i want an asscher sapphires - but from who?

[whitby_2773]

i''m looking to make a new ring - an asscher sapphire with pear diamonds on each side. but it''s quickly becoming apparent to me that i will need a top notch cut t the sapphire so that the stone doesn''t appear too darks and lose it''s steps in different lighting situations.

firstly, ANY info or advice anyone can give me about asscher cut sapphires would be very appreciated.

and secondly, ANY suggestions anyone can make on where i would go to get such a stone would be even more appreciated!

i''m looking at jeff white at the moment, as his cuts just really seem to resonate with what i love so much.

i''m looking for something in the 2.5 - 3 ct range. ideally, i want something as close to a kashmir blue as possible. but then again...don''t we all?!

thanks folks! i''m kinda ''in your hands'' on this one!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Jeff White does seem to be popular here for his asscher sapphires
Here's Neatfreak's sapphire from him:

I think Peter Torraca is also a popular one to go to for this cut
http://torraca.net/gems/

 

[stepcutgirl]

I''m wanting to know the same thing. I''m now debating an asscher or cushion sapphire legacy ring but I''m clueless as to where to shop for colored stones.

 

[Catmom]

Date: 4/29/2009 9:30:59 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
Jeff White does seem to be popular here for his asscher sapphires
Here''s Neatfreak''s sapphire from him:

I think Peter Torraca is also a popular one to go to for this cut
http://torraca.net/gems/

Ditto. I love Neatfreak''s sapphire! I can''t wait to see what you get whitby.

 

[LostSapphire]

HiYa Whitby!

Welcome here!

LS

 

[westjenn]

Date: 4/29/2009 8:58:29 AM
Author:whitby_2773
i'm looking to make a new ring - an asscher sapphire with pear diamonds on each side. but it's quickly becoming apparent to me that i will need a top notch cut t the sapphire so that the stone doesn't appear too darks and lose it's steps in different lighting situations.

firstly, ANY info or advice anyone can give me about asscher cut sapphires would be very appreciated.

and secondly, ANY suggestions anyone can make on where i would go to get such a stone would be even more appreciated!

i'm looking at jeff white at the moment, as his cuts just really seem to resonate with what i love so much.

i'm looking for something in the 2.5 - 3 ct range. ideally, i want something as close to a kashmir blue as possible. but then again...don't we all?!

thanks folks! i'm kinda 'in your hands' on this one!

Hi Whitby. I'm on Jeff White's waiting list for an asscher sapphire--- for a smaller stone 1-1.5 carats max. His stones are truly beautiful and that's why I was willing to wait to find the perfect sapphire. I hope you will post your stone when you find the perfect one!
I wanted to add that I have a Catherine Iskiw asscher sapphire ring-- its somewhere in the SMTR thread.

 

[whitby_2773]

Hi westjenn

Your post was really helpful. I gather you contacted Jeff White, told him what you wanted, and he takes it from there? Did you find him helpful? Easy to work with? Knowledgeable? How did you deal with the color issue re sapphires and step cuts? Because it really seems that there ARE issues. Did Jeff address any of those with you?

I love neatfreak’s sapphire. I’m going to post in SMTR and ask her to show me a close up if she has one; I want to see how the color of the sapphire copes with the cut. From what I can see, it looks gorgeous.

stepcutgirl, what do you mean by a legacy ring? Can you show me an example? This might be a journey you and I end up taking together…

and hi Catmom and Losty. thank you for the welcome! This is a new foray for me; I’m a bit out of my depth, but paddling hard!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Like this...but a more delicate, smaller halo and band.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/29/2009 2:18:52 PM
Author: whitby_2773
Hi westjenn

Your post was really helpful. I gather you contacted Jeff White, told him what you wanted, and he takes it from there? Did you find him helpful? Easy to work with? Knowledgeable? How did you deal with the color issue re sapphires and step cuts? Because it really seems that there ARE issues. Did Jeff address any of those with you?

I love neatfreak’s sapphire. I’m going to post in SMTR and ask her to show me a close up if she has one; I want to see how the color of the sapphire copes with the cut. From what I can see, it looks gorgeous.

stepcutgirl, what do you mean by a legacy ring? Can you show me an example? This might be a journey you and I end up taking together…

and hi Catmom and Losty. thank you for the welcome! This is a new foray for me; I’m a bit out of my depth, but paddling hard!

Whitby: Jeff White is amazing to work with. Totally knows his stuff. As far as colour, I e-mailed him this website link: http://crossjewelers.com/sapphire/HowToBuyAsapphire.htm

Then I told him where on the spectrum I wanted us to concentrate. (somewhere between "camelot" and "royal blue"). I trusted his eye completely on the colour. When he found something, he took pics of the stone on his hand indoors and outside so I had an idea. Then I took the ''leap of faith'' and bought it.

Here is diamondSeeker''s cushion. He cut this as well, I believe. (DS I hope you don''t mind my posting this!)

LS


I''m sure if you discuss your asscher and step cut questions with him, you will find him amazingly helpful, knowledgeable and easy to get along with.

 

[westjenn]

Date: 4/29/2009 2:18:52 PM
Author: whitby_2773
Hi westjenn


Your post was really helpful. I gather you contacted Jeff White, told him what you wanted, and he takes it from there? Did you find him helpful? Easy to work with? Knowledgeable? How did you deal with the color issue re sapphires and step cuts? Because it really seems that there ARE issues. Did Jeff address any of those with you?


I love neatfreak’s sapphire. I’m going to post in SMTR and ask her to show me a close up if she has one; I want to see how the color of the sapphire copes with the cut. From what I can see, it looks gorgeous.


stepcutgirl, what do you mean by a legacy ring? Can you show me an example? This might be a journey you and I end up taking together…


and hi Catmom and Losty. thank you for the welcome! This is a new foray for me; I’m a bit out of my depth, but paddling hard!

Jeff has been great to work with- he''s always prompt answering emails and very informative when it comes to sapphires. I wish that the stone I was looking for was easier to come by though! I''m remaining patient but I might have to rethink the shape and go with a more square cushion instead.. I agree that Neatfreak''s sapphire ring is just gorgeous! Keep us posted with what you find

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 4/29/2009 11:27:23 AM
Author: Catmom

Date: 4/29/2009 9:30:59 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
Jeff White does seem to be popular here for his asscher sapphires
Here''s Neatfreak''s sapphire from him:

I think Peter Torraca is also a popular one to go to for this cut
http://torraca.net/gems/

Ditto. I love Neatfreak''s sapphire! I can''t wait to see what you get whitby.

That is really pretty.

 

[icekid]

whitby- Neatfreak''s sapphire is gorgeous (the color is very similar to time, I believe). However, I don''t know that it would make much sense to me to go with a darker tone and have it cut as an asscher. I really think asscher color stones are best suited to lighter tones. I doubt they''ll have much impact in a more saturated stone. Plus, the kashmir blue rough you''re talking about is very expensive. an asscher is cut with a lot of depth, making it show smaller than its weight. I''d want the biggest face up I could get (with good cut)!

You''ll definitely have to have someone custom cut this baby for you. Jeff would probably be my choice, as well, when talking about such an expensive stone. Or Gene! But that is fairly difficult rough for the American guys to get their hands on, it seems.

 

[whitby_2773]

stepcutgirl - that''s gorgeous! i can see why you''d want one like it.

Losty - i''m so pleased he cut your sapphire, and also diamondseeker''s; it just confirms for me that he''s the right guy for me. this will make my search MUCH easier. i have zero idea how much this might cost, so i think my next step is to speak to him and see if he can give me some idea of the price range i''m looking at. i love the color you chose and am hoping for something in the same range myself.

westjenn, thanks for your feedback. i''m guessing that we''re both going to wait a long time for our stones. how long have you been waiting so far? and what color are you looking for?

i''ll let you all know how i go after i call him; i really have no idea how much this could cost, so this will be a bit of a ''deciding phone call'' for me i suspect.

 

[chrono]

Whitby,
A top Kashmir blue sapphire is not going to look pretty in a step cut. I feel that step cuts are more suited to lighter coloured (not lighter toned) stones to be able to highlight the cut while retaining its intensity of colour. The other reason why a Kashmir blue sapphire looks so dreamy is that a cushion cut is able to maximize the richness of colour which a step cut doesn''t. I''m sorry to say you can''t have your cake and eat it too in this case.

 

[PrecisionGem]

That''s true Chrono. Asscher cuts work best in lighter material, and also somewhat large stones.

The kind of stone you are describing wouldn''t be a piece of rough that a US cutter would have, it would have to be a recut of an already cut stone.

I don''t do recuts, for some reason I just don''t find it entertaining. It''s much more fun to me to take a piece of rough, and see what it turns into, than something that you already know how it''s going to look.

 

[Harriet]

Whitby,
Chrono is correct, but I'm sure Jeff will guide you in the right direction. He's a wonderful cutter and person.

 

[violet3]

Date: 4/29/2009 2:58:42 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Like this...but a more delicate, smaller halo and band.

Oooooh Stepcutgirl, I just posted this in the show me your favorite PSer''s ring folder - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this ring!

Whitby, i love the things i''ve seen from Jeff White (ala neatfreak and LS - blueberry)! I agree you have to go light with that asscher cut, or else you might as well get something else (although yours is BEAUTIFUL stepcutgirl). Do you like the lighter blue colors of the sapphire? i happen to love them

 

[neatfreak]

Jeff is fabulous-but I agree that a darker sapphire just wouldn''t look great as an asscher. You''d miss out on the steps and just have a deep blue stone.

Here is Jeff''s picture of my asscher-a lot better than my pictures!

I should also say make sure you are talking in MM''s NOT carat size with sapphires. They face up smaller than a diamond of the same carat weight (density) but also with an asscher it makes it face up reeeaaally small. So make sure you know what MM size you''d like to end up with.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Violet-It was your post of that ring that opened my eyes to this and set me on an entirely different course for my ering! Since I was a little girl I wanted a sapphire e ring but when I told my boyfriend he wasn''t so sure. He thought I would be happier with a sapphire and was just trying to save him money. After my exhausting perfect diamond ring search I saw your post in the fav ps ring folder, printed it out and showed it to him and told him this was my perfect ering, only with a saphire and diamond w band. He agreed!

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 4/29/2009 9:44:27 PM
Author: Chrono
Whitby,
A top Kashmir blue sapphire is not going to look pretty in a step cut. I feel that step cuts are more suited to lighter coloured (not lighter toned) stones to be able to highlight the cut while retaining its intensity of colour. The other reason why a Kashmir blue sapphire looks so dreamy is that a cushion cut is able to maximize the richness of colour which a step cut doesn't. I'm sorry to say you can't have your cake and eat it too in this case.

I have a real soft spot for this wildfishgems sapphire. Link I think it is very pretty. But I agree about asscher cuts and dark stones. You gotta see those steps, or else why bother?

 

[stepcutgirl]

Oops...above I meant to say that my boyfriend thought I would be happier with a diamond...not a sapphire...apphire was what I wanted.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/30/2009 11:42:45 AM
Author: stepcutgirl
Oops...above I meant to say that my boyfriend thought I would be happier with a diamond...not a sapphire...sapphire was what I wanted.

"Good Save" stepcutgirl! You can stay and play with us!!

LS

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hehe, I told the fiance I wanted a sapphire too, but he went with the diamond anyways, what can I say, he''s a tradiiontalist through and through.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Thanks LS-when the time comes I will be seeking lots of help. I want a stone just your color!

 

[westjenn]

Date: 4/29/2009 9:39:08 PM
Author: whitby_2773
stepcutgirl - that''s gorgeous! i can see why you''d want one like it.

Losty - i''m so pleased he cut your sapphire, and also diamondseeker''s; it just confirms for me that he''s the right guy for me. this will make my search MUCH easier. i have zero idea how much this might cost, so i think my next step is to speak to him and see if he can give me some idea of the price range i''m looking at. i love the color you chose and am hoping for something in the same range myself.

westjenn, thanks for your feedback. i''m guessing that we''re both going to wait a long time for our stones. how long have you been waiting so far? and what color are you looking for?

i''ll let you all know how i go after i call him; i really have no idea how much this could cost, so this will be a bit of a ''deciding phone call'' for me i suspect.

Hi Whitby. I''ve been waiting 6 plus months I would say. I''m also looking for a darker sapphire as you are. I know that the consensus seems to be darker sapphires don''t seem to do well in an asscher cut & I would have to say that it depends on the quality of the stone. My current asccher sapphire has a full bezel-- no openings whatsoever-- (i don''t know the technical term for this??) and its still beautiful to me and definately an asscher. I know that if there were ''openings'' in the setting it would appear much more vibrant, but I love the style. Right now I''m looking for an asscher that I can get in a pronged setting. Patience is a virtue!

I''m going to try to dig up a picture of my ring for you.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/30/2009 12:59:54 PM
Author: stepcutgirl
Thanks LS-when the time comes I will be seeking lots of help. I want a stone just your color!

I thought the freudian slip was quite funny! Thank you for the compliment.

LS

 

[whitby_2773]

chrono, neatfreak, harriet, violet, gene, flygirl -

thank you all for your comments. i''m actually feeling a tad discouraged. let me summarize and see if i''m hearing you correctly.

an asscher sapphire is not out of the question so long as i have it large enough (gene), light enough (chrono, flygirl, neatfreak, violet, harriet), and perfectly cut (losty and ellen)

i should say that i had an emerald cut sapphire for my 21st birthday with side diamonds. i no longer have it, but i loved it dearly. it didn''t flash in all lights, but i actually liked that about it - it was like a mysterious woman who only dropped her mask in the right circumstances.

stepcutgirl - i''d love to see your ring - and your perseverance in this is encouraging me, too! i really dont want to throw in the towel on this and cant help but think if i wait long enough, the planets will align on this and give me what i want.

my next step will be to call jeff and see what he says - i will let you all know his thoughts on this. and flygirl - thank you for the link to that beautiful stone; it''s gorgeous!

 

[stepcutgirl]

Whitby-it will most likely be the end of the year before I start building my ring and I''m not sure about an asscher anymore. While in diamonds I just like cushions...in sapphires I LOVE cushions! And while the ring I plan to design may look good with either I know it will look amazing with a cushion. Now I''m going to be biting my nails following your hunt for the asscher!

 

[whitby_2773]

stepcutgirl - keep this under your hat, ok? but i am rapidly falling in love with this -

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/9763

dont you just want to swim in it??

 

[DianaBanana]

Date: 4/30/2009 2:01:41 PM
Author: whitby_2773
stepcutgirl - keep this under your hat, ok? but i am rapidly falling in love with this -

http://www.wildfishgems.com/inc/sdetail/9763

dont you just want to swim in it??

Whitby...I''m not sure if you have stumbled across this thread (Linky) or not but I think it will shed some light on what you can expect from a blue sapphire in various lighting scenarios.

The wildfish stone could be a lot darker IRL than you might think!

I can''t recommend Jeff highly enough - he has a great eye for color as does Richard Wise....Jeff''s cuts are to die for though.

Lost Sapphire is correct when she says her stone flashes blue - so does mine, it''s almost electric under some lights.

I can''t wait to see what you dig up!