Help finding a pink sapphire ring

[jumpman23j]

Jumpman - if I were you I'd get the Sapphire that TL linked you to on Ebay. The Seller is exceptionally reputable and a number of us on here (serious collectors) buy regularly from him. Out of all my purchases, I've only ever sent one thing back to him. I'd agree with TL again, that you can buy a nice setting from LOGR or Lanbo4, have the stone mounted locally and with luck, you'll have a little bit of change from your $500.

My own personal experience with NSC was not good and I find them (typically) pushy, overly expensive and I don't like their shoddy selling practices or the vile posts that their CEO has posted on here. However, that's just my opinion and of course others have theirs.

Good luck and I hope you get something lovely.

Yeah it is nice but I know my gf loves princess cut stones or diamonds and you know how it is when you don't get what she actually wants. How much different is a cushion compared to princess?

 

[T L]

Jumpman - if I were you I'd get the Sapphire that TL linked you to on Ebay. The Seller is exceptionally reputable and a number of us on here (serious collectors) buy regularly from him. Out of all my purchases, I've only ever sent one thing back to him. I'd agree with TL again, that you can buy a nice setting from LOGR or Lanbo4, have the stone mounted locally and with luck, you'll have a little bit of change from your $500.

My own personal experience with NSC was not good and I find them (typically) pushy, overly expensive and I don't like their shoddy selling practices or the vile posts that their CEO has posted on here. However, that's just my opinion and of course others have theirs.

Good luck and I hope you get something lovely.

Yeah it is nice but I know my gf loves princess cut stones or diamonds and you know how it is when you don't get what she actually wants. How much different is a cushion compared to princess?

Considering your budget and that you are looking at a stone that is rarely cut into a princess cut, it's not feasible to be looking at sapphires then. When people start to get stringent about cutting, color in a rare gem, and a tight budget, well, it can be impossible to attain what you want. Perhaps you should be looking at pink tourmalines then or a less rare stone that is more budget friendly and can be cut to your specifications. You could also be looking at diffused or synthetic sapphires, if you want a princess cut sapphire in a ring for under $500, but just make sure that's what you're paying for. If you are on a tight timeline, it may be next to impossible to get what you want in your budget as far as a natural untreated pink sapphire is concerned. Just some food for thought. Colored gems are not always "made to order" like diamonds are.

The cushion is a good deal, but if she's dead set on a princess cut stone, I would probably look at something else. They are both squarish gems, but I don't know your girlfriend, and I don't know how she would react to it. A cushion has more rounded edges than a princess cut.

 

[jumpman23j]

Jumpman - if I were you I'd get the Sapphire that TL linked you to on Ebay. The Seller is exceptionally reputable and a number of us on here (serious collectors) buy regularly from him. Out of all my purchases, I've only ever sent one thing back to him. I'd agree with TL again, that you can buy a nice setting from LOGR or Lanbo4, have the stone mounted locally and with luck, you'll have a little bit of change from your $500.

My own personal experience with NSC was not good and I find them (typically) pushy, overly expensive and I don't like their shoddy selling practices or the vile posts that their CEO has posted on here. However, that's just my opinion and of course others have theirs.

Good luck and I hope you get something lovely.

Yeah it is nice but I know my gf loves princess cut stones or diamonds and you know how it is when you don't get what she actually wants. How much different is a cushion compared to princess?

Considering your budget and that you are looking at a stone that is rarely cut into a princess cut, it's not feasible to be looking at sapphires then. When people start to get stringent about cutting, color in a rare gem, and a tight budget, well, it can be impossible to attain what you want. Perhaps you should be looking at pink tourmalines then or a less rare stone that is more budget friendly and can be cut to your specifications. You could also be looking at diffused or synthetic sapphires, if you want a princess cut sapphire in a ring for under $500, but just make sure that's what you're paying for. If you are on a tight timeline, it may be next to impossible to get what you want in your budget as far as a natural untreated pink sapphire is concerned. Just some food for thought. Colored gems are not always "made to order" like diamonds are.

The cushion is a good deal, but if she's dead set on a princess cut stone, I would probably look at something else. They are both squarish gems, but I don't know your girlfriend, and I don't know how she would react to it. A cushion has more rounded edges than a princess cut.

Thanks for the advice, so sapphires are rarely in a princess cut? Ok if I really want a princess cut sapphire how much would I be looking at? I guess I could extend my budget if it is really nice.

 

[LD]

Jumpman - if I were you I'd get the Sapphire that TL linked you to on Ebay. The Seller is exceptionally reputable and a number of us on here (serious collectors) buy regularly from him. Out of all my purchases, I've only ever sent one thing back to him. I'd agree with TL again, that you can buy a nice setting from LOGR or Lanbo4, have the stone mounted locally and with luck, you'll have a little bit of change from your $500.

My own personal experience with NSC was not good and I find them (typically) pushy, overly expensive and I don't like their shoddy selling practices or the vile posts that their CEO has posted on here. However, that's just my opinion and of course others have theirs.

Good luck and I hope you get something lovely.

Yeah it is nice but I know my gf loves princess cut stones or diamonds and you know how it is when you don't get what she actually wants. How much different is a cushion compared to princess?

Considering your budget and that you are looking at a stone that is rarely cut into a princess cut, it's not feasible to be looking at sapphires then. When people start to get stringent about cutting, color in a rare gem, and a tight budget, well, it can be impossible to attain what you want. Perhaps you should be looking at pink tourmalines then or a less rare stone that is more budget friendly and can be cut to your specifications. You could also be looking at diffused or synthetic sapphires, if you want a princess cut sapphire in a ring for under $500, but just make sure that's what you're paying for. If you are on a tight timeline, it may be next to impossible to get what you want in your budget as far as a natural untreated pink sapphire is concerned. Just some food for thought. Colored gems are not always "made to order" like diamonds are.

The cushion is a good deal, but if she's dead set on a princess cut stone, I would probably look at something else. They are both squarish gems, but I don't know your girlfriend, and I don't know how she would react to it. A cushion has more rounded edges than a princess cut.

Thanks for the advice, so sapphires are rarely in a princess cut? Ok if I really want a princess cut sapphire how much would I be looking at? I guess I could extend my budget if it is really nice.

It's not "how much" it's whether you could find one in a princess cut that is either natural or purely low heat. They're not common. Certainly your current budget even if somewhat extended would make it difficult to source based on size, treatment and cut.

ETA: I've just searched the inventory at AJS and Multicolour (both of whom have a large selection) and there's only one princess cut on there in total and that's an icky pale yellow brown.

 

[LD]

Found this (not a pink sapphire but a pink tourmaline) and $470 for the ring
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/ima ... mr-sm.html

Also there's this pink sapphire (again not a princess but it's an emerald cut). It's not a great stone, hence the price.
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/ima ... 71-sm.html

To give you an indication of what you might need to pay:
http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/ima ... pr-sm.html

Hope that helps.

 

[vinkalmann]

Considering your budget and that you are looking at a stone that is rarely cut into a princess cut, it's not feasible to be looking at sapphires then.

I'd agree with that. It seems at this price level you'd be getting something heated, likely BE diffused, which takes the fun out of the stone since they're not really rare at that point. That tourmaline LD posted has a really nice color. What other types of stones should he be looking at?

PS: Don't discount cushion cuts, they're really nice and will open the number of stones available dramatically. Cushions can be almost square to more rectangular so you could get something close to a princess if that's an absolute must.

 

[Indylady]

Nice find on that cushion TL! If I hadn't just bought 4 settings this summer (none of which will fit a cushion, sadly!) I would have jumped on it.

 

[vinkalmann]

In case the OP didn't see it, TL has a couple of nice links in this thread. Not sapphires, but nice color and seems like good bang for your buck:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-help-me-pick-one.148310/

 

[jumpman23j]

What about something like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-64ct-CERTIFIED-UN ... emstones_1

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-14ct-CERTIFIED-UN ... emstones_1

What are your guys opinion on these?

Also I'm thinking Of getting this setting with the square gem:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Princess-5-5mm-Diam ... th_Accents

 

[mousey]

I really like the kite set tourmaline that loving diamonds posted.

 

[jumpman23j]

Ok I think I want to get this stone with this setting: Let me know what you guys think?

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-64ct-CERTIFIED-UN ... emstones_1

http://cgi.ebay.com/Princess-5-5mm-Diam ... th_Accents

Please tell me what you guys think.

 

[T L]

Well, it certainly falls in your budget very well. If it is unheated, I personally would get a memo verifying that, but that's me. I highly doubt you'll find another unheated princess pink sapphire, especially for that price. While it has a window, it is cut so shallow that it faces up large (like a one carat princess cut diamond). Good find!!

 

[Gempassion]

hi jumpman,

I know that you're looking for a sapphire, but here's a mahenge spinel that is a princess shape:

http://www.swalagemtraders.com/sear...atch=&indicate=&reserve_type=&pagefrom=search

 

[jumpman23j]

Well, it certainly falls in your budget very well. If it is unheated, I personally would get a memo verifying that, but that's me. I highly doubt you'll find another unheated princess pink sapphire, especially for that price. While it has a window, it is cut so shallow that it faces up large (like a one carat princess cut diamond). Good find!!

I have just messaged them for a memo or certificate so I'll see what they say.

 

[digitaldevo]

Vinkalmann,
Actually, it’s the reverse for me. It is much easier to trust and verify an in-house report that a sapphire is unheated rather than heated. It’s quite easy to find intact rutile and other unheated signs under magnification. With heated sapphires, it’s gets a little trickier to discern between “gentle” heat and “high heat” (aka diffusion) unless using very specialized equipment which are extremely expensive. Of course, this only applies to the latest diffusion treatment as the older diffusion methods are much easier to detect today. For me, having an in-house cert, even from a reputable vendor, is useless as it is a clear conflict of interest.

Exactly my feelings as well! An in house cert that says "Heated" is not acceptable to me when it comes to sapphires/rubies. As soon as I see heated, it means it could be Be Treated or other methods as well. An experienced eye and a very good high magnification microscope and a very good Darkfield lighting setup can tell if a stone is untreated or heated quite easily as long as there is/are some natural inclusions inside, sometimes with smaller ones there is nothing to judge from, lol. Heck, with lots of experience and the right goodies inside the stone, one can tell if the stone is lower heat or higher heat many times. While a LIBS is necessary for 110% fact of diffusion/Be Diffusion/etc. often times there are many telltale signs a good Gemmo can use to ID a high probability to 99.9999999% definitive Be Diffusion treatment.

As for which to go for, I like all. I personally have NO issues with Be Treated sapphires/rubies at all as long as the treatment is disclosed properly and the price reflects the treatment(s) as well. Don't get me wrong, if I had a choice between a larger Be treated one and a smaller untreated/heated one, I would take the untreated/heated one in a heartbeat, just my preference. But on a serious budget, and the like, I see nothing wrong with Be Treated sapphires/rubies personally. A good clarity one is still not exactly a common stone honestly, unless speaking about stones in the .14ct and under, then they are extremely common. A nicely cut Be Treated pink sapphire is no more common over .50ct then a pink tourmaline is honestly. And quite a bit of the darker pinks, reds, and rubelites out there are currently being treated as well, be it heat or heat & irradiation in the form of Cobalt-60. Cobalt-60 is the method being used on many of the darker pinks(because they start out as extremely light and pale in color) and rubelites coming out of Afghanistan/Pakistan right now. Not currently any way to really tell either if they have been treated unless the vendor is honest.

I like the Mahenge Spinel recommendation! They are amazingly beautiful stones and are extremely hot right now too! Not extremely rare, but not common either! Doubt you will run into a friend or such out on the town for a night wearing one, lol! They are extremely beautiful in hand, even the more sleepy ones are too.

As for the pink you found, the only thing I see that bothers me is on the very bottom in the middle it looks like a chip on the girdle reaching partially onto the crown just a tiny tiny bit. It could just be a trick of the camera and it may be just the clump of sticky good they used to hold the stone up with. I checked the still image, but it is not even showing there, lol. But I would definitely inquire about it as well to make sure. I see what looks like some rutile or silk inclusions in it, so should be easy to tell if high heat has been used on it or not.

 

[T L]

I too agree that a Mahenge would be a nice option, and as far as I know, they are untreated. Wow, DigitalDevo, how did you see that possible chip?? And I thought I had sharp eyes.

 

[chrono]

The Mahenge spinel is well priced for the size and colour although do read up on Swala’s return policy to see if it is acceptable to you. Also, it is pushing your budget somewhat, eating into the cost of the setting. TL’s suggestion is a well priced stone and setting under budget, which of course, with such a tight budget, some sacrifices will have to be made.

 

[jumpman23j]

Well digitaldevo, I bought the pink sapphire already so If it indeed has a tiny chip and it bothers me the seller has a good track record with returns if needed. I will take pics of it and post when I receive it to see what you guys think. Thanks guys.

 

[kelpie]

Did you get the stone yet? If it doesn't work out, you could consider this ring. I think Krementz makes nice jewelery at a variety of price points. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-14kt-White-Gold ... tone_Rings