Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Help looking for a sky blue Montana sapphire

M

montanasapphire

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 10, 2018
Messages
10
Hi,

I've been searching for a light blue Montana sapphire around 1.5 ct and $2500 max for a center stone in a solitaire engagement ring, and the only decent looking ones I've found are the links below. I've also been told that these prices ($2300 and $2500) are way too much for these stones, yet I haven't been able to find anything that's come close regardless of price, including the Montana sapphires my jeweler has been finding and showing me.

Would buying one of these stones for the price listed be a huge waste, even though this seems to be the only seller offering Montanas of this color, size, and quality? Or have I not looked enough for better offers elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!

http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-55-carat-light-sky-blue-montana-sapphire/
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-47-carat-light-aquamarine-blue-montana-sapphire/
 
I would reach out to Dan Stair at customgemstones. He usually posts smaller stones, but you could see if he has any bigger pieces of rough that would cut you what you want.

If not, you could try Jeff White.
 
Is therea set shape you want?
 
I've never seen a sky blue Montana sapphire. Maybe they exist, but I've seen more denim blue ones, and they seem to color shift.
 
Have you been through Gemfix's stock?
Color shifting will make it a necessity to view it in person in all lighting before set.
 
Rfisher said:
Have you been through Gemfix's stock?
Color shifting will make it a necessity to view it in person in all lighting before set.
Click to expand...

I haven't yet, thanks!
 
Both of the ones you posted look gray to me! What kind of tone/saturation are you looking for? It might be helpful to relate the color to an inspiration in the real world? Bright sky blue, a soft baby blue, bright blue green like the Caribbean?
 
Jbows said:
Both of the ones you posted look gray to me! What kind of tone/saturation are you looking for? It might be helpful to relate the color to an inspiration in the real world? Bright sky blue, a soft baby blue, bright blue green like the Caribbean?
Click to expand...

I thought the seller's description of 'sky blue' for the first one seemed accurate. The sapphire in this ring from the weddingbee forums is another example of the kind of stone I'm looking for-
http://www-static.weddingbee.com/pics/324196/IMG_09401.jpg
Is a light denim blue more accurate maybe?

Mostly I was just interested in hearing what people thought of the sapphires I posted and if they seem worth the asking price, since they're more or less the size, color, and cut I'm looking for.
 
The two you posted are far grayer than the WBee forum sapphire.
 
chrono said:
The two you posted are far grayer than the WBee forum sapphire.
Click to expand...

What color would you call the weddingbee forum sapphire? I agree, its much more blue, though I think the sapphire in the second link from earth's treasury comes kind of close in some of the outdoor pictures. It's been difficult finding sapphires that aren't darker than the ones I linked while also being a nice shade of blue.
 
This one is a little small but I like the color.
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p358/0.97_ct_Unheated_Violetish-Blue_Sapphire.html
Oval, large, and over budget but the color might be nice.
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1287
I can’t decide if this one has gray in it.
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1116

Definitely would recommend against getting a stone with gray in it if you aren’t specifically looking for a steely color. Sapphires can be shifty in general and you should love it in its worst looking state. Otherwise you’ll only get glimpses of the stone looking the way you want
 
Is there a reason the blue sapphire needs to be a Montana blue sapphire? These sapphires are well known for their grey tones so finding a "sky blue" one may be difficult. I think this Ceylon sapphire from Dana is very close in size and color to the sapphires you are considering and faces up only 0.2 mm smaller than one you are considering. The price is substantially less too.

https://www.mastercutgems.com/Produ...atural_Sapphire_1_31_carat-Gem.php?FromPage=1
 
montanasapphire said:
What color would you call the weddingbee forum sapphire? I agree, its much more blue, though I think the sapphire in the second link from earth's treasury comes kind of close in some of the outdoor pictures. It's been difficult finding sapphires that aren't darker than the ones I linked while also being a nice shade of blue.
Click to expand...

I would say it was incredibly close in appearance to this stone

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/engaged-blue-sapphire-from-precision-gem.230792/

which is Nigerian -- so I am also not sure whether you will find a Montana sapphire which matches what you are describing. However I would look at weetview gems for options.
 
thanks for all the replies, I didn't realize the sapphires I posted are considered gray. I actually prefer the grayer color to the brighter more saturated blues. Since it seems that gray tones are less desirable, does that make Earth's treasury particularly overpriced? Also general thoughts on the quality of those sapphires for the price?
 
Montana sapphires command a huge premium--disproportionate to their beauty in many cases, in my opinion. However, Earth's Treasury is charging a large premium over and above the already inflated prices that Montana Sapphires command.
 
corundum_conundrum said:
Ok, the picture doesn't look that great, but at less than half the price of what you're looking at, I would recommend investigating. Blaze might also be able to show you some things not listed on the site, if you tell him what you're looking for.
https://blaze-n-gems.myshopify.com/...products/1-93-ct-fantastic-sky-blue-round-cut
Click to expand...
His pictures are always bad, but I've bought 4 stones from him and they are always better than I hoped. A lot of his tend toward a bit of green, not really pure blue. Although I have one called "ice blue" that is, in fact, pale sky blue. He will take more photos upon request...just be a bit patient as he is often working all day in his claim. While some montanas have a grey cast, none of mine actually do. They are tiny (4 mm) but I'm unable to detect grey...they are very hard to photo but when the blizzard ends I'll give it a try.

https://blaze-n-gems.myshopify.com/...ts/2-21ct-brilliant-blue-radiant-cut-sapphire {gorgeous color and size}

https://blaze-n-gems.myshopify.com/...s/2-64-ct-asscher-cut-sapphire-cornflour-blue {says cornflower, so this is a more pure blue like a traditional blue sapphire}
 
First time poster!

I had a similar experience as you, I actually liked somewhat muted greens/blues over the really bright blues. However, I didn't want it to look muted and dull so being well cut and sparkly was important to me. I looked around at a lot of various sites but I decided to pay the premium at Earth's Treasury for a well cut, super sparkly stone. I think the color is quite beautiful too! It shifts from sky blue to a grayish teal inside, very shifty but I love that! So basically, if price is a big factor and you don't want to pay a premium maybe don't go to Earth's Treasury. But if you're OK spending a bit more, then it's well worth it.

1.42 carats, 6.5mm, size 7 finger
The ring is also from Earth's Treasury (I got a slight discount on the stone because of that).
DSC_0259.jpg DSC_0265.jpg DSC_0248.jpg
 
SparkliesLuver said:
I remembered seeing this the other day, so I wanted to at least mention it. Someone like Jerry Newman could cut it for you (with a minimal fee).

https://kosnargemco.com/listing/599807219/stunning-natural-blue-sapphire-crystal

I'd email Brett and ask for better pictures (with a white background, indoors and out), and possibly even send it to Jerry to evaluate for you. He'll provide an unbiased review.
Click to expand...

Don't buy a piece of rough, especially an expensive piece of rough, if you're new to gem buying The cutting could go wrong and you'll be out hundreds of dollars with nothing to show for it.
 
corundum_conundrum said:
Don't buy a piece of rough, especially an expensive piece of rough, if you're new to gem buying The cutting could go wrong and you'll be out hundreds of dollars with nothing to show for it.
Click to expand...

I understand it might not be for everyone, but I wanted to at least mention it. And that's also why I said to have someone very experienced, such as Jerry, inspect it for you and give you his thoughts.
 
SparkliesLuver said:
I understand it might not be for everyone, but I wanted to at least mention it. And that's also why I said to have someone very experienced, such as Jerry, inspect it for you and give you his thoughts.
Click to expand...

It's not at all unusual for an inclusion to show up surprisingly, for color to shift in the final stone, or for the stone to finish small.

I personally had Jerry cut a rough for me a few years ago that he thought would finish well. It ended up very sleepy--Jerry called it lifeless. So I was out on both the cost of the rough and a premium cutting fee.

Another PSer a few years ago had 3 different roughs cut before he found the color and size he wanted.

Buying a rough comes with risks I wouldn't want if I had a fixed budget and timeframe, as is generally the case with engagement rings.
 
Just make sure to look at it in all sorts of lighting conditions to make sure it's the one. If you have the room on your credit card, I would even suggest ordering a second one for comparing in person, perhaps the one I posted from etsy, or one from gemfix. Then you can send the one you like less back all the more confident you got the right one.

Also, be careful to keep the stones in their gem box or look at them over a soft surface.
 
thanks for all the advice and information! I ended up choosing the second stone from earth's treasury after looking through many other sellers' inventories and getting the price down.

swany said:
First time poster!

I had a similar experience as you, I actually liked somewhat muted greens/blues over the really bright blues. However, I didn't want it to look muted and dull so being well cut and sparkly was important to me. I looked around at a lot of various sites but I decided to pay the premium at Earth's Treasury for a well cut, super sparkly stone. I think the color is quite beautiful too! It shifts from sky blue to a grayish teal inside, very shifty but I love that! So basically, if price is a big factor and you don't want to pay a premium maybe don't go to Earth's Treasury. But if you're OK spending a bit more, then it's well worth it.
Click to expand...

Your ring is beautiful! I felt the same way, I like the pale muted colors but wanted the color to be very clear and reflective. My ring size and the size of the stone I picked are almost the same as yours and I'm currently deciding on a setting so I'm really glad you posted. I'll most likely be going with a 5 prong solitaire too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP

Featured Topics

Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top