Help with Cushion Sapphire wedding ring

[merlin123]

Hello PS forum,

This is my first post but I have been lurking for a bit doing research on sapphires for a center stone wedding ring. I come in need of any suggestions for a cushion cut sapphire between ~1.5 Carats and 2.1 carats in the ~1800- 2800 price range that looks fairly square in appearance and has a nice blue color, unheated would be a bonus but I realize the price can go up and may not be realistic. I went to my local jeweler and was pretty dissapointed with how they hid any information related to the saphhire I was seeing and potentially purchasing and so I had no idea the value of the sapphire I was seeing since I am not that experienced. They were offering me a 1.5 carat cushion cut sapphire for $2550, the sapphire was beautiful but I haven't really looked at very many sapphires in person so I had no idea if what they were offering was reasonable and they did not have any info on clarity or cut or origin. It seemed a bit high of a price to me but maybe it was reasonable I have no idea.

If anyone has any suggestions for my criteria I would be most appreciative, I have been combing through the list of PS recommended sites but have had trouble finding exactly what I am looking for given that I am an amatuer. I thought about buying from gemsny.com but after reading a couple responses from this site I may stear clear of that site. Also if anyone has a recommendation for a gem show I live in Washington state and would like to visit one but I have no idea how to find a schedule of them near my area. I felt weird asking my jeweler about it since I am planning to purchase a sapphire not at their store. Hope this is the correct forum to post my questions. Thanks PS readers

 

[slksapphire]

hi merlin,

welcome to pricescope! you are definitely in the right place for finding a sapphire wedding ring. i'm sure others will weigh in shortly, but (1) i would suggest you read the excellent pinned article (above) by LD about buying colored gemstones and (2) can you provide any examples of what you consider to be a "nice" blue? feel free to refer to major jewelers, costume jewelry, other pricescopers' sapphires, etc. there is a huge range of blues and tastes are incredibly subjective and individual.

good luck in your search.

ETA: before buying any sapphire (or soon thereafter), i would strongly suggest getting it evaluated by agl ... the gembrief is only $55. that way, you can make sure that you are buying what you think you are buying.

 

[merlin123]

Thanks for the reply, I will see if I can find some nice examples of the color I am looking for. This site seemed to have some good examples of color http://www.gemfix.com,, but the cushion cuts aren't square enough looking for me for what seems to be in stock. I would like something that is a true vivid blue, I'm not too particular about the exact color as long as it will sparkle and is of reasonable price. However I'd like to stay away from anything real "light" or real dark in color

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_956.jpg

 

[slksapphire]

why did you not like the one in the 4th row, right side? just trying to get a sense of your taste.

 

[merlin123]

I liked it OK, it seemed the cut wouldn't sparkle as much as the other stones but maybe that's just because the other stones looked so good. Also the clarity said Clarity: VVS, I wasn't sure if that would still look good? I'm not familiar with what a Portuguese style cut? That one might be a good option but I wasn't sure what that meant. Overall though that color and shape would fit what I'm looking for, thanks again for the reply.

 

[slksapphire]

i am way out of my league so you should wait to hear others on this, but my understanding is that portuguese cuts have extra facets so they should, in fact, sparkle more. as for VVS clarity, i think that means it has excellent clarity, just below internally flawless (though this ranking is used more for diamonds than sapphires). in any event, clarity usually isn't as important as color in colored gemstones; lite- to moderately-included gemstones are the norm rather than the exception.

i think it might make sense for you to take a look at that cushion in person, if not just to get a sense of what it looks like in real life.

 

[merlin123]

Ya the more I look at it, it might be a really good option especially after hearing about the Portuguese cut. Also if you or anyone else has a good insight into whether that price looks good, that would be helpful too. That site seems to be fairly good but I really have no clue as to what is higher priced or not.

 

[chrono]

why did you not like the one in the 4th row, right side? just trying to get a sense of your taste.

Cut is decent but not fabulous on this one. The reason it doesn't look sparkly here is the silk, I suspect. It might look clean but I think there are a lot of microscopic inclusions which break up the light differently. The look is more of a silky, soft velvet rather than brilliant sparkly. In terms of saturation, it is definitely not vivid. Slksapphire's sapphire avatar is what I would consider vivid.

 

[merlin123]

Thanks for your input Chrono!

 

[merlin123]

I think sparkle is very important to me, but if the color isn't exactly vivid that should be OK. I was looking at a couple gems from the site below as well but had some concerns about the quality. I noticed I could get an unheated one for around my price range but I wasn't sure how legitimate it was, I called them and they were helpful but still had no idea if this was a good shop or not. Also they charge a small fee for returns so I can't just order and find out without paying a little bit.

http://www.gemsny.com/loose-sapphires/1.78-Carat-Cushion-Sapphire-SU1595ACU/

 

[chrono]

I don't recall who it was but a PSer either ordered the stone or requested a video or a hand shot and the stone's colour did not look as nice as the webpage pictures. Click on the GIA report to see GIA's photograph showing the cushion as slightly grayish blue.

 

[merlin123]

You're right chrono the GIA picture looks vastly different from the one on the webpage. I think I'm going to stear clear of that site for now.

 

[minousbijoux]

I think you've already established this, but the stone shown above from Gemfix is no where near vivid. It is lacking in saturation and definitely has grey to it to my eye. Plus, I don't know what kind of timeframe you have, but you probably saw on their website the notice saying they'll be gone at Tucson for a few weeks.

As to gem shows, look up Intergem. I believe they hold them in Washington State.

 

[merlin123]

Thanks, I heard about the show in Tuscon from a local jeweler and I'll look into some other gem shows from your suggestion. Perhaps everyone will have a better stock after that big show. I have a few months or more for a timeframe so I'm not in a huge rush but I'd like to get the sapphire fairly soon in order to be able to order a ring soon enough.

 

[minousbijoux]

Good, I'm happy to hear you have a few months, but do allow yourself time to set and some wiggle room.

 

[chrono]

Please make your request NOW. Coloured stones can take years to find, particularly if you are fussy about a specific colour or shape or etc.

 

[minousbijoux]

Merlin: did you also see that I was not suggesting Tucson (other than as you surmised, as a place where vendors perhaps might stock up), but instead was suggesting that you look around your area of Washington state for the International Gem and Jewelry Show (Intergem) that travels the country and I'm pretty sure has shows some where near you. They can be found online at intergem.com. There are also other smaller shows, so it wouldn't hurt to do a general search...

 

[merlin123]

I did see intergem had a show for Seattle and portland in march that I could attend. I've never been to one of these type of shows would it be worth the 5 hour drive in your opinion? I enjoy Seattle anyway but wouldn't want to show up and not have any sapphires, I have no idea what to expect.

 

[minousbijoux]

That is a long drive. Hmm.

Here's what I believe you will get: probably about 60 - 100 vendors selling gemstone beads, beading tools, gem equipment, silver and gold chain, findings and beads, scarves and tchochkes, pearls, vintage and antique jewelry, new diamond and gemstone jewelry, gemstone rough and crystals, diamonds and gemstones. In other words, there is a broad range of goods sold and broad range of quality levels as well. I'm not good at counting, but there are at least 10 gemstone vendors, and absolutely, you will see blue sapphires. Some of them will likely be treated, some of them will be outrageously expensive and some will be just fine. I suggest going because it gives you an opportunity to see stones in hand, instead of only online. What you want is to expose yourself to as many as you can, so when you find one, you'll be sure its the one. If you do go, make sure to walk away to other lighting if you can - with the permission of the vendor of course! All the booths have the special bright lighting that shows the stones at their best. If you move away, sometimes big halls have those high overhead CFLs/fluorescents so it will be good to take whatever stones you see out of the booth lighting, just by holding your hand a few feet away. Finally, most vendors will allow you to take a stone over to natural light like a window or door. They might accompany you, but if you are a serious buyer, they should not say no to this request.

Perhaps those who live in the area can chime in with their experience of the show...

I hope that helps.

 

[merlin123]

minous, thank you for the response you make some good points. I'm going to plan on attending the Seattle gem show in march. I think it would be very beneficial even if I don't end up buying a stone there. I'll still be looking in the mean time for a stone online but if I don't find anything this will at least give me a reference point when I visit the show. The only issue is I was hoping to get a ring ready by mid april but if it isn't ready I won't mind waiting a bit. Thanks again for the help.

 

[merlin123]

I went to this trade show in Seattle and it was very informative. Unfortunately I didn't see many cushion cut sapphires at the show. It seems a square cushion cut which is what I'm looking for can be hard to find. If anyone has a good suggestion please feel free to post. I've seen a couple options on various sites but they are usually sketchy looking, or seem way over priced. I'm hoping to find something in the middle. After going to the show though I'm convinced I can get a better sapphire that is not from a local jeweler, now its just a matter of finding it.

 

[chrono]

There are many cushion sapphires but when you set sharper limits such as being a square in addition to your other requirements, you've increased the difficulty of your search significantly. Can you allow a little more flexibility? If not, be prepared to take months to find the right blue sapphire.

 

[Ilovegemsstones]

Why not try a few other dealers

http://www.mastercutgems.com/preview.php?cat=301&id=6922
there is a slight window , But I think it will not be seen once set, For the best price you will have to ask dana

http://www.simplysapphires.com/blue/agta-certified-blue-sapphire-cushion-unheated-untreated-1.14-cts
On this stone the price is reasonable but its not eye clean , there is a black feather like inclution

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/1086/16303
This also looks a Nice Stone , If you can handle the price

 

[minousbijoux]

If your budget is really fixed, then the first parameter I would relax is the no treatment. I would go for heated, and then decide which are the priorities among saturation, shape and size. That would help us as well.

 

[chrono]

To me, the perfect square shape is the challenge. Oval is the easiest and cushions next but almost all the cushions I've seen are either slightly or greatly elongated.
1120 is almost perfectly square, almost 2 cts, unheated but over your budget at $4K (still half the price of the Wildfish sapphire though). First row, center stone.
http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_blue.html

 

[minousbijoux]

OP: do you require a square cushion or just a cushion that might be slightly elongated? If it must be perfectly square, I would agree with Chrono that you are really limiting yourself (and even the one Chrono linked to is too dark imo), but I'm not sure you actually said that?

 

[merlin123]

I would like it to be fairly square but I am starting to realize those cushion squares are hard to find. I might have to compromise somewhere in order to get somethin g nice

 

[merlin123]

I was considering this stone, its not the ideal shape but I think it fits most the other things I'm looking for, I've decided untreated is fairly important to me, and I can compromise on shape a little.

http://www.gemfix.com/sapphire_blue.html

Order/Stock No.: sapphire_blue_956

 

[chrono]

I would double check to make sure the center portion is fine in real life. Looks like there's something going on there.

I know that 1102 is smaller than you want but it looks to have better colour. The hand picture is also angled so I would follow up on it to make sure there isn't any cut issues, if interested.

 

[merlin123]

Thanks ya I was thinking the same about the center, I wish there was more pictures. I like 1102 but I think that it too small for what I am looking for, but I agree it looks alot nicer in color.