Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire, plz

[Nicki]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Nicki, how accurate are their online pictures to the seeing the stones in person?

I don't know. Their stones are out of my cheapie price range, so I haven't gone yet. I just drool online.

 

[LD]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

i thought that for the purposes of assessing price, why not assume, as the vendor suggests, that its heated? If we assume the stone is heated, the price seems about right (I think). If it turns out the stone is not heated then the price is good isn't it? It's only a problem if you assume its unheated and the price is correspondingly high. Right?

In terms of the ring, I'm personally not a fan of the setting design i.e. the round centre stone with a square halo thing. But that's just my aesthetic

The stone MinousBijoux put up is surely at the upper end of sapphire quality (I think). The price for it must have been very high. But that's not to say it was not good value though. So if you are only interested in value-for-money and don't really have a budget constraint, you can do better than the ring you've posted (I believe).

Of course, all this is from one "rough rock" to another lol...the better stone advice will no doubt come from the likes of Chrono, Minou, LD etc.

No. If a stone is heated THEN it may well have been treated in other ways as well. So for example if you assume it's heat only with no other treatment then fine the price is right. BUT let's just say we assume it's heat only but then find out it's BE diffused???? The price then is completely wrong!

I dont know if I'm explaining this clearly or not. If not, please let me know!

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

James, a gem show is a great idea for you - any where that offers the experience to see gems in hand. The one caution I'll make is that you'll likely have the impulse to buy. The lighting shows off all stones to their best advantage, so when looking, if you move away from their showcase and bright lights, you'll pick up ambient daylight (likely) and Fluorescent overhead ceiling lighting. This will help you a lot in assessing their real world performance. If you go, I would make a pact with yourself that you cannot buy until you've seen and gotten relevant info on 30 stones - you get business cards and keep on going. Setting a high number guarantees that you will not make an impulse buy. If you leave and there is a stone that calls to you, you can contact the vendor and purchase it after the fact, assuming its still available.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

i thought that for the purposes of assessing price, why not assume, as the vendor suggests, that its heated? If we assume the stone is heated, the price seems about right (I think). If it turns out the stone is not heated then the price is good isn't it? It's only a problem if you assume its unheated and the price is correspondingly high. Right?

In terms of the ring, I'm personally not a fan of the setting design i.e. the round centre stone with a square halo thing. But that's just my aesthetic

The stone MinousBijoux put up is surely at the upper end of sapphire quality (I think). The price for it must have been very high. But that's not to say it was not good value though. So if you are only interested in value-for-money and don't really have a budget constraint, you can do better than the ring you've posted (I believe).

Of course, all this is from one "rough rock" to another lol...the better stone advice will no doubt come from the likes of Chrono, Minou, LD etc.

No. If a stone is heated THEN it may well have been treated in other ways as well. So for example if you assume it's heat only with no other treatment then fine the price is right. BUT let's just say we assume it's heat only but then find out it's BE diffused???? The price then is completely wrong!

I dont know if I'm explaining this clearly or not. If not, please let me know!

So what might help your concerns LD, is making the sale contingent on a lab report that says its heat only - which is probably what you said a page back.

 

[Niel]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Is this a nice one or is it too dark?
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=16464

Seems like they might have some nice ones? Maybe

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

LD,
As mentioned on the previous page, the sale must be contingent on the sapphire to be heat only, no diffusion or other treatment. Shouldn't this be the case when dealing with most vendors in the first place, especially on higher priced or important stones like an e-ring stone?

 

[LD]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

i thought that for the purposes of assessing price, why not assume, as the vendor suggests, that its heated? If we assume the stone is heated, the price seems about right (I think). If it turns out the stone is not heated then the price is good isn't it? It's only a problem if you assume its unheated and the price is correspondingly high. Right?

In terms of the ring, I'm personally not a fan of the setting design i.e. the round centre stone with a square halo thing. But that's just my aesthetic

The stone MinousBijoux put up is surely at the upper end of sapphire quality (I think). The price for it must have been very high. But that's not to say it was not good value though. So if you are only interested in value-for-money and don't really have a budget constraint, you can do better than the ring you've posted (I believe).

Of course, all this is from one "rough rock" to another lol...the better stone advice will no doubt come from the likes of Chrono, Minou, LD etc.

No. If a stone is heated THEN it may well have been treated in other ways as well. So for example if you assume it's heat only with no other treatment then fine the price is right. BUT let's just say we assume it's heat only but then find out it's BE diffused???? The price then is completely wrong!

I dont know if I'm explaining this clearly or not. If not, please let me know!

So what might help your concerns LD, is making the sale contingent on a lab report that says its heat only - which is probably what you said a page back.

Yes and Yes!!!!!

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Is this a nice one or is it too dark?
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=16464

Seems like they might have some nice ones? Maybe

In the report, the stone looks very, very dark.

 

[Niel]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Is this a nice one or is it too dark?
http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/pdetaili?pid=16464

Seems like they might have some nice ones? Maybe

In the report, the stone looks very, very dark.

I thought so but yet they graded the color on he color on the site as "exellent..... Therr sere other ones that i thought looked brighter but then they werent graded as well by the admin on there, i dont know. Colors are hard

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Nielseel,
If you look carefully at the background and where the light is coming from and etc, you'll see strong lighting used creatively. I also expect the Wildfish sapphire to be darker than shown.

 

[Niel]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Nielseel,
If you look carefully at the background and where the light is coming from and etc, you'll see strong lighting used creatively. I also expect the Wildfish sapphire to be darker than shown.

So they are notoriously bad with that?

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Ed has promised to work on taking more accurate pictures and might have something to show next year. He said it is going to take time.

 

[LD]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Nielseel,
If you look carefully at the background and where the light is coming from and etc, you'll see strong lighting used creatively. I also expect the Wildfish sapphire to be darker than shown.

So they are notoriously bad with that?

Yes BUT as Chrono has said, Ed has promised to look at it and perhaps provide videos.

 

[James_K]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Hello All. Believe it or not, Im still here and Im still in the market for a stone. Just had to take a little time off for a few different reasons. Hopefully this short break will be a bit of a revival and Ill have better luck this time around. Right now the plan is to pick up where I left off in my search online for my ideal stone, plus I hope to make the gem show here in San Antonio this weekend. Anyway, just wanted to say hello.

 

[LD]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Hi James

Welcome back! Glad you're still around. I enjoyed helping you so ready to start again when you are!

 

[Quennoo]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Hi there I have been reading through your quest for a stone and it sounds like mine! I was looking for a square or rectangular sapphire too....however fate had other plans!!
I originally was looking for a teal blue green Montana sapphire. They come from only one location and can have many colours within the one stone. In the end I got one custom cut by Jerry Newman Gemart services, he designed the actual cut and mine was the first stone ever cut this way(extra special for an E ring!) he also cut one other which is why I am writing to you because I'm sure he still has the other one...just incase you wanted to look outside the box!

The one he has left is a fancy round cut and 6.7mm and 1.76ct. Blue with some green. A very unique stone! ....makes them very difficult to photograph. Even Jerry admitted they look much better in the flesh!
Mine is the green with yellow blue toning.

I have been toying with the idea of setting mine with some diamonds surrounding it...added a picture FYI. J.albrecht goldsmiths in Boulder have some fantastic , modern and quite practical designs :0)

Good luck!!

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Welcome back, James. Don't tarry too long as the price of blue sapphires has continued its upward steady climb while you were on hiatus.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Yes, welcome back, James!

You know, Chrono, you may be right, but it just occurred to me that this site is not being inundated on a daily basis lately with requests for blue sapphires, so maybe, just maybe, things are calming down? Shhh. Perhaps I should've written that in really small print so I don't tempt the fates...

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Perhaps the Spring fever has passed. Even if requests on PS has slowed, the Asian market waits for no one.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Good point!

 

[James_K]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Okay, so I figure I'll start this back up with a brief summary of what I am looking for and then hopefully I will be following up soon with a few ideas to see what you all think. I made a few minor changes in hopes that my search will be a little easier this time. My intention is to have this stone mounted in a diamond halo setting. As always, any suggestions or feedback (even if it isnt all rosy and glowing) is MUCH appreciated. Here we go!!!!!!

cushion cut - fairly symmetrical (#1 choice) but would consider round or oval
~7mm+
medium blue, very saturated (bold, vivid), with little to no violet
well cut but need not be perfect
open to heat treated stone
budget is flexible but Ill throw $5k out there

Thanks All !!!

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

James,
I've heard that Jeff White of www.whitesgems.com just purchased a parcel of blue sapphires so you might be in luck. Best to move quickly in this case as he generally selects well coloured material and cuts gorgeous stones. He is a bit pricey compared to GemFix but it is well worth it.

 

[James_K]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Thanks Chrono! Ive contacted Jeff to get more info on a few of his stones. Im hoping to select a few from Gemfix (or maybe another place) and try to do a comparison with White's stones soon. He really does have a few that catch my eye. I just hope they are in my rice range.

Thanks again!!!

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Jeff cuts by commission so once you reserve a stone, you have to pay a non-refundable fee of $500 or something similar before he starts on the rough. On the positive side, I've rarely seen him cut an unattractive stone. I think Andrew is also out of town for a few more days so you might not hear back from him right away.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

You could also try Gary Braun at finewatergems--he's just back from Sri Lanka with some sapphires, apparently.

 

[chrono]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

You could also try Gary Braun at finewatergems--he's just back from Sri Lanka with some sapphires, apparently.

Yup, just received his newsletter about this too. Worth contacting him too.

 

[James_K]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

You could also try Gary Braun at finewatergems--he's just back from Sri Lanka with some sapphires, apparently.

Yup, just received his newsletter about this too. Worth contacting him too.

Done and Done! Thanks

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

James, keep in mind that the stones Jeff White has on his website have been sold long ago; it just gives you and idea of how he cuts and the colors he chooses. If I had my druthers and could choose anyone, I would hands down get a sapphire from Jeff. I don't know how he does it or where he gets his rough, but the colors of his stones are magnificent and his cutting is breathtaking. You pay the price, but it is so worth it.

Some day, when I am not hampered by a budget, I will go to Jeff! All the others are amazing cutters as well, though Gemfix has both non-precison and precision cut stones (in which case it will say cut by Andrew G).

 

[James_K]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

Okay, slowly but surely Im making progress. Ive been checking out the stones on Gemfix and Ive got to admit. Im completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of stones. After hours of staring at their page, I finally narrowed it down to 12. (I know, still a lot, right). Anyway, I wouldnt expect anyone to go through this list one by one and give feedback for each stone but if you happen to see any that jump out at you as great (or bad), please feel free to comment.

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




I put them in order by wt because I have a slight concern that the first few may be a little on the small size. Still, I listed them as they seem very nice to my eye. Also, the largest one seems like a great stone but it is similar in size to the one above it (except much deeper and thus heavier) and Im not sure if the extra expense is warranted. Still hoping to have this mounted in a diamond setting (halo perhaps). Thanks all for bearing with me on this.

 

[Niel]

Re: Color blind and bad eyesight need help buying sapphire,

i like the one on row 4, myself.