light reflection) or to have a certain degree of transparency (see-through) which varies according to the cut and reflective index of the stone. In this case, it is called a tilt window which is perfectly fine.

 

[chictomato]

Tks TL, mhovingh and chrono for the once again helpful input I am replying thru my iPhone. Will post the video as soon as I have acess to my laptop. do you think that it is a tad too small for a pair of halo earring? Tia

 

[T L]

Date: 6/11/2010 10:58:37 AM
Author: chictomato
Tks TL, mhovingh and chrono for the once again helpful input I am replying thru my iPhone. Will post the video as soon as I have acess to my laptop. do you think that it is a tad too small for a pair of halo earring? Tia

Well, sapphires are very dense, so a 60 point stone might look like a 30 point "something else." If you like dainty earrings, I think they would look pretty in a halo. It depends on you, and the size of your earlobes, how much hair you have, etc . . .

On a giant Amazon like me, they would disappear (especially with all my hair), but if you're petite and wear your hair back or keep it short, I think they would be elegant and pretty.

 

[chictomato]

Hi TL tks for the replies! Here is the video Let me know your thoughts? I am a 1.58m, 45kg, consider very petite? Is there anyone out there with some picture references of a similar size earring? TIA

 

[T L]

I think they''re a very pretty shade, and I like the fact that they''re not extinct like so many sapphires I see. Great buy. I would get them, even if not to make earrings, but perhaps as side stones for a ring. I wonder how much NSC would charge for them.

Great buy. A halo always makes a stone appear much larger. I only go by inches and pounds, but you do sound rather petite, but take that from someone who comes from a family of Goliaths and Amazons. LOL!

 

[Arcadian]

Date: 6/11/2010 11:09:38 AM
Author: chictomato
Hi TL tks for the replies! Here is the video Let me know your thoughts? I am a 1.58m, 45kg, consider very petite? Is there anyone out there with some picture references of a similar size earring? TIA

Rough calculation here you''d be about 5 feet at 99-100lbs. So yes, that pretty tiny.

I sometimes like small earrings to wear when the occasion calls for it.
I''m a size anomaly ... I never go by my weight since it doesn''t really match up with how I actually look.

-A

 

[chictomato]

Tks for the conversion Arcadian

Okay I've got Tan's reply after he took a look at this pair IRL.

Here' what he said " There is no window and the color is fantastic with outstanding pure cornflower blue. No chips under 10X loupe"

Of cos, I sealed the deal, they are off to GIT for 2 separate reports Tks to all the advises!

O ya. I have another question I was just wondering. Since there isn't a laser inscription number on the color stone, how can we be certain that that the report (esp GIT, without a photo) truly belongs to the gemstone that we purchase? In other words, I was thinking if it is possible, for instance they sent a particular unheated piece of 6mm round Sapphire to obtain multiple reports. Whenever there is a purchase, they will take this unheated piece of 6mm round Sapphire to obtain report. And then they will get the factory to cut a similar piece, which is treated/heated to send to the purchaser? I hope I am not being paranoid?