Help requested for blue sapphire pairs for earrings

[blueiris]

This is my first post in Colored Stones but I have been trying to read and learn as much as I can. However, I really know next to nothing and I am seeking the help of you wonderful experts!

I have been looking for blue sapphire pairs in a larger size for over a year now, using online sources. Initially I wanted 6.5mm to 7mm pairs, but it proved very difficult to find anything in those sizes that was also a good color, cut, etc.

I decided I would also look at ~6mm and recently found two pairs to consider, so I had them sent to me. One pair is 6.2mm and the other is 6mm. The larger pair is slightly lighter in color, which may (or may not) be better for earrings.

I'm still undecided on setting and thought I'd mention my current possible options in case that is relevant to choosing a pair. I have very "plain" taste in jewelry. My jewelry mainstays are a bezel set diamond pendant that I wear every day, and a bezel set diamond eternity band. I change my earrings daily, but the pendant and band are always worn, so my first thought was to do something like the following pair of earrings from Lang Antiques (minus the milgrain), because they would coordinate well with my diamond pendant and band.

(For reference, the sapphires in the earrings shown below are 5.85mm in diameter, and the diamonds are 13 points each.)





A second option is a simple stud setting, possibly with a bezel, possibly not. And the third option is a french wire "dangle" with a thin bezel. I have long dark hair so my concern with anything other than a stud is that they might not show up against my hair.

I took photos of both pairs of sapphires (below) and would really appreciate feedback on them! I don't have any experience buying colored stones and I don't want to make an expensive mistake that I will regret! I welcome any and all comments on color, cut, pricing, size, etc. If I can do better, I want to know that and I am willing to keep looking.

All photos were taken indoors near a window with natural light and no flash. If there are other photos that would be helpful, please let me know and I'll attempt!

Also, I received both pairs yesterday and have 7 days to return. Thank you in advance for any help!

ETA: Pricing on the 6mm pair is $2,328.00 and the 6.2mm pair is priced at $1,985.00.

ETA, again: I forgot to say that the 6.2mm pair is heat only. The dealer for the 6mm pair said to "assume heat".

Also, I'm attaching the vendor photo for the 6.2mm pair. I can't attach the photo from the site for the 6mm pair (prohibited) but they're from All That Glitters.

 

[blueiris]

Photos of the 6.2mm pair are first

 

[blueiris]

More photos of the 6.2mm pair

 

[blueiris]

Now the 6mm pair

 

[blueiris]

One more of the 6mm pair



And now the two pairs together - 6mm pair is on the left (bottom in the vertical shot), 6.2mm pair is on the right (top in the vertical shot)

 

[blueiris]

Just wanted to add that the sapphires in some of my photos seem to look kind of washed out. I am not used to photographing colored stones, I guess! But in person, the colors seem a little richer than they appear in some of my photos.

Also, the 6.2 mm (slightly lighter) pair definitely sparkle more, and I'm not sure that comes across in the photos.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hi, blueiris!!!

Well, I think it depends on what shade of blue you want. I feel like mine are very close to what you have in your example pair of earrings, and they are a deeper, richer shade of blue. But because they are diamond cut, they have good sparkle, too. I'll going to attach a picture so you can sort of see what I mean. I think when the blue is lighter, you really need them to be well cut and very well matched in cut since you can see through the stones somewhat. I think the ones you are showing are nice medium blues, but I am not sure whether they are well cut enough to show off the stones, or maybe it is just too hard to tell from pictures. But I think top color/cut sapphires are going to run higher in price than those. My pair was close to the price of your less expensive pair and they are only around 5.5mm each.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My picture doesn't do my stones justice, I can see, so I am not sure we can fairly judge your stones from the pictures, either! I would just say that I really thought the ones I ended up with were great when I saw them, and if you don't have that feeling, I'd keep looking.

 

[milton333]

DS, would you mind sharing where you got your pair? I'm looking for a smaller pair, maybe 4-5 mm.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

DS, would you mind sharing where you got your pair? I'm looking for a smaller pair, maybe 4-5 mm.

I am sorry to say that a friend found them in NYC for me and I have no idea where! I think they are relatively hard to find, though, as I had a lot of trouble finding any good pairs when I looked.

I will tell you both that it might be worth having a jeweler contact Pala for you. I think Wink Jones of Winfield's might be able to do that and possibly Pearlman's as well. Pala is expensive, but they may have some high quality pairs. I just didn't have to try that avenue since I was able to get this pair.

 

[blueiris]

Hi, blueiris!!!

Well, I think it depends on what shade of blue you want. I feel like mine are very close to what you have in your example pair of earrings, and they are a deeper, richer shade of blue. But because they are diamond cut, they have good sparkle, too. I'll going to attach a picture so you can sort of see what I mean. I think when the blue is lighter, you really need them to be well cut and very well matched in cut since you can see through the stones somewhat. I think the ones you are showing are nice medium blues, but I am not sure whether they are well cut enough to show off the stones, or maybe it is just too hard to tell from pictures. But I think top color/cut sapphires are going to run higher in price than those. My pair was close to the price of your less expensive pair and they are only around 5.5mm each.

DS, Thank you for responding! And for posting the photo of your sapphires, which are as gorgeous as I remembered. Also, thank you for the input on the pricing. It's so hard to know about that, with limited sources from which to compare, and trying to judge and compare (initially) from photos.

I did notice that I can see my finger through the stones in a couple of shots. Is that a result of lighter color, not as great cutting, both, or ? I also noticed that in the smaller (6mm) pair, one of the stones (the one on the left) looks sort of "quiet" or "sleepy". The photos of the stones I have here look more similar in blue tone to yours only when they're on the white background, and even then, they're not the same as yours. I do want a rich blue, and your sapphires are just the color I'm looking for!

I'm leaning toward thinking that these aren't quite right for me. Today I held (with tweezers) one of each stone up to my ear and in the mirror, I thought they looked more like tanzanite. I don't mind a tiny touch of purple but I really don't want purplish stones. It may have been the lighting, too, of course.

I don't even know where to continue to look, it's so discouraging - and expensive, paying postage both ways. Thank you again, and it's so good to "see" you.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Great to see you, too! And look back to my last post because I added one more suggestion of where to look.

 

[blueiris]

Great to see you, too! And look back to my last post because I added one more suggestion of where to look.

Ah, thank you! I didn't see that there was another post. I'll talk to you more tomorrow!

 

[chrono]

With Gemfix, you should look at the hand shot pictures for colour accuracy as the "glamour" shots rarely show the colour that one will see in person but it has the benefit of a close up view of the cut. Both stones have issues, depending on how fussy you are and how much you are willing to pay. Both sets are clearly not well cut, showing a small window and a tilt window very easily. That said, once bezeled and on the ear, it will be difficult to see this. Again, it depends on how critical you want to be. In terms of colouration, both are lacking in saturation so as to appear paler and grayish. If you want something with better colouration, you'll need to increase your budget. Expect Pala and Wink to be more expensive than Gemfix. Fine quality heated blue sapphires are going for around $2000/ct.

This looks like a much nicer pair but is only 5.5 mm each.

 

[blueiris]

Chrono -- Thank you for replying. I truly appreciate it! Your comments are very helpful as I'm trying to learn more.

I did look at the hand shot on the Gemfix stones and still couldn't tell if they were going to be the color I want or not. Clearly, I have much to learn! I have been so worried about having stones that are too dark and look like little black dots on my ears and that's why I've been looking more for medium tones. But I don't like the grey tones at all.

I have read about tilt windows and thought that was what I was seeing so at least I got that right. My first setting choice is likely to be similar to the earrings that I posted at the very beginning, so it would be bezel set but dangling, and much of the sapphire will show. In that case, will the tilt window close up, or only if the earrings are a bezel set stud? What about a regular stud (such as a martini style) - will that close up the window, too?

Can you tell me what "mixed cut" means? I noticed that it says that on the Gemfix sapphires I have here, as well as on the ones you found that are more promising in terms of color.

I am willing to increase my budget for sapphires I really love, so thank you for that pricing information. I had no clue what to expect in terms of price. If you (or anyone) have suggestions on where else to look, please let me know.

Thank you again for your help!

 

[chrono]

Little black dots happen when the tone falls into the dark range or has too much extinction. You'll be fine with a medium dark tone as long as the saturation is strong. Most gems are a mixed brilliant cut, meaning a brilliant crown with a step cut pavilion. Because the aim is to heighten the colour and also the refractive index is lower than that of a diamond, coloured stones cannot be cut to the same angles nor the same design without tweaking it.

If you can still see an obvious window with the gem on the back of the hand, an enclosed setting will do little to minimize its appearance. The reason I said a tilt window will be less obvious in bezeled earrings is that the metal will be reflected, and also no one is going to get that close to your face to see it. At least, no one else other than close family members!

 

[Rosebloom]

I just wanted to say that I love your inspiration earrings! This will be a gorgeous piece!

 

[marymm]

The All That Glitters pair doesn't seem that well-matched - and while it might not matter so much for earrings (with your head in-between), I agree with others who have suggested that neither pair are very well cut or have the blue color/saturation displayed in your inspiration pic.

I do think those drop earrings are gorgeous, and eminently wearable - I definitely vote for that earring design - and I encourage you to take your time to find the right pair of sapphires because it will make all the difference in how often you reach for them to wear!

 

[Ilovegemsstones]

Hi BlueIris,

I just love your pair of earrings , WOW...
Yes I would say take your time and search for the best pair of Stones.

Might I suggest Crescent Gems ( http://www.crescentgems.com ) they do have a few smaller Pairs in stock , If you contact them they might be able to help you as they say they are from the source.

all the best in your search

 

[blueiris]

Little black dots happen when the tone falls into the dark range or has too much extinction. You'll be fine with a medium dark tone as long as the saturation is strong. Most gems are a mixed brilliant cut, meaning a brilliant crown with a step cut pavilion. Because the aim is to heighten the colour and also the refractive index is lower than that of a diamond, coloured stones cannot be cut to the same angles nor the same design without tweaking it.

If you can still see an obvious window with the gem on the back of the hand, an enclosed setting will do little to minimize its appearance. The reason I said a tilt window will be less obvious in bezeled earrings is that the metal will be reflected, and also no one is going to get that close to your face to see it. At least, no one else other than close family members!

Chrono, thank you again for taking the time to reply to my questions about saturation and cut, and my question about windows and settings. I sincerely appreciate your help. I feel like I know a little more what to look for in sapphires now, so at least this first attempt wasn't a complete waste of time and money! I'm still reeling a bit from the per carat cost of fine sapphires and will have to give that serious consideration.

Rosebloom, thank you for your comment about my inspiration earrings. I wish I'd purchased those at the time I saw them (they sold before I could) because maybe I wouldn't be searching for sapphires now.

marymm, thank you for your further confirmation. I am really quite relieved to know that it's not necessary to have medium-toned sapphires for earrings to avoid them looking too dark, because I much prefer the color of my inspiration earrings or DS's stones. Given what Chrono said about the current pricing, and how difficult it is to find nicely matched pairs in larger sizes, I know I will be taking plenty of time to consider!

Ilovegemstones, thank you for your comment on my inspiration earrings, and for the potential source. I definitely will take my time with this decision!