Building a sapphire pendant?

[SoonIHope]

I was thinking of giving my maid of honor a sapphire pendant for my wedding (a year and a half away, so no rush!) My original vision is something like the photoshopped picture here - a rectangular cushion or an oval of ~.5 ct set east west (prob. bezel?) on a plain platinum or white gold chain. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Where would you recommend buying such a sapphire? Would whiteflash or any of the other regular PS vendors be willing to custom make a bezel & fit it on a chain do you think?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks!

You have any idea how much it would cost or where I could get one?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/26/2006 12:42:55 PM
Author:albicocca

Would Whiteflash or any of the other regular PS vendors be willing to custom make a bezel & fit it on a chain do you think?

''Bet they would. WF has produced a couple of ''diamonds by the yard'' (DBY) style chains for a couple of Pricescopers lately and they look quite nice

About the design - it surely is a classic. There are some three-stone DBY necklaces either with faceted or cabochon colored stones between two small diamonds set at a distance. Quite nice... IMO. And very wearable! As anything Tiffany, there must be countless knock-offs, but knowing that sapphires in ''commercial quality'' are not so hot and prices could be quite outrageous for rock-bottom quality

- better custom.

A half carat sapphire shouldn''t be too expensive, even if fine. There aren''t many enough for chain stores to bother cherry pic such stones one by one, or fit them in non-calibrated settings. As far as I know, that is where the quality disaster starts - so it isn''t just about price.

My 2c. Hope it helps

 

[bstraszheim]

I have had excellent shopping experiences with Simply Sapphires . For instance they have this beauty (6.5x5.3 mm 1.11 Ct. $367.00 ) What a colour! They also have this return policy:

What if I don''t like it once I receive it?
Return it to us. We guarantee complete customer satisfaction with every purchase. If you order an item from us and are not completely satisfied, you may return your order within 10 days of receipt for any reason. Shipping and insurance fees are non refundable. Items returned must be in the same condition as sent. To return or exchange merchandise, please send it fully insured and properly packaged by USPS or FEDEX with your instructions for exchange or refund. As we absorb the credit card fees on returns, we think it is fair policy to ask the customer to pay shipping.

I would think that WF can set the stone, they did a beautiful job on Matatora''s pendant and she bought that stone independently. The only thing is that the setting would have to be a deepish bezel (if you went with a bezel setting). I think a basket set e-w would look incredible too. Perhaps with two small diamonds set partway up the chain? : )

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[MissAva]

What about Wink Jones? Though I clearly like Whiteflash.

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Ana & Bridget!

Both of you have lots of good advice!! I''ve never had any piece of jewelry custom made before, so I was a bit nervous about the prospect, but I think the PS community will be able to hold my hand enough to keep me confident!

 

[SoonIHope]

Thanks Mata!

Now that I think about it...it probably was your necklace that got me thinking...

Only wait, I just checked and you weren''t actually a sapphire! Maybe I''ll get a spinel instead...hmmmmm...

 

[valeria101]

Hm... you may want to check the 'blues' on Edward Bristol's site - HERE. This shop sorts gem offerings by color- so things like sapphire, blue spinel, tourmaline and zircon are all on the same page (pun intended).

They also make custom jewelry - which should help.

This shop made it to the front of the random stack because of two sapphires they have on show: a gorgeous little round cab (sold!

) and a bright blue square (still in!). Since you want to make a bezel setting, the lighter color of the second should be just the thing.

Here they are:

The last... might juts be the 'bargain' of the bunch on the respective website - nice cut 1 carat trillion (how usual is that!?), cute color and less than $300.

That these sellers have the guts to show up on a forum such as this that doesn't even allow them to self promote

must be worth something. There are others (KashmirBlue, American-Thai, PrecissionGem) and? ... Well, I have nothing to do with them, other than the familiarity from hanging around in the same web-space for so long. Of these, I only knew of American-Thai before Pricescope.

Just an idea

 

[SoonIHope]

Oooh, Ana I love this site! And the sorting by color is SO HANDY since I''m 100% sure she isn''t the type of person who would prefer a sapphire over a spinel or anything else!

Speaking of spinels...I think this one might be my favorite! It''s 2.67 cts and dark blue (I think I''d want it to be medium to dark...but I think I remember hearing that bezel settings can be bad for darker stones because they end up looking black-ish? Does this stone look too dark to you? I''m not dead set on the bezel setting though, so I suppose I could just change that if this seemed too dark....

 

[SoonIHope]

Or this one?

It''s a lot smaller, but a nicer color and better cut grade? Hehe, right?

I have no idea what I''m supposed to be looking for!

Here''s a pic though, it''s pretty! And on sale!

 

[bstraszheim]

I would choose spinel over sapphire any day, it may not have as high a "value" on the market (unless you are looking at the deep true reds), but I think that spinel''s are more beautiful stones. I have several rings with spinels and they have sparkle, flashes of colour, that the sapphires do not have. Almost as though the spinels have scintillation and the sapphire just has it''s base colour. I don''t know if that explains it very well, but I hope so.

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/26/2006 5:32:12 PM
Author: albicocca

Or this one? It's a lot smaller, but a nicer color ....

By color and cut, I might prefer the violet spinel from the Wildfish Sale pages...

The picture of the small oval one looks a bit dull and the description confirms an oddity: 'fair' color, 50% brilliant in cut (see that window?) and the reason for it having been chosen "choosen for its yellow tint - which is theoretically a non existent color in spinel"... Well, is your friend a gemologist? Hope you do not mind

I am not a gemologist either, but if I would consider such a piece it would be to sit as a sample of something unusual in the back of a drawer - it wouldn't be a first.

There may be one thing to consider for these choices: cost. How much is making the pendant as a custom order going to be
and the related issue - is it going to make a different what the shape and size of stone you choose? Sometimes, convenient settings are available for calibrated stone sizes, while the same may cost a order the magniture more to be made from scratch. If you have already decided on who will make the pendant, it may save som egrief to ask this first. Just IMO.