Greeny Blue Natural Sapphire Wanted - HELP

[lee85]

I'm currently searching for greeny blue coloured natural untreated sapphire in a (square) cushion cut in the size region of 1ct and need urgent help as I only have two weeks left before my deadline (proposal)!

I have found a sapphire of this description on the naturalsapphirecompany.com however I am reluctant to buy because of the vast amount of negative reviews of the company (and possibly overpriced?). What are peoples thoughts on this? I have included the link below.

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Unique/U3607/Cushion/stoneid=U3607

Another note, I am based in the UK.

Thanks,

Lee

 

[Sonyjameson]

Hi Lee,

Now that depends, what would you be looking to spend? As you know these stones especially in fancy colour can be pretty pricey!

Sony

 

[lee85]

The one on NSC is about $1250, but I was hoping to spend around $1000

 

[Jeweljunke]

Hi, check our this seller. I have not used them, but they look like they have alot of teal colored sapphire.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MountainMommaGems?ref=seller_info

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I'd say it's overpriced.
Montana sapphires are often a greenish blue. You can write Gene from precisiongem.com
He often cuts that material. Or try Dana at mastercutgems.com

 

[iLander]

I'd say it's overpriced.
Montana sapphires are often a greenish blue. You can write Gene from precisiongem.com
He often cuts that material. Or try Dana at mastercutgems.com

I agree with this, 100%.

Montana sapphires also usually have a greyish tint, which I'm sure have been photoshopped out of the NSC photo. I've perused the NSC site, and I've found their videos differ widely from their photos, and it worries me that this one doesn't have a video. I can't speak to the accuracy of either, but there is a huge difference between them.

 

[lee85]

Thanks for that, I have sent them an e-mail.

I'm also wary of the sapphire on NSC, I have sent them an email requesting a video so I'll see how they respond.

 

[Pandora II]

Remember you will also have to add 20% to the price when you import it into the country...

You could try contacting the people at www.topgem.co.uk - the owner is a specialist in unheated/untreated sapphires and rubies. I've bought some amazing stones from him and he's who I would recommend in the UK. Email and ask if they have anything that fits the bill in stock as very little is actually on the website. They are based in London if that is any help and I think they also do settings as well if you need the whole package.

(Am in no way associated with the company - just a very happy customer!)

Will have a think if I know anyone else who might have something available - but the guy at TopGem will probably know who will if he doesn't.

 

[lee85]

Remember you will also have to add 20% to the price when you import it into the country...

You could try contacting the people at www.topgem.co.uk - the owner is a specialist in unheated/untreated sapphires and rubies. I've bought some amazing stones from him and he's who I would recommend in the UK. Email and ask if they have anything that fits the bill in stock as very little is actually on the website. They are based in London if that is any help and I think they also do settings as well if you need the whole package.

(Am in no way associated with the company - just a very happy customer!)

Will have a think if I know anyone else who might have something available - but the guy at TopGem will probably know who will if he doesn't.

Thanks, I had already e-mailed them earlier tonight! ... although the link wasn't working so I contacted them through the apsara website.

I am aware of the 20% import tax, it's a shame there is very little choice here in the UK.

 

[iLander]

Remember you will also have to add 20% to the price when you import it into the country...

You could try contacting the people at www.topgem.co.uk - the owner is a specialist in unheated/untreated sapphires and rubies. I've bought some amazing stones from him and he's who I would recommend in the UK. Email and ask if they have anything that fits the bill in stock as very little is actually on the website. They are based in London if that is any help and I think they also do settings as well if you need the whole package.

(Am in no way associated with the company - just a very happy customer!)

Will have a think if I know anyone else who might have something available - but the guy at TopGem will probably know who will if he doesn't.

Great link, Pandora!

Can you tell me how to guess what the stones look like in real life? The pictures are so dark, how accurate are they?

 

[Pandora II]

Great - did you find them by chance or via the PS link?

The website is fascinating reading even if you don't find the right stone. I hope they have something as you could then see it in person.

Yes, VAT is a PITA for sure!

iLander, the photos do look very dark and don't begin to represent the beauty of the stones. I'm afraid I don't really believe in 'reading' a photo to judge a stone, so much depends on different monitors and different interpretations and perceptions.

I first came across the company at a trade show I used to go to as a gemmology student. Unlike most of the dealers they didn't have a gazillion stones - just a beautifully laid out selection of perhaps a couple of hundred. The quality was incredible - really, really beautiful, especially the blue sapphires and the rubies. Most are premium colour. He also had the best tsavorites on display and a good selection of Mali garnets that no-one else had. I kept sneaking back for another look - and might have even bought a couple...

The cuts are pretty good too.

 

[minousbijoux]

Can you tell us more about what is acceptable to you? Does a bit of grey bother you? Do you mind inclusions? Do you want it to be as light in color as the one in your link? Does it absolutely have to be a square cushion (it sounds like it does, but unfortunately that will be a limiting factor).

I would definitely contact Dana and Gene. I wish you lots of good luck; you're in good hands if Pandora is helping you.

 

[lee85]

Great - did you find them by chance or via the PS link?

The website is fascinating reading even if you don't find the right stone. I hope they have something as you could then see it in person.

Yes, VAT is a PITA for sure!

iLander, the photos do look very dark and don't begin to represent the beauty of the stones. I'm afraid I don't really believe in 'reading' a photo to judge a stone, so much depends on different monitors and different interpretations and perceptions.

I first came across the company at a trade show I used to go to as a gemmology student. Unlike most of the dealers they didn't have a gazillion stones - just a beautifully laid out selection of perhaps a couple of hundred. The quality was incredible - really, really beautiful, especially the blue sapphires and the rubies. Most are premium colour. He also had the best tsavorites on display and a good selection of Mali garnets that no-one else had. I kept sneaking back for another look - and might have even bought a couple...

The cuts are pretty good too.

I found the link to topgem on PS. But yes I hope they have something too, however I'm afraid I may be running out of time. I'm going to view a blue sapphire at a local jewellers tomorrow but I'm not expecting anything special and would really prefer this to be a greeny blue as that is her favourite colour.

Minousbijoux - I don't mind small inclusions as long as they're not too visible to the naked eye. A greeny blue colour is important as that is her favourite colour but I will consider a nice blue if all else fails. I'm also after a cushion cut as she prefers this shape and is ideal for the setting I have in mind. Thanks.

 

[Pandora II]

Do you need to propose with the ring?

My husband didn't and nor did most of my friend's husbands. There are lots of equally romantic ways to propose and designing and choosing the ring together is a really fun process.

I often help people out with their engagement rings for fun and most of the time the girl is equally if not more involved in the process.

It's so normal here that no-one will think you're not engaged because you don't yet have a ring or anything.

I would really recommend not rushing the process - this ring will be on her hand for a very long time and you want to be really happy and proud when you look at it.

Two weeks is really, really cutting it fine - many if not most coloured stones won't fit a stock setting as they are not made in calibrated sizes and so require custom settings rather than being able to fit in stock ones. It can easily take a week just to get the CADS done and approved before they even start work on the metal.

If you do ship in from abroad, be aware that customs have a nasty habit of not telling you they have the parcel so you have to go and track it down and then they seem to take ages to release it after payment, so things like DHL normally take a couple of days at least from the US.

 

[GliderPoss]

Try Australian sapphires - I have personally seen many that fit your description and untreated from a company called Coolamon Sapphires. Jim & Jenny are lovely and will help you out. I was lucky enough to sit and play with their stock a few weeks ago - all very reasonably priced too.

 

[iLander]

Great - did you find them by chance or via the PS link?

The website is fascinating reading even if you don't find the right stone. I hope they have something as you could then see it in person.

Yes, VAT is a PITA for sure!

iLander, the photos do look very dark and don't begin to represent the beauty of the stones. I'm afraid I don't really believe in 'reading' a photo to judge a stone, so much depends on different monitors and different interpretations and perceptions.

I first came across the company at a trade show I used to go to as a gemmology student. Unlike most of the dealers they didn't have a gazillion stones - just a beautifully laid out selection of perhaps a couple of hundred. The quality was incredible - really, really beautiful, especially the blue sapphires and the rubies. Most are premium colour. He also had the best tsavorites on display and a good selection of Mali garnets that no-one else had. I kept sneaking back for another look - and might have even bought a couple...

The cuts are pretty good too.

Oh, wait . . . I just figured out their prices.

Beautiful things, though. I can tell they're lovely.

 

[jbkhere]

Try Lisa Elser.
http://www.lisaelser.com/index.html
I am currently working with her (she's AWESOME) with a sapphire she's cutting for me. I asked her if she's got more rough just in case and she does. Here's a pick of a stone she recently cut with this same rough.... Good luck!!

 

[distracts]

http://diamondbistro.com/category/229/Sapphire/listings/28793/23-ct-Unheated-Tunduru-Teal-Green-Sapphire.html

If I was looking to spend about $1000 on a sapphire of any color right now, I'd buy that one.

 

[Pandora II]

Oh, wait . . . I just figured out their prices.

Beautiful things, though. I can tell they're lovely.

We have a 20% sales tax in the UK as well as prices being higher in general so things look very expensive compared with other countries - however we have to add 20% to the cost of anything overseas as we will be charged that on importing - 25% if it is set jewellery.

In any case, the stones are actually very reasonable priced for the quality.

 

[lee85]

Do you need to propose with the ring?

My husband didn't and nor did most of my friend's husbands. There are lots of equally romantic ways to propose and designing and choosing the ring together is a really fun process.

I often help people out with their engagement rings for fun and most of the time the girl is equally if not more involved in the process.

It's so normal here that no-one will think you're not engaged because you don't yet have a ring or anything.

I would really recommend not rushing the process - this ring will be on her hand for a very long time and you want to be really happy and proud when you look at it.

Two weeks is really, really cutting it fine - many if not most coloured stones won't fit a stock setting as they are not made in calibrated sizes and so require custom settings rather than being able to fit in stock ones. It can easily take a week just to get the CADS done and approved before they even start work on the metal.

If you do ship in from abroad, be aware that customs have a nasty habit of not telling you they have the parcel so you have to go and track it down and then they seem to take ages to release it after payment, so things like DHL normally take a couple of days at least from the US.

Thanks for the advice, I am planning to get the custom ring designed together after the proposal but was hoping to have the centre stone before hand.

 

[lee85]

Try Lisa Elser.
http://www.lisaelser.com/index.html
I am currently working with her (she's AWESOME) with a sapphire she's cutting for me. I asked her if she's got more rough just in case and she does. Here's a pick of a stone she recently cut with this same rough.... Good luck!!

Thanks for that. I'll drop her an e-mail.

 

[Shushinator]

I have read some negative experiences pricescopers had with NCS. it gave me concern the first time i bought there. im not an experienced jeweler, and dont have the inside scoops many of the pricescopers have, but i have bought 3 stones from them now and not found them to be overpriced on the stones(that i purchased at least). there are alot of cheap montana sapphires out there, but its not easy to find a spectacular stone and nsc had the biggest inventory of pretty montana sapphires that i found. i looked about 6 months before finding this one on nsc. I paid $2200 for this 1.85 carat european cut color change, flawless sapphire. and i havent found one id trade if for yet!

 

[lee85]

So this is the email response I got fom NSC. Ive attached the image they sent me also.

Thank you for your inquiry. As a certified gemologist, I will be happy to advise you and describe the special characteristics of our sapphires.

Please keep in mind that our sapphires are not commercial quality gemstones that you would see in typical mass market websites or jewelry stores. Our sapphires are in fact extremely bright, pure color tone, and perfectly cut. If you were to compare our sapphires with any other competitors the difference would be dramatic. The Natural Sapphire Company is proud to offer sapphires that are incredibly higher in quality.

U3607: Is an intense greenish blue Montana sapphire with excellent clarity grading. The clarity grade is internally flawless and it is .95 cts. The total price is $1,235 USD. This stone has a very good color saturation, meaning it has an intense color that is equally distributed. It is just radiant. This sapphire has excellent symmetry and cut. Please see the image of the sapphire on my hand below. This sapphire has a sparkling appearance and lovely cut.

I hope this further image is helpful in terms of the sapphire’s color and size.

 

[Shushinator]

that pretty much sums up the way i felt. their stones, for what you were getting they did not seem overpriced. the flash of purple and blue in mine can be seen from across the room. there were not any others i found online that came close to the type of 'WOW!' stone i wanted.

 

[Shushinator]

p.s. i have no idea if they would do it, but they have sales all the time, i think usually 15-20% off.... you might just ask since this one is a couple hundred more than u wanted to spend, and u are overseas etc etc if they would give you a discount.

 

[lee85]

p.s. i have no idea if they would do it, but they have sales all the time, i think usually 15-20% off.... you might just ask since this one is a couple hundred more than u wanted to spend, and u are overseas etc etc if they would give you a discount.

Thanks for the advice, I did notice it had 15% discount last week for Mother's Day so I may use that to negotiate also!

I've attached some further images below and would like people's opinions please!

 

[Enerchi]

Hi and welcome - have you looked at Gemfix? This is their montana sapphire page - http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html

I have purchased a few stones from them and found their colours accurate when I received the stones. I have 2 stones cut by Andrew and 1 other. His faceting is amazing on the stones I purchased!

 

[Pandora II]

I've had a look at the website images.

I'm not hugely fanatical about cut, but the meet-points on that stone and the off-centre table would bug me. Their claim that their stones are 'perfectly cut' is very, very far from the truth - I may be a fan of traditional faceting and very happy to buy non-precision but I would never claim that my stones were perfectly cut.

They also state the clarity to be IF - internally flawless... yet I can see a number of inclusions including veils on the photograph. It is almost certainly going to be eyeclean, but it won't be loupe-clean. Eye-clean is all that is required in coloured stones but it really annoys me that they try and portray it to be something it's not.

The colour also looks very different in the recent hand-shot you posted?

I think it is very expensive for a Montana stone of under a carat that is not precision cut - especially considering that it is going to cost you around $1.5k by the time you've imported it.

Gene at Precision Gem has a precision cut unheated blue sapphire of 1.73 on his site that was priced at $242...

Here are some more Montana's cut by a PS vendor... see the difference in price and these stones have precision cuts as well. http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=view&cat=251

 

[Pandora II]

Hi and welcome - have you looked at Gemfix? This is their montana sapphire page - http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_montana.html

I have purchased a few stones from them and found their colours accurate when I received the stones. I have 2 stones cut by Andrew and 1 other. His faceting is amazing on the stones I purchased!

The 1.44ct at the bottom of the page looks very nice.

 

[Shushinator]

p.s. i have no idea if they would do it, but they have sales all the time, i think usually 15-20% off.... you might just ask since this one is a couple hundred more than u wanted to spend, and u are overseas etc etc if they would give you a discount.

Thanks for the advice, I did notice it had 15% discount last week for Mother's Day so I may use that to negotiate also!

I've attached some further images below and would like people's opinions please!

The stone ur looking at is my favorite color of the montana sapphires. that blue green is what attracted me to the stone. i like the cut too but sometimes a stone just doesnt look like what you expect it to from photos so i would definitely get a video.
nsc will ship the stone to you to preview if you think u might love it. whatever route you go contact the dealers that pricescopers suggest and be specific as to what color, cut, size and price you hope to find. sapphires are all unique and if you know what you want its a hunt.

Gem fix had a good selection and a couple pretty stones (ATTACHED). they are darker and so the lighter stone might have more flash, since your oveseas a video of each stone you are serious about would be ideal.

i also looked at the precision gem pandora suggested for $242. its a nice big stone, but a completely different type of stone than the one you are looking at at nsc. if price is the primary factor i would be more flexible as to what i wanted, even look at spinels. you both will look at an engagement ring every day, so my opinion is to get the spectacular stone you can find and afford.