E-ring Help! Oval Blue Sapphire

[gups]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum, and a complete novice to colored stones. I would be grateful to get your opinion on an engagement ring that I am contemplating for my girlfriend.

I am leaning towards a 12 5 point halo setting, based on iLander's brown-pinkish-orange sapphire ring in the thread [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brown-pinkish-orange-not-an-fcd-an-fcs.203513/#post-3909091#p3909091']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/brown-pinkish-orange-not-an-fcd-an-fcs.203513/#post-3909091#p3909091[/URL]

I went to IDJ in NYC (again, based on recommendations on this forum). Attached are pics of the 12 5 point Halo setting and the stone that they have shown me. The other pictures are of the same stone in a different setting and the stone alone on a tray. They have only shown me one that fits this setting thus far

- The stone is 8.5 x 6.5 mm
- I think that there is some zoning going on there in the upper half of the stone. Does anyone else see that?
- Any comments in general about the look of the stone?

I apologize for the quality of the pics. My camera doesn't seem to have a macro mode, and these are the best pics I could snap. Thank you all in advance for any input!

 

[gups]

Thanks, DianeM!

I will check out Yvonne Raley - thank you for the tip.

- I am going to IDJ again to look at some more stones, and will try to take better pictures next time.
- They are asking around $1,200 for this stone.
- As to treatments, they say it's a heated stone, which I expected. I will ask about BE diffusion as well. AGL is just around the corner, and I understand that they can do a "Standard ID and Enhancement" Gembrief report for $60. I wonder if they would let me test the stone before buying or would I have to buy it first, get it tested and have some sort of a written agreement that I would be able to get a refund if the stone didn't meet certain criteria
- I'm not sure what the standard protocol is for evaluating the smaller diamonds (12 5 pointers) in the halo. They said they would use "Pricescope" quality diamonds - F-G SI quality - Is it reasonable to expect a GIA report for those diamonds?

**edited by moderator, we don't allow self promotional posts**

 

[minousbijoux]

It is hard for anyone on this board to be able to give you any feedback on that stone based on those photos. The stone is just too far away from the camera to tell. In addition, with the reflections of the light off the stone, it is hard to even see into it. As for zoning, could you mean extinction, or do you actually mean zoning - where the stone has lines or streaks of varying color? I ask because I don't think I see zoning (though as I said, its extremely hard to tell), but I do see some shadowing/extinction. That said, from what I see, the color is lovely - a medium toned slightly violet blue color.

Yes, at the very least, you should be able to make your sale with IDJ contingent upon the AGL brief coming back as heat only. Did you mention the carat weight of the stone? At those dimensions, it must be somewhere around 2 cts (unless it shallow). $1200 for a 2 ct heat only sapphire in that color - if we get better info and pics to rule out other potential issues and to confirm that it really is that color - is a great price imo.

 

[gups]

Hi DianeM - What you say makes sense. I am reaching out to other vendors like Yvonne Raley, Gemfix, and a few others mentioned on various threads here.

I will post a question on iLander's original thread about whether I should expect a GIA report for the small 12 5 pointers in the halo.

I will try to take better pictures of the stones the next time I visit IDJ. I requested that they show me some more stones for comparison. I will keep you posted on my progress!

Hi again - you are asking good questions but if I were you, I wouldn't jump ahead to thinking about requesting a report until you have seen comparable-size sapphires from other vendors. Before going ahead with IDJ, I recommend querying Yvonne because she is right in the NYC area (so you could actually go see the stones in person if it got to that point) and she has many good comments here. I am sure other members of the PS community have other vendors that they would recommend as well.

Judging from posts here, PS people have been happy with IDJ diamonds. I don't think people normally expect reports for small diamonds like that, but iLander would probably know.

Diane

 

[gups]

Thank you for your input! I may be confusing zoning with shadowing/extinction, so you are right about that. I stand corrected. But yes, I doubt that it is possible to assay the quality of the stone based on the pics thus far. I will try to take better pictures, and hopefully, that will lead to an easier critique of the visuals.

The stone is a little over 2 carats, according to them.

I will update the post with better pictures as soon as I am able. Thanks again for your help.

It is hard for anyone on this board to be able to give you any feedback on that stone based on those photos. The stone is just too far away from the camera to tell. In addition, with the reflections of the light off the stone, it is hard to even see into it. As for zoning, could you mean extinction, or do you actually mean zoning - where the stone has lines or streaks of varying color? I ask because I don't think I see zoning (though as I said, its extremely hard to tell), but I do see some shadowing/extinction. That said, from what I see, the color is lovely - a medium toned slightly violet blue color.

Yes, at the very least, you should be able to make your sale with IDJ contingent upon the AGL brief coming back as heat only. Did you mention the carat weight of the stone? At those dimensions, it must be somewhere around 2 cts (unless it shallow). $1200 for a 2 ct heat only sapphire in that color - if we get better info and pics to rule out other potential issues and to confirm that it really is that color - is a great price imo.

 

[gups]

I just got back from IDJ, and here are some pics of the three different stones that I saw.

The pics are named with the carat weight of the relevant stone (and 1, 2 3 etc. to denote variants of the same stone). The last 2 pics are of the 2.2 ct stone on the left vs the 1.9 ct stone on the right. The 1.6 ct stone did not seem as good as the other two in person.

**edited by moderator, please post photos directly in thread per our policies**

I hope these pictures are better and I look forward to hearing your opinions. As always, thank you in advance for your help with my decision!

 

[minousbijoux]

gups: I hate to say it, but there is probably a fair number of us who may want to help you but who don't necessarily want to sign up for a dropbox account. Is there a way we can access the photos without signing on? Or, better yet, can you post them here? If you post them here, you would have far more eyes on them for sure.

 

[gups]

Hi! I don't think you need to sign up for a dropbox account with that link. I think the sign-up window pops up, but you can just close that. In any case, apologies to everyone! I didn't realize that such a box popped up until I clicked the link myself.

Here are the pics! I'm sorry, but these were the best images I could manage, given the lighting in the store, etc.

First 2 pics - 1.6 ct stone
Next 3 pics - 1.9 ct stone
Next 5 pics - 2.2 ct stone
Last 2 pics - comparison of the 2.2 ct stone on the left and 1.9 ct stone on the right

 

[chrono]

Can you please post all 3 stones together, on the back of the hand, without flash photography? Make sure the stones' tables are perpendicular to the camera to avoid facet glare and so that we can look for cut issues. Using macro will help because if the camera is too close to the stones, it causes obstruction darkening. Also, find out how the colour shifts under indoor lighting. Some will "die" whilst some get a bit darker and others will become a bit purplish.

 

[iLander]

Hi DianeM - What you say makes sense. I am reaching out to other vendors like Yvonne Raley, Gemfix, and a few others mentioned on various threads here.

I will post a question on iLander's original thread about whether I should expect a GIA report for the small 12 5 pointers in the halo.

I will try to take better pictures of the stones the next time I visit IDJ. I requested that they show me some more stones for comparison. I will keep you posted on my progress!

Hi again - you are asking good questions but if I were you, I wouldn't jump ahead to thinking about requesting a report until you have seen comparable-size sapphires from other vendors. Before going ahead with IDJ, I recommend querying Yvonne because she is right in the NYC area (so you could actually go see the stones in person if it got to that point) and she has many good comments here. I am sure other members of the PS community have other vendors that they would recommend as well.

Judging from posts here, PS people have been happy with IDJ diamonds. I don't think people normally expect reports for small diamonds like that, but iLander would probably know.

Diane

If you want to send a half pointer to GIA for a $200 evaluation(that's EACH stone), feel free. But that would be silly. IDJ usually uses excellent cut, F color SI clarity stones in PSer halos. You did tell them you're from PS, right? IDJ is a trusted source and many PSers have used them for multi-carat bracelets, earrings, earring jackets and big single diamonds.

As for the sapphire, ask IDJ is they will refund you if it turns out the sapphire is beryllium treated. If you want to know how cheap beryllium makes a sapphire, try looking for one on a eBay. They're usually $100 or less for your size, so it's worth finding out FROM AGL (she said, repeating herself from last thread ). IDJ knows diamonds cold, but colored stones are a speciality and a whole different animal than diamonds.

 

[gups]

Hi Chrono - Thanks for your message!

None of those pictures were taken with flash. The lighting in the store is such that glare is unavoidable. Also, it's in a room with zero natural light or windows of any kind, so I did not have the opportunity to change the lighting conditions. I will try what you suggested with the camera angle on my next visit, but so far, these are the ones that I have.

And thank you for the tip about color shift. I can try and take the stones in the building hallway to see how that affects the hue of the stone.

Can you please post all 3 stones together on the back of the hand, without flash photography? Make sure the stones' tables are perpendicular to the camera to avoid facet glare and so that we can look for cut issues. Using macro will help because if the camera is too close to the stones, it causes obstruction darkening. Also, find out how the colour shifts under indoor lighting. Some will "die" whilst some get a bit darker and others will become a bit purplish.

 

[gups]

Thanks, iLander, for responding to my query. $200 per stone would put a *slight* dent in my budget - haha.

I did tell them I'm from PS and they assured me that they would use good quality stones.

I will definitely ask them about a contingency clause in case the AGL Brief comes back positive for any other treatment besides heat. Thanks for that tip.

If you want to send a half pointer to GIA for a $200 evaluation(that's EACH stone), feel free. But that would be silly. IDJ usually uses excellent cut, F color SI clarity stones in PSer halos. You did tell them you're from PS, right? IDJ is a trusted source and many PSers have used them for multi-carat bracelets, earrings, earring jackets and big single diamonds.

As for the sapphire, ask IDJ is they will refund you if it turns out the sapphire is beryllium treated. If you want to know how cheap beryllium makes a sapphire, try looking for one on a eBay. They're usually $100 or less for your size, so it's worth finding out FROM AGL (she said, repeating herself from last thread ). IDJ knows diamonds cold, but colored stones are a speciality and a whole different animal than diamonds.

 

[gups]

Hi everyone,

So, I have a few more pics, but unfortunately, the quality is still sub-par. I am traveling right now, and had them take a few pics. These were the best of the lot, which is not saying much.

I realize that it will be hard to discern the finer points of the stones with these pics. How does the coloring of the stones look, in general?

Thanks again for staying with me on this!

 

[chrono]

The reason I was very specific with the angle of the stone relative to the camera is to look for cut issues such as off center culet, windowing, extinction and more, which affects the performance and look of the stone. It also helps with spotting unevenness of colour which is called zoning. I am afraid these new pictures do not tell me anything more that the first few pictures.

 

[gups]

I get what you are saying, Chrono. I will have to try and take better pictures in person... Thanks for trying!

The reason I was very specific with the angle of the stone relative to the camera is to look for cut issues such as off center culet, windowing, extinction and more, which affects the performance and look of the stone. It also helps with spotting unevenness of colour which is called zoning. I am afraid these new pictures do not tell me anything more that the first few pictures.