help me with my sapphire studs!

[dzop]

Hi all. Apologies for not including the images in this post; I can''t figure out how to make them work...

I am trying to make my girlfriend a facsimile of these Tiffany studs, at a more reasonable price than the $1,850(!) charged by Tiffany''s

http://www.tiffany.com/shared/media/products/15434228_M_1.jpg

I have scoured the internet for 4-4.5 mm stones, and my best option so far are these sapphires from AJS

http://www.ajsgems.com/images/productimages/Sapphire/Blue%20Sapphire/SAP-00260-l.jpg

I''m interested in this pair because they have the highest cost-size ratio of all of AJS''s pairs, and because the color looks fabulous. (I''ve tried to get a quote on 4mm matched rounds from SimplySapphires, but they don''t respond to emails (I''ve tried 3 times, most recently yesterday))

But there''s a catch to the AJS pair. They''re listed on the website as 4mmx4mmx3.2mm. That''s 3.2mm deep for a 4mm round. That''s very, very deep, and I''m concerned that it means the stone will either a)have nasty extinction or b)make it difficult/more expensive to get set in the setting I want.

So what do y''all think? At the same ~$200 pricepoint, AJS has a bunch of other gems of roughly the same carat weight but a more normal depth and a 4.5mm diameter. . . I could go with one of those instead. SimplySapphires has a nice looking 4.5mm round pair on their website

http://www.simplysapphires.com/images/imagesblue2006/bluerno4596-1.jpg

but the price on these guys is $320, so we''re talking ~$120 more than the AJS pairs of the same size.

I also have questions about the setting of the stones. Once I get the stones, and I bring them to a brick-and-mortar jeweler to set,
a)will it be difficult to find a jeweler who can do that setting? (I presume not, it looks simple enough)
b)how much should I expect to spend on the setting + labor (presuming 14K white gold, though I would go for sterling if any jeweler would be willing to do that, since I think sterling is actually prettier than 14k white gold). Even a ballpark estimate would be helpful.

Thanks for any and all help!

 

[Hera]

Dzop,those sapphire from Tiffany''s are gorgeous aren''t they?!! They were my inspiration for the sapphire I''m looking for right now. Unfortunately, I''m not an expert on sapphires so you''ll have to wait until they answer. I''m actually going to contact Wink tomorrow to see what he can do for me. Good luck on finding what you''re looking for!!

 

[dzop]

they are...I''ve seen those earrings in the store, and they are small, but so gorgeous.

It''s true what they say; if you want to get the sense of what a colored stone should look like, you go to Tiffany. Then you try to match it elsewhere for 75% less.

 

[chrono]

Matched pairs are difficult to find. Wink at www.winkjones.com and Gary Dutton at www.diamondexpert.com would be my suggestion. Give them a call because they are easily able to source stones on request that are not on their website.

 

[dzop]

It''s uncanny how every post here ends with someone pushing people to the direction to the same 2 or 3 dealers. Suffice it to say, I want the -setting- side of the process to take place in or near NYC, so I can do it face-to-face. I don''t want to work with an internet jeweler if possible; in fact, I''m reluctant to even buy the stones online. I would prefer to source the stones through a NYC-area jeweler, but I haven''t been able to get any references/recommendations for a brick & mortar store in the tri-state area, and I don''t want to just pick one out at random.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/19/2007 2:32:09 PM
Author: dzop
It's uncanny how every post here ends with someone pushing people to the direction to the same 2 or 3 dealers. Suffice it to say, I want the -setting- side of the process to take place in or near NYC, so I can do it face-to-face. I don't want to work with an internet jeweler if possible; in fact, I'm reluctant to even buy the stones online. I would prefer to source the stones through a NYC-area jeweler, but I haven't been able to get any references/recommendations for a brick & mortar store in the tri-state area, and I don't want to just pick one out at random.

It's just because many of us have had very positive experiences here with these vendors. And since you're on an internet forum, many recommendations are for internet vendors since we all live across the globe. Have you called Natural Sapphire Company? They are in NY, and do both settings and gorgeous sapphires. I'd try them...

Also, just FYI, I recently had a sapphire set in a bezel for a necklace, and beware that if your stones aren't a "standard" size, then the bezels will have to be made custom, and it can go from less than $100 per bezel to almost $350ish per bezel, since they then need to be handmade. So you might want to figure out the settings first. Good luck!


ETA: NSC has a TON of pairs of gorgeous stones...

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Pairs/Blue/

 

[chrono]

Date: 11/19/2007 2:32:09 PM
Author: dzop
It''s uncanny how every post here ends with someone pushing people to the direction to the same 2 or 3 dealers. Suffice it to say, I want the -setting- side of the process to take place in or near NYC, so I can do it face-to-face. I don''t want to work with an internet jeweler if possible; in fact, I''m reluctant to even buy the stones online. I would prefer to source the stones through a NYC-area jeweler, but I haven''t been able to get any references/recommendations for a brick & mortar store in the tri-state area, and I don''t want to just pick one out at random.

I only recommend vendors that I have personally dealt with and will continue to buy from them. I live in very small town and I cannot get quality gemstones locally, hence I purchase from internet vendors as well as B&M vendors who also sell on the internet. If you want someone in NYC, then I recommend the Natural Sapphire Company as I have heard good things about them although I have never purchased anything from them before. I also like Lembeck Gems but I don''t think he sells small stones.

 

[Linda W]

If you live in New York and want to see your stones and settings, visit The Natural Sapphire Company. They are in New York.

I have bought all of my Padparadscha stones there, plus my blue sapphire ring from them. I highly recommend them and working with Mr. Steven Bliss.

Linda

 

[dzop]

The Natural Sapphire Company is in NY, but they carry unheated sapphires. While the former geologist/minerologist in me would loooove an unheated stone, the present-day law student is financially limited to heated stones. One day, I''ll be buying out the NSC''s inventory!

But my big issue that I hope someone can answer: does anyone know if the 3.2mm depth on the 4mm rounds from AJS make them unusable? In theory, a 4mm round should be a standard size (although AJS stones aren''t calibrated). Is that an issue?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Handmade full bezel settings $450 in 18k wg:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Fine-jewelry/Diamond_Studs/Handmade-Full-Bezel-Earrings--SETTINGS-ONLY_1138.htm

WF has a gemologist who can locate sapphires for you if you decide you can do it long diatance.

Harriet from NY has bought stones from this company (these are bigger than you want, but they may have more):

http://www.paraibainternational.com/product_info.php?product=1335

 

[dzop]

I''m actually OK with getting my stones from either SimplySapphires (which is just outside of NY..close enough in my book) or from AJS (whom I''ve bought sapphires from in the past, and was delighted with the service and the quality).

I''m more worried just about the implications of a stone thats so deep for its diameter...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think you''d have to know the depth the setting would handle if buying a cast setting. If you went custom, then I suppose it wouldn''t matter (but you''re getting into some money with that). But I wouldn''t want earring stones too deep either. I''d honestly call WF and ask about their bezel settings and what would fit.

 

[chrono]

In that case, how about reverse engineering your stone? Find out from your local jeweller what dimension gemstone will fit in the standard 4 mm earring setting (diameter AND depth). Then you can shop online for sapphires of those measurements.