Gemfix Sapphire Pair Received

[azaelea]

I finally received the Gemfix sapphire pair that I ordered. They were a gift from my mother in law and the vendor would only ship to the billing address so I had to have it shipped to her in NJ and then have her forward it down to me in FL. They would not send it down here directly to Miami for me.

Anyways, when I got the pair I was somewhat disappointed. There were too many purple tones in it and honestly it looked like a tanzanite. If I wanted to go with tanzanite, I would have done that and paid 1/3 the price for a pair. They were also a little bit too light. After seeing them against my skin and ear, I decided that I needed something a little bit darker for it to stand out. While I have black hair, my skin is pretty light (even though I should have a nice Miami tan I just don't get to the beach enough). As a result, the picture of the stone against my ear shows the color most accurately and it looks somewhat washed out to me.

These are a sneaky pair to photograph. I tried to capture the true color of it but it is almost impossible. These stones photograph very well. I've tried all different sorts of light, my husband collects flashlights so I tried it under a bunch of different toned flashlights and under the sun and under shaded daylight. Nothing I got came close to the color.

I'm going to post a bunch of pictures so you can see the stone and how it looks to the camera. It does NOT look this way to my eyes or those of anyone around me who I asked. I don't blame the vendor. I've received nothing but great service from them and it seems they're even reading my posts on PS here!

These are a tricky pair to photograph and the purple tones do not come out in the pictures but are pretty prevalent in real life.

They are very well cut and I LOVE the cut but for colored stones, it really is the color that matters. I'll show a picture with flash which really shows the cut.

I've decided to return it to them and start at square one. Hopefully one of the vendors I've contacted will be able to find a pair for me. Finding pairs seems to be extremely difficult. I've been working with Dana and he has someone searching for me so hopefully they will come across a pair that will work for me.

And now on to the pictures...First will be the vendor pic.

 

[azaelea]

Here are some more pictures that I took. I could never really capture the gem. To be perfectly honest, it actually looks like a pair of tanzanites the vendor has listed on his website.

Vendor picture kind of shows the color I see most often with my eyes. My pictures show what they are more blue but that's not what i see most of the time.

This second image I took with flash and I think it shows how nice the cut is.

 

[azaelea]

some more of my pictures....

 

[iLander]

Buying and returning stones is par for the course here on PS. We've all done it. Many times. If you don't like them, return them.

As you've just demonstrated to yourself, taking accurate photos of gem colors is extremely difficult. The PS process is to order and send back, because of this inherent difficulty.

I think they're beautiful, and I would keep them, but if you want something darker look some more. But remember, no one has completely accurate photos. And even if they did, your monitor will change the photo according to it's settings. I have a laptop with two monitors hooked up to it. I like to slide gem pix from one monitor to another, the difference in color between the two is stunning.

It's a process.

 

[azaelea]

and now the "magic" pictures of what i wish the sapphires looked like so that they would be perfect and i could have kept them. i was really hoping with all my heart that these were the ones for me.

this is what the camera see and I wish my eyes would see the same thing but unfortunately they do not. all pictures were taken with my iphone so maybe it's the darn camera's fault.

 

[azaelea]

last post with pictures i promise. after putting it against my ears, i've decided that i still want something with a Portuguese/flower cut in a cornflower blue BUT just darker.

I have one of the "magic" pictures that shows exactly what color I want. I want my eyes to see what I see in this picture when i hold the gemstone.

So... did I do the right thing deciding to return them? It's an expensive purchase and I want to make sure to get it right.

If anyone has any suggestions or can help me find a pair in the color that I actually want, whatever type of stone whether sapphire, tanzanite, spinel, etc or whatever, I would much appreciate it. I've been in contact with basically all the recommended cutters and been told sorry, they don't have anything to my specifications.

It seems like it is very difficult to find a matched pair which I can imagine if you are sorting through thousands of gemstones whose color might change when you cut it.

Thanks everyone for the advice and help with the initial purchase. I'm glad I didn't get the one from Planetary Gems that was suddenly "sold" and dropped in price by $100 when I informed him I was seriously interested and started asking about lab testing. To his credit, he did say he would take them back if tested as heated and pay for the test. Then he put the 6mm ones that he had re-used picture for but at a premium of $160. I would bet that those will look nothing like what is in the picture if I actually had purchased them.

 

[Wyntery]

I love the colour, but i guess I'm biased because my e-ring is a tanzanite.
But if they're not your dream colour, send them back.

 

[azaelea]

Thanks for your response. I really don't mind tanzanites, I've seen some tanzanites in great colors and I asked someone to source one for me in a more blue color. It was just the purple tones that bothered me and how light it was. If it was darker and more blue, I would have kept it in a heartbeat. If I buy sapphires, I want them to look like sapphires.

Everyone I showed them to, who don't know anything about gemstones, even had trouble believing that they were sapphires.

 

[peacechick]

I can see the purple in the photos, especially against your skin. I agree that the color is not especially saturated or vivid. Definitely agree with sending them back and then keep searching for the brilliant blue studs you want. I'm pretty sure they will come along sometime soon, especially since you are not looking for anything especially big. They'll be worth it in the end!