Do the inclusions in the sapphire make it too fragile?

[silverdoll]

I’m really loving this natural sapphire but I’m afraid it may be fragile because of all the inclusions. The listing says it’s a VS1 but it definitely looks more like an SI to me (maybe I’m wrong). I like that it resembles a natural emerald but figured it would be more durable (hopefully) since it’s a sapphire. Do you guys think it would be a bad idea to set this in a ring and wear it often? Also, this is probably a dumb question, but is there a way to be sure this is a sapphire (not an emerald) without certification. I’ve never seen a sapphire resemble an emerald so much but I’m obviously not an expert. The listing says it’s an unheated Sri Lanka natural sapphire, 9.5x 8.2 oval, 3.7 carats. The price it’s listed at is $250.

I’ve attached photos of different angles from the listing. I also have a video that I’ll try to post once I figure out how. Thank you for any help and advice!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

If the inclusions are not surface reaching it should be fine. Do be careful about the colour though. It may not be as green as you are hoping for. I had a teal sapphire that was more blueish/teal in most lights except for one department store where it was fully green.

Are you sure you don’t want an emerald instead if you love emeralds? I love them and have worn mine heaps. It’s fine as a nice going out ring if you don’t wear it while doing rough things.

 

[Avondale]

Upload the video to imgur and then add the link here. You can use the three dots next to the emoji icon (insert function), then choose to insert media, and the forum will do the rest on its own.

On colour, I'm skeptical like @mellowyellowgirl. To start, the photos you've shared show quite the variation in colour, so you don't really know what exactly you're getting. A second important thing to consider is you don't know just how much light has been flooded into this stone. It may not look like that in real life at all, and instead be dark and unimpressive.

The clarity is low, that much is obvious. It really depends on how sensitive your eye is to inclusions. If you don't mind them, then it could even be to the stone's benefit, seeing how the big inclusion in the middle is somewhat obscuring what is otherwise a pretty big window.

I'd say, if you can afford to spend the 250$ and it won't hurt you to lose it in case what you receive isn't at all what you wanted, then you might as well go for it. But there is a reason this relatively sizeable stone is sold at such a low price point. It could be multiple reasons, in fact. And yes, clarity issues that make the stone unstable to the point of it not being suitable to be set at all is definitely one of those possible reasons.

If you have a limited budget and can't really afford to lose the money on a bad purchase, and you really like green, just go for a lab emerald. It won't be that included, so it won't be that fragile, and you'll get the best colour for your buck.

 

[toomuchB]

Welcome! Note that its listed on 2 sites by the same seller with some discrepencies. Their official site link which is in one of the listings is defunct. Could be honest mistakes but still red flags worth investigating.

On site 1: says Sri Lanka\unheated. It has the video which you shared the screenshots of where it looks quite green.

On site 2: description says Sri Lanka\unheated, but item specifics says Madagascar\heated\bicolor. It has an unflattering video. I would upload the videos but imgur is givng me trouble, so here are screenshots.

Note the blue and yellow (?) zoning. Not something I associate with emerald.





Basically, it's impossible for me to tell what it would look like with the huge differences in images and videos they've supplied - I personally would not expect much. You can ask them for photos of it between fingers (a handshot) to get a more accurate reading.

I agree with above posters that if you want an emerald on a budget, synthetic emerald or a smaller standard to moderate treated natural emerald are good options. I understand the durability dilemma - just not sure the extra durability is worth sacrificing the color and gem material you are looking for.