I adore dark sapphires but want to know if this is a good deal

[whitewave]

I really appreciate everyone’s help but I’m pretty sure I made a mistake coming to these forums and posting rather than just looking at the “suggested vendors.” I felt I was pretty honest with what I want but ultimately I got pushed in certain stone color directions I explicitly said I didn’t like (not referring to dark blue variations but rather full on cornflower status.)

I told my fiance I was coming on this forum to get some advice before ordering from JA (not saying that was the ultimate decision.) He was really supportive to see certain opinions about the dark stones he knows I like. Now I feel thoroughly embarrassed, not because of the setting opinion looking black but because his budget is Soooo much money he could get a thousand gross grey rings. Or his budget is NOT enough to get a substantial real dark Middleton ring. Sorry I can’t remember.

I hope some of you realize how much this place can push people who are really trying to educate themselves away.

Once again I appreciate all those who gave me suggestions, looked up loose stones, etc. but this place is not the nicest to strangers outside of this clique. Pretty sure this counts as a blip in covid times.

The problem is timing. With covid, people like Gary from Finewatergems can’t get to Sri Lanka.

I get the feeling most colored stone vendors are sort of shut down right now.

You can also reach out to Inken on Etsy at Enhoerning jewelry or Gary at Finewater gems and get them to look for you at gem shows.

This way, you can see a selection of what they found.

FWIW, I personally wouldn’t buy a gem from James Allen.

I second the notion of calling Ilya at Ivy and Rose to see if he has anything.

Also, you can call David at Diamonds by Lauren (on vacation currently) for his inventory.

I don’t personally feel like anyone has dinged your color selection. I encouraged you. But nevertheless, you feel people did so that is what matters.

Please come back when you get a ring and show us so we can congratulate you!


As I mentioned, and want to stress again, Covid has limited available stones right now.

Oh, also try Pearlmans and Leibish. And the dude who says he won’t knowingly sell to pricescoppers. Lol

 

[lovedogs]

Thank you for your comments, I very much appreciate them as well as your stone. In my opinion it’s beautiful. YES it does look dark but I think the slight green hints are wonderful. It’s not the cut I enjoy as I’m pretty particular but I very much appreciate you reaching out. Maybe I’ll DM you in the future if you don’t mind

I am sorry to hear that you felt unwelcome I think most people here were trying to be helpful, but I can understand if it didnt feel that way. There is no DM feature here, but you can reach out via any of my louptroop listings (here is one https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/loose-stones-for-sale;33942). Feel free to message anytime!

 

[whitewave]

With a lack of selection (I was stunned to see Pearlman’s small inventory. They usually have a large amount) and I think with PS’ers desire to help, people threw out of lot of undesirable choices for Op to look at.

This was in no way to ding her choice of what she wants, but only because we can’t show her what she wants.

I personally spent a lot of time looking for her.

 

[whitewave]

Also, with James Allen, you don’t get an origin report etc. if you are going to spend 2k on a stone, I want to know as much about it as possible.

 

[pokerface]

Though the James Allen gems may not be fracture filled, I suspect that they are beryllium (high heat) treated. You can get the same thing practically for free on ebay. Here's the first one I saw: dark blue sapphire. In addition, the James Allen sapphires are very, very gray. I think a lot of colored stone newbies have trouble distinguishing between dark and gray. I know taste is subjective, but I do think that after looking at enough stones, most people learn to prefer gems with less gray or brown.

I am sorry if OP took offense to my post; none was intended. I would like to clarify a few things:

1) If OP prefers a dark sapphire, and is open to beryllium treatment, there are plenty of attractive options for much less money. The ebay stone is not a great example, but like I said, it was the first one I saw. There is a lot of middle ground between $15 and $2000.

2) I am not sure OP understood what I was saying about dark versus gray, or tone versus saturation. Here is an explanatory article. Gray and dark are not the same thing, and I said nothing about OP's stated preference for a dark stone.

3) Similarly, I did not try to suggest that OP should look for a lighter colored stone, I suggested that she may want to look for a stone with less gray - I think she agrees with me here, but I may be mistaken.

4) I don't think it's elitist to note that most people (at least on these boards) prefer stones with less gray or brown, I was just stating what seems to be the case without making any judgment. Especially with an engagement ring, you want something that you'll be happy with for a very long time.

I hope that you have found a stone that you love and congratulations on your engagement.

 

[pokerface]

I am sorry if OP took offense to my post; none was intended. I would like to clarify a few things:

1) If OP prefers a dark sapphire, and is open to beryllium treatment, there are plenty of attractive options for much less money. The ebay stone is not a great example, but like I said, it was the first one I saw. There is a lot of middle ground between $15 and $2000. The title of this posts asks if you are getting a good deal with the JA stone. I think you can find something similar for a lot less money. It is not an insult to OP to point out that many well-known national retailers use heavily treated stones, and do not disclose the exact treatment to customers. It is an extremely dishonest practice and most people who shop at these branded stores have no idea that their "natural sapphire" is BE-diffused or fractured filled, rendering it to a fraction of its perceived value. Though it may not be the case here, it is totally possible for a colored stone consumer to be ripped off for thousands and thousands of dollars, and I would hope it would not be considered rude to let that person know when they have specifically asked for advice on price point.

2) I am not sure OP understood what I was saying about dark versus gray, or tone versus saturation. Here is an explanatory article. Gray and dark are not the same thing, and I said nothing about OP's stated preference for a dark stone.

3) Similarly, I did not try to suggest that OP should look for a lighter colored stone, I suggested that she may want to look for a stone with less gray - I think she agrees with me here, but I may be mistaken.

4) I don't think it's elitist to note that most people (at least on these boards) prefer stones with less gray or brown, I was just stating what seems to be the case without making any judgment. Especially with an engagement ring, you want something that you'll be happy with for a very long time.

I hope that you have found a stone that you love and congratulations on your engagement.

 

[Arcadian]

I think what it boils down to is personal taste. OP, I think what you're seeing and hearing is just that, a personal taste. My personal taste doesn't run to dark sapphires, I'm a light/medium type and trust me, not everyone likes that (I so don't care though!)

So when you ask for opinions, you have to also understand that some will not jibe with your own. you can throw those out and move to the next. Your tastes are your own, do you, buy what YOU like, and what you want to wear.

If you're looking for untreated sapphires, your pool is going to be small. Heat only widens the pot some, BE treated means you're going to totally open the field up. So just know that there's expensive and not so expensive in all these pools.

FWIW a very dark sapphire in the color spectrum you're looking at should not be too terribly expensive per ct, which will also depend on what types of treatment you're willing to accept. The good is that there's plenty that don't find such dark stones desirable (truth), but thats in your favor because again, you can get a really nice stone that you'll love for way less.

You do still have to be careful you don't get a stone thats overly grey because with deep navy, you don't want anything to actually impact the color, and if you're still wanting to SEE the color, how dark you go can be impacted by how the stone is set.

Australian sapphires can be dark but have lovely color. I find that some Thai gems can as well but find super deep african gems can be too grey. Thats just my personal experience, others will have different ones....

So with that here's some places to look

Loose Blue Sapphire Gemstones - Shop Ceylon, Madagascar, Kashmir and Cornflower Blue Sapphire Stones

Shop premium loose blue sapphire stones online. Explore Cornflower blue sapphire, Midnight blue, and Sri Lankan sapphire varieties. Perfect for custom jewelry, engagement rings, and collectors.

www.gemselect.com

These guys have dark stones. They do in general tell you what types of stones you get and, they can get AIGS reports.
They are not all well cut keep that in mind when looking at their site.


Doug Donahue at bespoke gems has Australian and other types of sapphires

Bespoke Gems - Gemstones For Sale

Bespoke Gems specialises in precision cut gemstones of the finest quality in a wide range of classic, modern and unique designs. Each gem is personally faceted in Sydney by one of Australia's premier gemcutter, Doug Menadue. A wide range of beautiful Australian Sapphires in stock. Discover the...

bespoke-gems.com

He's in Australia and is a precision cutter.

AJS Gems has them but they may not have the colors you want but its worth a look

Buy Natural Loose Blue Sapphire Gemstones at AJS Gems

See our large stock of rare natural blue sapphire gemstones from Ceylon, Madagascar and Burma.

www.ajsgem.com

You will see some very well cut gems and they have very good return policy.

Multicolour has lots of sapphires

Loose gemstones, rare colored stones, pearls and certified diamonds.

Buy loose gemstones and certified diamonds direct. Choose from over 10.000 real time gemstone inventory, including alexandrite, sapphire, ruby, tanzanite, tsavorite, spinel and tourmaline.

www.multicolour.com

Lots of gems not all well cut. Be careful about wanting to return stones though, but he does have all types there.

so you have some options.

Note that none of these sellers are in the US. So they will have stock that US sellers will not.

You could go the ebay route but my suggestion is work close with someone to get what you want if you're not confident enough to deal with the waters of ebay.

It isn't always easy to understand what someone means when they write something, so, you sometimes have to ask them what they meant by it. Honestly there's a lot of really lovely people here (I am not one of them, I can be a snot...lol)

Hopefully you'll look around and, maybe even stick around. Gemstones are emotional, people are emotional about them, so you will get some that without meaning to, maybe emotionally reach out to you in ways you don't want. be upfront about it and if necessary tell them no thanks.

 

[elizat]

I don't think anyone was trying to push sapphire colors on you, but perhaps it felt that way. Thai and Australian sapphires are going to be darker and I guess I will leave it at that.

I offered additional suggestions, as did others, but in retrospect, I guess we should have just commented on the two stones you linked and answered those specific questions only.

Hopefully will find something that you like.