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HELP with Blue Sapphire Gems Required

J

Joonyk1

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 13, 2018
Messages
10
I am getting a replacement sapphire placed in my wife's engagement ring. The 1st one was almost black and the second had an ugly inclusion right in the centre. Please have a look at the photos send to me by the jewellers and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks
77908 Stone 2 Photo 1

77908 Stone 2 Photo 1

  • Media owner Joonyk1
  • Date added
Sapphire No. 2, Photo 1
Gem 2_2

Gem 2_2

  • Media owner Joonyk1
  • Date added
Sapphire No. 2, Photo 2
Gem 1_1

Gem 1_1

  • Media owner Joonyk1
  • Date added
Sapphire No. 1, Photo2
77908 Stone 1 Photo 1

77908 Stone 1 Photo 1

  • Media owner Joonyk1
  • Date added
Sapphire No. 1, Photo 1
Joonyk1
 
I'm not sure what I'm seeing, whether it is poor photography or it is truly a poor sapphire.
Pic 1. So far away all I can tell is that it is blue
Pic 2. Looks extremely silk/sleepy/hazy
Pic 3. Back view. Coloured stones are graded face up, not from the back
Pic 4. Really can't make out anything other than it is blue.

I'd suggest getting macro shots, take pictures from the face up and a profile picture might help.
 
Is it chipped at 11 o'clock in image 3?
 
If you can tell us the dimensions you are looking for e.g. 8x6mm, and your budget, we can help you look for options. Will your jeweler be willing to set a stone you sourced?
 
Hi, I don't know if they would be willing to set one that I've sourced. I purchased the ring from an online retailer which turns out to have been one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. I have been told by the retailer that these are the best gems available at my price range (I paid around £1,800 for the ring). I honestly don't know what a sapphire is meant to look like at this price. They don't seem to want to send me more photos of the gem but I also don't want to be stuck with a very poor one.

To be honest I don't know what the dimensions of the ring are.
 
chrono said:
I'm not sure what I'm seeing, whether it is poor photography or it is truly a poor sapphire.
Pic 1. So far away all I can tell is that it is blue
Pic 2. Looks extremely silk/sleepy/hazy
Pic 3. Back view. Coloured stones are graded face up, not from the back
Pic 4. Really can't make out anything other than it is blue.

I'd suggest getting macro shots, take pictures from the face up and a profile picture might help.
Click to expand...

Here is a closer view of pic 1. I think it is still not very clear. They were sent by an online retailer and they don't have a studio. If you paid £1,800 for a ring would you expect to have a sapphire like this?

Gem 2.PNG
 
It's just too included for me.
 
peacechick said:
If you can tell us the dimensions you are looking for e.g. 8x6mm, and your budget, we can help you look for options. Will your jeweler be willing to set a stone you sourced?
Click to expand...

I just checked and the sapphire is 8x6mm. The ring cost around £1,800 and had a 1.55ct
Sapphire which appeared almost black. ​
 
Honestly, the color zoning in image 1 and the last one you posted would bother me. Do you know if its unheated, heated, BE treated, etc? Maybe it is a 1200 stone if it isn't treated and almost 2 cts. But if its BE treated, it's only a small fraction of that I would think. So, impossible to say if you were given a fair price, or being ripped off.
 
I think we could help you find something better
 
Joonyk1 said:
I just checked and the sapphire is 8x6mm. The ring cost around £1,800 and had a 1.55ct
Sapphire which appeared almost black. ​
Click to expand...

Ok, and what would your budget be if you upgraded the stone or sourced for a new one yourself? This means your jeweler needs to tell you the cost of the setting alone.

Is it an option at all to just return the entire ring for a full refund? And then for the same money you can buy something like this:
https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/...nt-ring-blue-sapphire?ref=shop_home_active_16
 
peacechick said:
Ok, and what would your budget be if you upgraded the stone or sourced for a new one yourself? This means your jeweler needs to tell you the cost of the setting alone.

Is it an option at all to just return the entire ring for a full refund? And then for the same money you can buy something like this:
https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/...nt-ring-blue-sapphire?ref=shop_home_active_16
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it is too late for a refund. I tried. I just want to get a sapphire for my wife that has minimal inclusions and looks blue.
 
I'm sorry you've got to go through this. It doesn't sound like a reputable company if they won't allow you to get a refund. Can you dispute it with your credit card possibly? Is the vendor 100% dead set on no refund? I think you could do better with a little patience and help from this page. Believe me, I was more than frustrated in searching for mine but it finally paid off - for what I think was a really nice deal. Either way, I know your wife will love your sweet gesture.
 
I’m a bit confused.
Did you receive the ring and decide you didn’t like the sapphire? Then you returned it and asked for a better sapphire and this one is the only one they can offer at the price you paid?
Can you ask how much the sapphire they offer is worth and get that amount as a refund so then just pay for the setting ie they can keep their sapphires?
If you can at least do that, you can find a much nicer sapphire for the ring from another vendor and get that one set by a local jeweller.
 
I have some experience with sapphires, although I could be wrong I do believe that for that price you most definitely can find a better sapphire. Even if 1800 pounds includes the setting whether gold or silver.

unless the setting of the ring is quite extravagant
 
it is also possible he is exploiting your lack of knowledge on sapphires and their value/prices to overprice this stone or to force you to pay more for a "better" sapphire. Perhaps you could show him some sapphires of that size with prices and inquire why he believes that that stone is the best he can offer
 
Bron357 said:
I’m a bit confused.
Did you receive the ring and decide you didn’t like the sapphire? Then you returned it and asked for a better sapphire and this one is the only one they can offer at the price you paid?
Can you ask how much the sapphire they offer is worth and get that amount as a refund so then just pay for the setting ie they can keep their sapphires?
If you can at least do that, you can find a much nicer sapphire for the ring from another vendor and get that one set by a local jeweller.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the confusion. I bought the ring - proposed a few months after. Wife said she thought the sapphire was too dark so I told the jewellers and they offered to source a better sapphire. Decided against this. Then a year later we noticed a crack in the basket and sent it back to get fixed, and asked for a better gem whilst it was with them. They sent it back (after taking 3 months to build a new ring) with a sapphire that had an ugly inclusion right in the centre.

So after our wedding we asked for a refund on the ground that it took 3 months to remedy the situation (Cracked basket) and due to the stress coming up to our wedding (We were trying to get a wedding band tailored to it). They refused so I went to the national association of jewellers who seemed to side with them if I'm honest. So they decided to give us 'one more opportunity' to have the gem replaced. So that's where we are now. I asked for good photos, zoomed in 10x to see the sapphire well. This is what they sent me. Now I am very stressed that I will be given another sub-par gem.

I have not asked about getting the setting back without the sapphire. But that could be something for me to try.
 
Matilda said:
I have some experience with sapphires, although I could be wrong I do believe that for that price you most definitely can find a better sapphire. Even if 1800 pounds includes the setting whether gold or silver.

unless the setting of the ring is quite extravagant
Click to expand...


Hi, the gold band is 10k, it has 0.50ct diamonds and a 1.55ct sapphire at 8mm x 6mm. Here is the link to the ring (Am I allowed to put this link out?): https://www.thediamondstore.co.uk/blue-sapphire-rings-p17515c907.cfm
 
Joonyk1 said:
Sorry for the confusion. I bought the ring - proposed a few months after. Wife said she thought the sapphire was too dark so I told the jewellers and they offered to source a better sapphire. Decided against this. Then a year later we noticed a crack in the basket and sent it back to get fixed, and asked for a better gem whilst it was with them. They sent it back (after taking 3 months to build a new ring) with a sapphire that had an ugly inclusion right in the centre.

So after our wedding we asked for a refund on the ground that it took 3 months to remedy the situation (Cracked basket) and due to the stress coming up to our wedding (We were trying to get a wedding band tailored to it). They refused so I went to the national association of jewellers who seemed to side with them if I'm honest. So they decided to give us 'one more opportunity' to have the gem replaced. So that's where we are now. I asked for good photos, zoomed in 10x to see the sapphire well. This is what they sent me. Now I am very stressed that I will be given another sub-par gem.

I have not asked about getting the setting back without the sapphire. But that could be something for me to try.
Click to expand...

Given all the trouble you've had w. them (and their seeming inability to source a quality stone OR make a good setting) I would cut ties and save up to get a new ring entirely. I would get your setting back from them and run far away.
 
its funny (well not really) but I had a feeling you had used that store when I first read your post! I'm in the uk also.

so there is little information on the sapphires they sell or authentication...other than blind trust

the small amount of information they divulge is that it will be from Thailand and from a mine called chantaburi*..or so it seems. They hint through marketing techniques that they use unheated, natural sapphires. The style of writing I would say suggests that they want you to assume ALL their sapphires are untreated, natural, without directly saying so...therefore definitely no guarantee

*https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/sapphire-chanthaburi-thailand-gemological-characteristics

also sapphires from this particular mine are somewhat inexpensive


In any case I completely agree with @lovedogs, I'd run a mile. Could you come up with a budget for only one sapphire and take it from there? I just don't believe this company is going to deliver you anymore joy.

I also do think it's a wee bit dodge that that don't give proper information on their sapphires nor do they sell "loose" ones through a design your own ring feature.
 
They have zero info about their sapphires on their website. Meaning I almost guarantee they are heat treated (or worse). If they were actually all without heat they would be certified as such with a lab report and would be priced much higher. Yuck. I would double down on my recommendation to run away.
 
hahaha @lovedogs yes you said it more directly than I did.

from website:

Natural or Treated?
Some stores sell sapphires that are heat treated or fracture-filled to intensify their colour or hide inclusions. However, our gem expert would always recommend buying natural sapphires.

Even if your sapphire appears to have tiny lines, this should not be considered a defect. Small inclusions are a good sign that your gemstone is natural and untreated and form part of the sapphires million-year-old makeup.

Oh and a link to clip on youtube about the mine....

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm READ BETWEEN THE LINES. great advertising though!!
 
Honestly, I think you’re going to have to cut your losses on this one. I truly don’t believe that they are going to provide you with a sapphire that makes you and your wife very happy. If you can’t get your money back, I would suggest taking the best replacement they will give you and then starting fresh. That may mean wearing this one for a bit so you can build up the funds to get a new ring but it will be worth it in the long run.
 
Last edited:
Oh, that does not look good. So sorry.
 
I have to agree with the Jeweller's Association in this case because you waited for a year before bringing this up. I would either keep it as is or get a stone from another place without any strings attached. This stone is just not worth it.
 
chrono said:
I have to agree with the Jeweller's Association in this case because you waited for a year before bringing this up. I would either keep it as is or get a stone from another place without any strings attached. This stone is just not worth it.
Click to expand...

TBF I wasn't asking for a refund just because of the sapphire. It was actually because they had our ring for 3 months to carry out repair works. Then they realised they couldn't fix it and had to build an entire new ring. All the while we were running out of the time to have the wedding band tailored to the engagement ring. It caused so much stress. Then they returned it with the included sapphire. And we ran out of time to get the wedding band hallmarked lol. Good times.
 
Are you saying they switched out your original sapphire with an included sapphire, without your consent? I am sorry but I can't keep it straight in my head.
 
I’m afraid they did overcharge you quite a bit now that I see the setting was made in 10k gold and not 18k gold (for which £1000 is reasonable considering retail markup).

With regards to the sapphire you posted, that color is a desirable color, but the clarity and cut are not good. The question is what else they can give you instead. I doubt they will offer you a blue sapphire with good color, cut and size of 8x6 which is over 1 ct) as such loose stones are selling for over us$2000. Would you take yellow or pink sapphires, which do cost less?

If it has to be blue, I think you have to go back to considering a darker blue sapphire (just without inclusions). Essentially find something your wife will be willing to wear for a while until you both can afford to swap it for a nicer stone.

See if you can ask them for royal blue— it will be a darker blue but not black. At least distinguishably blue. Also ask them if they can just show you what is available and let you choose one, it will be less annoying for all.
 
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