NEATFREAK! HOW DO I START MY LOST SAPPHIRE PROJECT?

[LostSapphire]

The time has come to start the project of replacing my lost sapphire....

I wanted to ask you about Jeff White because I LOVE how he cuts his stones. The sapphire ring I''m looking for is similar to this one on the M. Khordipour site. I have contacted WhiteFlash about making the ring...but am really picky about the stone

I think a stone approx 7mm x 9mm would be about right.

So I need some advice: do I get Jeff to cut me a stone and then have WF work around it, or do I have WF tell me exactly what size stone for him to cut???

I''m having a hard time figuring out where to start. But one thing I do know, is that I want a Jeff White stone....

What do you think?

 

[neatfreak]

Stone first, then they custom build the setting around the stone. Jeff is fabulous, I would just give him a call or email and tell him what you''re thinking of. He will then tell you about what he has access to for rough at the moment, and voila! Independent Gal just had a stone custom cut, so she might have more details. I bought mine from him already cut, so I don''t know the exact details of the process.

Hope that helps!!!

 

[LostSapphire]

I have already e-mailed him!

I have to say that your sapphire was the one that gave me a push to contact him: I don''t think I''ve ever seen stones cut the way he does them.

My only concern (and that''s the little girl in me being afraid of playing out in the big bad world) is his pricing: I''ve been on The Natural Sapphire Co''s website, and their prices don''t scare me...but somehow having a stone custom cut does...can you reassure me somehow that his pricing is affordable, even though they are custom cut?

What I see on NSC for the size I''m looking for (2.5 ct or so) would run me anywhere from $3500 to $4500 - am I in the ballpark?

Thanks for the help and for the inspiration! I am so excited to think that I might finally get a blue rock back onto my engagement finger!

 

[neatfreak]

Well it is hard to say because it depends so much on the stone''s individual qualities. But suffice it to say that my stone was considerably less than that. But if you want a much more "desired" color, the price can go up very quickly.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 3/13/2008 10:15:20 PM
Author: neatfreak
Well it is hard to say because it depends so much on the stone's individual qualities. But suffice it to say that my stone was considerably less than that. But if you want a much more 'desired' color, the price can go up very quickly.

That's what I thought...have spent a fair bit of time looking on gemstone websites and I have an idea of per/carat cost but didn't know what kind of a premium was on his services.

Thanks, I feel better now: there's that little kid in me who is always 'afraid' to go into the store where I might realize I'm out of my league! But I think I have a pretty good idea of pricing, after hanging around here for a while!

Well, wish me luck! I'm ready to buy the stone. Depending on what kind of $$ we're talking about will determine the time frame for the setting.

...can hardly wait!

ETA: if I haven't posted this before, I should now: I LOVE YOUR SAPPHIRE!

 

[neatfreak]

Hehe, why thank you! I love it too. And really, if you aren''t scared of NSC prices you won''t be scared of Jeff''s. His prices are more than fair IMO.

 

[LostSapphire]

I have just NEVER seen the likes of his work elsewhere. I''ve stopped looking at native cuts for the most part, since hanging out on his site for the past while.

I''ve just been scared to take that first step....

So I''ve now just contacted WF as well....whooeeee we''re on the way!

 

[Independent Gal]

Just piping up to say that I also found his pricing to be very fair with little apparent premium. Just ask him for a ballpark quote.

In terms of the process, he seems to have a lot of rough in stock, and he can order something else if he doesn''t have what you want. Then he looks at the rough and decides on an appropriate design, given the light properties of the gem and the shape of the rough, he then runs the design by you, you nod, pay him a 15% deposit, he cuts, then you pay the balance and he ships.

I assume that if you already know the design you want, he can find a piece of rough to match, rather than vice versa.

He seems to have a backlog of 1-2 months but oh, how worth it, yes?

Oh, and he seems like a thoroughly nice guy too. I really enjoyed dealing with him.

 

[Harriet]

Jeff may not be able to give you the exact dimensions of the gem until he''s finished cutting it [Jeff, correct me if I''m wrong]. So, work with him first and then build a setting around the stone.

 

[LostSapphire]

Thank you I-G and Harriet!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn''t know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can''t afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can''t capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I''d buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

 

[Cind11]

Date: 3/14/2008 8:22:10 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn''t know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can''t afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can''t capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I''d buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

You know, I''ve seen this term a lot. What does a "native cut" stone mean exactly?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/14/2008 12:48:12 PM
Author: Cind11

Date: 3/14/2008 8:22:10 AM

Author: diamondseeker2006

Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn''t know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can''t afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can''t capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I''d buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

You know, I''ve seen this term a lot. What does a ''native cut'' stone mean exactly?[/QUOTE

Usually it means that it was cut in the country it was mined in before export. It is usually cut to retain as much weight as possible and *often* (but not always) is not as well cut as it could be because of this.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 3/14/2008 8:22:10 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn't know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can't afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can't capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I'd buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

DS - OMG that is gorgeous! It is almost making me want to rethink the oval.....size is about right!

Can you do this girl favour and set it on top of your finger and take a photo so I can get a sense of size/scale? My ring finger is a size 6, and I was looking for a 7mm x 9mm which would then be surrounded by 3mm diamonds....I could do the same thing with the cushion, but maybe make the diamonds 2mm or so instead.....

Let me know if you think you're going to send it back because it has been haunting me all day at work! Do you think it would fall within my budget (for the stone only) of somewhere betwen $3500 and $4500?

 

[Dreamer_D]

LS, based on my communications with him a 2.6 ct sapphire should fall within your budget... he was quoting prices to me of around $1200 - $1500 per carat for an electric blue sri lankan stones? That was a few months ago though... so who knows.

DS that stone is AMAZING!!! Uh oh it is making me re-think my decidion to buy a new diamond in May... aaaaahhhhhh!!

DD

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Really, I never knew a sapphire could be this beautiful. I always thought people bought colored stones for the color. I have had sapphire before, but they did not sparkle like this one. Thsi stone has some purple undertones and in incadescent light, it will throw off purple and even pink flashes. As far as I am concerned, Jeff White has all my business from here on out! But I can''t go around collecting stones in this price range, so I just have to be sure whether this is the blue sapphire I should keep or not. I know it will be snatched up by someone if I don''t keep it!

LostSapphire, it will come in under budget (under $3000).

And it is from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). I am just in a major quandry about what to do! I''ll do my best to take a picture, but I tried the other day and the stone just looks dark in pictures, nothing like it really is. But you can get an idea of the size. It is the perfect size for a diamond halo. And I think a cushion halo is so much more unusual than an oval (which I already have... almost just like the one you lost!). I was just deciding whether I wanted that or a simple three-stone.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, I took some pictures after the sun went down (it is cloudy, too), but you can get the idea of how gorgeous this stone is. The more I look at it in different light, the less I think I can part with it! But I think I should just make a new thread rather than hijacking this one so that others can see Jeff''s work.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 3/14/2008 6:59:29 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Okay, I took some pictures after the sun went down (it is cloudy, too), but you can get the idea of how gorgeous this stone is. The more I look at it in different light, the less I think I can part with it! But I think I should just make a new thread rather than hijacking this one so that others can see Jeff''s work.

I just saw the pics! Thank you.

It is truly stunning: and I am now even more convinced that I''m making the right decision.

Have just received an e-mail from Jeff, and we''re going to get things started. He has a bit of a backlog (1-2 months) but that''s fine with me....I''ve been without my blue rock this long, what''s another couple of months!

Thank you all for your advice. I''m ready to go!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 3/14/2008 8:22:10 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn''t know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can''t afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can''t capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I''d buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

I get first dibs if you send it back

!

 

[LostSapphire]

NOPE I CALLED IT FIRST!!!!

I''m now in touch with Jeff: he''s going to make me one all for myself but I sent him this pic as a reference, and told him that Pricescopers are fighting over it!

Nothing like a gorgeous blue rock!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Lol!!! I am not the least bit worried about this beautiful stone finding a home! It still amazes me how much I have missed all these years not having well cut gemstones.

Love in Bloom, I do think a nice sapphire ring would be perfect with your gorgeous VC heart pendant and earrings!

I am very excited that you are going to work with Jeff, LS!! You will not regret it! The key is to be patient until he finds the right rough or stone to recut. Your new ring is going to be more beautiful than you can imagine!

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 3/14/2008 8:33:47 PM
Author: LostSapphire
NOPE I CALLED IT FIRST!!!!

I''m now in touch with Jeff: he''s going to make me one all for myself but I sent him this pic as a reference, and told him that Pricescopers are fighting over it!

Nothing like a gorgeous blue rock!

LOL, no fighting, I promise. I''ve had my eye on something red

. Oooh congrats on having a stone cut just for you! Sounds very exciting and I can''t wait to see your new blue

Date: 3/14/2008
Author: Diamondseeker2006

Lol!!! I am not the least bit worried about this beautiful stone finding a home! It still amazes me how much I have missed all these years not having well cut gemstones.
Love in Bloom, I do think a nice sapphire ring would be perfect with your gorgeous VC heart pendant and earrings!

Heehee, you read me like a book Diamondseeker2006

.

How lucky you are to have gemstones...and it amazes me what amazing gem cutters can do for a not-so-pleasing native cuts. Thanks for sharing your pictures! I''m off to your other thread to drool a little

.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 3/14/2008 9:32:43 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006


I am very excited that you are going to work with Jeff, LS!! You will not regret it! The key is to be patient until he finds the right rough or stone to recut. Your new ring is going to be more beautiful than you can imagine!

Thank you DS. I have no pressing timeline, so Jeff can concentrate on getting exactly the right one!

In the meantime, I''ve e-mailed back to WF to let them know that Jeff will be cutting me a stone, and they will handle the setting.

woooooeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Cind11]

Date: 3/14/2008 12:54:42 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 3/14/2008 12:48:12 PM
Author: Cind11

Date: 3/14/2008 8:22:10 AM

Author: diamondseeker2006

Jeff cut a stone for me although my reason for contacting him was to get a pair of sapphires for studs. I mentioned I would eventually like a sapphire for a ring and he found a stone to recut in Tuscon and gave me first option on it. What I will say after seeing the stone is that I am not sure I would ever be satisfied with a native cut stone! I didn''t know that sapphires could really sparkle, but they do! I have not 100% decided to keep this stone because I can''t afford to just collect multiple blue sapphires and I might want one a little larger than this one. But it is one gorgeous stone and the picture does not do it justice. I just can''t capture the color well at all myself. It is a 7.9 mm cushion and is about 2.6 cts. I think if I bought a stone from another source, I''d buy it a little larger than I wanted and have Jeff recut it.

You know, I''ve seen this term a lot. What does a ''native cut'' stone mean exactly?[/QUOTE

Usually it means that it was cut in the country it was mined in before export. It is usually cut to retain as much weight as possible and *often* (but not always) is not as well cut as it could be because of this.

Thanks neatfreak. I appreciate the answer. Your sapphire is GREAT by the way.