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Engagement ring sapphire/ruby

chrono said:
Saturation (intensity, not how light or dark, although too much of an extreme does affect price) of colour sets the price.
Click to expand...

Okay okay that makes sense.So the Gemfix isn't as saturated. I've heard that word tossed around a bunch but maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time judging the "intensity" of a stone's color. Guess I need more practice.

Niel said:
This company has a number of pads in your price range. This one seems to fit all your requirement, though a little over budget they offer an OBO, so could get closer to 2k, just about 1.5ct, actually well cut, and very pail in
https://jupitergem.com/padparadscha-sapphire-1-43-carat-unheated-grs-certified-1979/

Look around though they might have more you like
img_0190.jpg
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Holy moly that stone is just about perfect! The only concern that I have is that it looks like it might be pretty included on the right side? Or is that just an effect from how the light is reflecting off the facets? If it is an inclusion, would that affect the stability/durability of the sapphire as a whole?

Does anybody have any experience with this seller?


rockysalamander said:
Great feedback. Ok. Some observations that may be more confusing than helpful...

Sapphires and ruby are worn as daily stones, but that does not mean they won't suffer for it. I can't tell you how many abraded and rubbed over stones came into my grandmother's shop. Diamonds are more prone to chipping. Spinels tend to appear with chips rather than scratches as their primary injury to life. But, spinel is also vastly less expensive - at least today. So, for the lost value due to damage and re-polishing is also less. Also, most people's idea of a ruby as red/burgundy is wrong. As others have said, rubies tend to have a pink or purple under-colour. If she responded to red or burgundy than spinel is actually a better colour-match. Like @chrono said, the more saturated the colour, the more expensive. You are attracted to those saturated stones. So, I'm suggesting to be open to possibilities. In terms of what others say, unless you are from certain parts of the world, then there will always be people who have something to say that it is not a diamond. Or will tell you some myth about the gem, my great-aunt used to say, "for every pearl you own will be a tear you will cry" as an old Italian myth. I've cried some tear, but I don't blame my pearls. Please you and her...not anyone else.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/spinel-durability.192979/

How well any gemstone will survive life is a matter of how it is treated and set. The setting you choose is not protective to to the girdle of the stone. It is, however, a lovely low slung setting which will be easy to wear and protect the stone from being hit so often from the sides. I would recommend 6 prongs (1 on each end, two on each side) to help protect the stone.

You might have a look at the following for setting ideas.
https://www.instagram.com/franbarkerdesign/
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Hoo doggy this is a good bit of information to swallow. I guess I just assumed the jeweler/goldsmith would know best how to make my "vision" for a ring into a good product. I guess I have a bunch more research to do....
 
You can always ask the vendor about the inclusion. Also they may have other ones you like.
 
Niel said:
You can always ask the vendor about the inclusion. Also they may have other ones you like.
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I would follow up on a video as well, since the depth is quite shallow, so I suspect a good bit of bowtie and / or too-easily seen tilt window.
 
Niel said:
You can always ask the vendor about the inclusion. Also they may have other ones you like.
Click to expand...

I definitely will do that, going to write an email now.


chrono said:
I would follow up on a video as well, since the depth is quite shallow, so I suspect a good bit of bowtie and / or too-easily seen tilt window.
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I definitely will ask for a video, and what does "a good bit of bowtie" mean, if you don't mind my asking? I apologize for the ignorance!
 
bowtie.jpg
Above is a good example of a gem showing a bowtie - do you kind of see the actual bowtie shape horizontally across the middle of the stone?


Another one to consider (below), especially with the 15% off happening right now. I'll let the experts chime in on the color though.
.91ct
Unheated
6.51 x 5.39 x 3.55mm
$1,274
http://www.africagems.com/sapphire-padparadscha-oval-gemstone-81889699.html
AG.jpg
 
Also, have a look at Brume Jeroh's instagrame feed. He's a known seller to me, perhaps others, and his gems are well-described and photos and videos are representative. They are often on his hand, which is quite helpful. Having spent some time in Africa, I will say that you can see the special quality of light that may or may not be the same if you live in a wet, green leafy place.

Just DM him through Instagram for prices. I've never seen him have rubies, but his sapphires are quite lovely and prices are very fair.

https://www.instagram.com/bayoto/?hl=en
 
SparkliesLuver said:
bowtie.jpg
Above is a good example of a gem showing a bowtie - do you kind of see the actual bowtie shape horizontally across the middle of the stone?


Another one to consider (below), especially with the 15% off happening right now. I'll let the experts chime in on the color though.
.91ct
Unheated
6.51 x 5.39 x 3.55mm
$1,274
http://www.africagems.com/sapphire-padparadscha-oval-gemstone-81889699.html
AG.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh awesome thank you for the explanation and the link! The other seller said she would send me a video and more pictures soon!


rockysalamander said:
Also, have a look at Brume Jeroh's instagrame feed. He's a known seller to me, perhaps others, and his gems are well-described and photos and videos are representative. They are often on his hand, which is quite helpful. Having spent some time in Africa, I will say that you can see the special quality of light that may or may not be the same if you live in a wet, green leafy place.

Just DM him through Instagram for prices. I've never seen him have rubies, but his sapphires are quite lovely and prices are very fair.

https://www.instagram.com/bayoto/?hl=en
Click to expand...

Oo his stuff looks nice and from the prices I can see are very fair! I follow one other sapphire guy on Insta (it is literally the only reason I have an instagram, now I follow 2 people! lol) from Sri Lanka that was recommended to me. I would love any other known sellers if anybody has any recommendations!
 
chrono said:
I would follow up on a video as well, since the depth is quite shallow, so I suspect a good bit of bowtie and / or too-easily seen tilt window.
Click to expand...

They got back to me with a video!
 
What if you switched the colors in your inspiration ring? Both of these are slightly over the 2k budget, but I'm mostly looking for a reaction to the idea.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/85ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs2 {play the Videos and see what your gf thinks before you discount old cuts; ~6 mm}

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/72ct-marquise-cut-diamond-gia-e-si2 {8.79x4.55 mm}

Then, you can save a bit and get rubies in the wedding band. If the rubies get beaten up, you are only replacing little one...

Or...what about a rustic rose cut diamond?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/291389...ry=rustic diamond engagement&ref=sr_gallery_5
 
rockysalamander said:
What if you switched the colors in your inspiration ring? Both of these are slightly over the 2k budget, but I'm mostly looking for a reaction to the idea.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/85ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs2 {play the Videos and see what your gf thinks before you discount old cuts; ~6 mm}

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/72ct-marquise-cut-diamond-gia-e-si2 {8.79x4.55 mm}

Then, you can save a bit and get rubies in the wedding band. If the rubies get beaten up, you are only replacing little one...

Or...what about a rustic rose cut diamond?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/291389153/natural-red-pear-shape-rose-cut-diamond?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=rustic diamond engagement&ref=sr_gallery_5
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I have nothing against old cuts, but the one thing that my girlfriend and I are pretty adamant about is NOT having a diamond as the main stone in the ring.... I really don't like the whole diamond industry, how common/standard they are, etc.
 
IMG_2570.jpg
 
Have you seen the ones that Rogerio has? He has some light peach and some really pretty and resonably priced blues.
This oval looks pretty https://shop.pristinegemstonejewelr...-for-engagement-ring-wedding-anniversary-ring
or this trillion https://shop.pristinegemstonejewelr...ose-gemstone-for-jewellery-at-wholesale-price
This ruby seems nice for the price range https://shop.pristinegemstonejewelr...-or-jewellery-loose-gemstone-by-rogerio-graca
Although i really dont think ruby would look good in rose gold.
 
If it helps. These are a couple of my rings with natural untreated Mogok rubies in rose gold and white gold. I prefer them in white gold to be honest. I also find rubies to darken a fair bit after setting, unless it's a much lighter shade to begin with.20170328_092619-1-1.jpg 20170328_092534-1.jpg

Rose gold ring worn indoors by the window, natural daylight and the rest under white LED.

White gold ring worn in the car, natural daylight.
20170328_092619-1-1.jpg 20170328_092534-1.jpg

20161012_122315-1-1.jpg IMG_20160726_190711_HDR-1.jpg
 
Burmesedaze said:
If it helps. These are a couple of my rings with natural untreated Mogok rubies in rose gold and white gold. I prefer them in white gold to be honest. I also find rubies to darken a fair bit after setting, unless it's a much lighter shade to begin with.20170328_092619-1-1.jpg 20170328_092534-1.jpg

Rose gold ring worn indoors by the window, natural daylight and the rest under white LED.

White gold ring worn in the car, natural daylight.
20170328_092619-1-1.jpg 20170328_092534-1.jpg

20161012_122315-1-1.jpg IMG_20160726_190711_HDR-1.jpg
Click to expand...

See, I like it with Rose gold! This weekend though I showed my girlfriend a bunch of pictures of these gems, and she said she was 50/50 on liking either the peach/pale pink/pad sapphire from Jupiter or the rubies. So I'm at least a LITTLE closer. I think her favorite was the peach, so I might start negotiating on price for that one!


rockysalamander said:
I just found this on the LT. Hopefully, another PSer knows the seller and can verify that GIC is still considered reliable. If you get another PSers to verify, then you'll have to get the RVN number from the seller. Then, go to GIC and verify it. I can't get any version off the cert to work, but maybe I'm typing something wrong.

http://www.gicolombo.com/verify.html

https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/unheated-ceylon-ruby-1-dot-82-ct;17067
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That seems like a really good price for that. I'm going to have to look into it. Especially because rubies are her birthstone, so if that is really a good ruby at that price, I might have to hop on it.
 
If she was 50/50 on both...then neither make her heart sing. I would ask her to send you 5 pics of gemstones she actually likes and tell you why. (Color, shape, setting). Don't prompt for any color or stone....just 5 she would say yes to even if more modest than in pic. Color is very personal, not least of which that some see "more" color than others. My mom can look at 20 red paints and describe how they are all differnt...me...I see maybe 5 reds in the mix.

On the diamond issue...I understand your opinion. But, an old diamond was mined 50-100+ years ago and any impact to the environment and society is long over. They are not traded on the open-diamond market, as new ones are, and they offer little new impact, new setting aside. I love all gems, but I don't fool myself into thinking I'm making a better ecological/societal/ethical choice by choosing any one over the other. Any resource mining (including lab-created gems) have an impact. It is fine to decide one type of impact is the one you are more focused on...so I'm not judging at all. Just trying to throw some light on the way people view gemstones. Do show her the old cut, because I don't think she has given you a clear vision.

In years of working at my grandmother's shop, when a women waffles over a ring and can't decide...you have not found the right one. One couple came into her shop and the guy was very sure "they" wanted a diamond. They looked at many and the woman kept hemming and hawing. I happen to have finished polishing a ring and was bringing for its inspection from by grandmother. It was a sapphire of the palest perwinkle blue and the women in the store was in love. That is what she wanted and didn't know it.
 
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rockysalamander said:
If she was 50/50 on both...then neither make her heart sing. I would ask her to send you 5 pics of gemstones she actually likes and tell you why. (Color, shape, setting). Don't prompt for any color or stone....just 5 she would say yes to even if more modest than in pic. Color is very personal, not least of which that some see "more" color than others. My mom can look at 20 red paints and describe how they are all differnt...me...I see maybe 5 reds in the mix.
Click to expand...

Oh believe you me, we've spent a LOT of time with her showing me stones/rings that she likes. I asked her once to pick out something and she said she did not want to, that she wanted what I got her to be a surprise. When I say she was 50/50 I mean, she really gushed over the peach sapphire, I mean really gushed from the beginning. So that was the plan, but when we were discussing I asked her if she would prefer a peach or a blue or a ruby, she said she wanted peach definitely over the blue, but said she wasn't sure because she also "really loves rubies". I've shown her stones of all different types/colors to try and gauge what she liked, and those three are the ones she landed at, with the rubies and peach sapphires at the top. (she also really loved merelani mint garnets, but decided she would rather have a sapphire) That woman has shown me so many rings and stones, if I ask her to compare any more she might smash my head in lol

rockysalamander said:
On the diamond issue...I understand your opinion. But, an old diamond was mined 50-100+ years ago and any impact to the environment and society is long over. They are not traded on the open-diamond market, as new ones are, and they offer little new impact, new setting aside. I love all gems, but I don't fool myself into thinking I'm making a better ecological/societal/ethical choice by choosing any one over the other. Any resource mining (including lab-created gems) have an impact. It is fine to decide one type of impact is the one you are more focused on...so I'm not judging at all. Just trying to throw some light on the way people view gemstones. Do show her the old cut, because I don't think she has given you a clear vision.
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She is really adamant about not wanting a diamond, too, because she doesn't want "the same thing as everybody else" - she wants something unique. Any diamond rings she has shown me she's said "I like this design, but obviously I don't want a diamond" lol. I appreciate the research into it, for sure. And MY reasons for disliking diamonds are definitely the ethical/societal ones brought up. I would think that older diamonds would be even MORE likely to have been sourced unethically, but not he other hand... not buying it new is also not supporting the continuation of those efforts, and what is done is done, so I'm not sure how I personally feel about it. But nevertheless she doesn't want one.
 
Ah. I misunderstood your meaning at 50/50. I took that as 'so so' not that she liked both. Sorry to misunderstand. So, it sounds like peach is a good start.

We could have a long debate about diamonds sourcing, and it would not get us closer to a lovely ring for your GF, but I would disagree that anything has improved in gem sourcing, cutting or marketing in the last 100 years. They impacts have just shifted around.
 
Pale peachy pink, 6.5 x 5.4 x 4.1 mm
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-14-carat-light-peach-pink-montana-sapphire/
54A2266-ET-1200.jpg
 
rockysalamander said:
Ah. I misunderstood your meaning at 50/50. I took that as 'so so' not that she liked both. Sorry to misunderstand. So, it sounds like peach is a good start.
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Lol no big deal, now I understand your response a little better. I should have been more clear on that. I have gone through a lot of different stones with her, gauging what she likes and what she doesn't and she is between a ruby and a peach at this point. She likes the blue, too, and said that would be good. But the way she talks about the peach...

I know the color she likes (more of a light pink sapphire than a true "pad", really) is a "low-quality" color so to speak (not one of the traditionally sought-after, high-end colors), which makes me not want to get it because of my own biases. I want her to have something top-tier, a top-tier sapphire (or as top-tier as I can get in my budget), but I'm thinking that I will have to suck that up and get her what I can tell she loves....

I mean. I've been looking obsessively for months now. I feel like I'm going to get her more gems in the future, so this is gonna be fine for now. I feel like I caught a bug, to be honest. I can't stop reading/looking at this stuff now


rockysalamander said:
Pale peachy pink, 6.5 x 5.4 x 4.1 mm
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-14-carat-light-peach-pink-montana-sapphire/
54A2266-ET-1200.jpg
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That's a little small for what I'm looking for, and a little TOO pale. I would worry it would wash out
 
GrandpaUtz said:
Lol no big deal, now I understand your response a little better. I should have been more clear on that. I have gone through a lot of different stones with her, gauging what she likes and what she doesn't and she is between a ruby and a peach at this point. She likes the blue, too, and said that would be good. But the way she talks about the peach...

I know the color she likes (more of a light pink sapphire than a true "pad", really) is a "low-quality" color so to speak (not one of the traditionally sought-after, high-end colors), which makes me not want to get it because of my own biases. I want her to have something top-tier, a top-tier sapphire (or as top-tier as I can get in my budget), but I'm thinking that I will have to suck that up and get her what I can tell she loves....

I mean. I've been looking obsessively for months now. I feel like I'm going to get her more gems in the future, so this is gonna be fine for now. I feel like I caught a bug, to be honest. I can't stop reading/looking at this stuff now




That's a little small for what I'm looking for, and a little TOO pale. I would worry it would wash out
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Any gem of the perfect color is not "low quality". You are incredibly kind to her. Get her the color she loves because she loves it. That is what makes an engagement ring special to me...that the giver cared so much about the receiver that they set aside their own likes/dislikes and just got what the receiver wanted. We'll keep on the hunt. So, more baby or lotus pink vs. peach. Got it.
 
On one of my random sapphire searches, I found this etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/JewelLUXE?ref=l2-shopheader-name&section_id=16089837. The vendor appears to specialize in light pink/peach/rose colored jewelry and stones. Many of the stones she has posted do appear to have some cut issues - visible windows and bowties being the most obvious. But she does also seem to have a source for these colored stones. I don't know if any more experienced PSers have worked with her before, but might be worth reaching out to her.
 
Well I liked the video of that oval
 
Niel said:
Well I liked the video of that oval
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I had to show her the video because I liked it, too! And she loved it. She said it was her favorite so far. That being said, I am worried that it is too shallow of a cut. 8.08 x 5.48 x 3.85 mm - seems like there might be issues in setting it? I don't know about that though.
 
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