Need advice - are there reputable online dealers?

[Bud Blue]

I understand that, ultimately, choosing the best sapphire I can get is up to me. However I''ve got to imagine that there are some well known, reputable dealers online where I might get more "bang for the buck" that buying from a local jeweler. I have a short list and was wondering if I could get some feedback or recommendations.

Pala Gems (international) - They appear to be wholesalers only.
All Natural Sapphires
Israel-Diamonds
Twin-Diamonds
AJS Gems - this one interests me for price and selelction, but, I''m concerned about it''s location in Thailand. Are they reputable?
I don''t mind spending a little money in freight to ship from overseas or to return it if I don''t like the stone I receive. I just want to be certain that if I need to return something, I get credited for it.
Also, should I need to purchase a stone locally, is it uncommon to haggle on the price or should I absolutely try and bargain for the best price? The sapphire I''m currently most interested in is from The Shane Co. Portland,Oregon. They seem to have better stones than a couple of other jewelers I''ve visited but, I''m still looking at $3800.00 for a 2 ct.
It''s deep blue (not dark) very even color, no striping/zoning, nearly loupe clear and in my amature opinion, well cut. I''m not sure of the origin but, certain it''s been heat treated. I like to "keep it real" so, on a scale of 1-10 I''d say it''s a 6 or 7 at best when compared to top notch Kashmire,Burmese sapphire. Since this is a gift and I''m not a collector a nice heat treated Ceylon, Madagascar or Sri Lanka sapphire would be just fine. I know it''s difficult if not impossible to assign a value on a stone you haven''t seen but, is there a ballpark figure I should try and adhere to when determining $$$ per carat? I don''t want any junk and will sacrifice a little size for quality. I''ve seen what appear to be some nice stones on the internet for roughly $1200.00 ct. If that''s more inline I could go as high as 3 cts.
Thank You,
Bud

 

[strmrdr]

AJS is good but im not sure id want to buy a real expensive stone considering the hassles.

If it was me id work with:
Gary of www.diamondexpert.com
Wink of www.winkjones.com
If I was buying an expensive sapphire.
They have the contacts to round up anything you want and the skill to keep it safe.

 

[MJO]

Hi Bud,

I''ve delt with both AJS and Wink. Both have been great. I don''t know why people are leary to buy expensive stones from AJS, I have bought stones from them ranging from $50 to $15,000 with orders from $200 to $20,000. I have returned a couple of stones but not many, ussually the cheaper ones. They do make good on their return policy. Just last week I bought a blue zircon from them. I always ask Arnold or Rung to look at the stone for my before shipping it to me and give me their honest opinion. They want to keep you happy so tell you both the positives and the negatives on the stone.

Regards,
Maurice

 

[Bud Blue]

Thanks MJO, I''ve spent countless hours doing my research so that I can make an confident,educated purchase. I''m to that point now and am just seeking some advice for people who have delt with these dealers in the past. Have you ever done any business with
Israel-Diamonds? Are there any other dealers that I should consider?

Bud

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/24/2005 11:02:41 PM
Author: MJO
Hi Bud,


I''ve delt with both AJS and Wink. Both have been great. I don''t know why people are leary to buy expensive stones from AJS, I have bought stones from them ranging from $50 to $15,000 with orders from $200 to $20,000. I have returned a couple of stones but not many, ussually the cheaper ones. They do make good on their return policy. Just last week I bought a blue zircon from them. I always ask Arnold or Rung to look at the stone for my before shipping it to me and give me their honest opinion. They want to keep you happy so tell you both the positives and the negatives on the stone.


Regards,

Maurice

For stones up too a few hundred bucks AJS is great in my opinion.
For stuff like rubies and high end sapphires id rather work with someone who is US based.
You have worked with him enough that you know him and he knows you and thats kewl.
I usualy work with Gary for the same reasons.
He knows what I like and dislike.

 

[MJO]

Date: 10/24/2005 11:16:51 PM
Author: Bud Blue
Thanks MJO, I''ve spent countless hours doing my research so that I can make an confident,educated purchase. I''m to that point now and am just seeking some advice for people who have delt with these dealers in the past. Have you ever done any business with
Israel-Diamonds? Are there any other dealers that I should consider?

Bud

Hi Bud,

I have never worked with Isreal-Diamonds, sorry. I have worked with quite a few people on ebay but I will not mention them here now since I am currently dealing with them financially and do not want to self promote. If you would like to find out who you can email me.

Regards,
Maurice

 

[elmo]

By "All Natural Sapphires" do you mean http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com ? They are well regarded, and provide more info than most folks. I also second the recommendation for Gary; he and most other people here can source from Pala, just pick the jeweler you like to work with. And don't forget Richard Wise who contributes here.

Edited to add: MJO can you help explain what's involved with private parties insuring loose gems for international shipment, i.e. shippers and insurance limits? Inside the US it's no problem up to $25k, not sure about international shipping.

 

[MJO]

Date: 10/25/2005 2:33:05 PM
Author: elmo
By ''All Natural Sapphires'' do you mean http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com ? They are well regarded, and provide more info than most folks. I also second the recommendation for Gary; he and most other people here can source from Pala, just pick the jeweler you like to work with. And don''t forget Richard Wise who contributes here.

Edited to add: MJO can you help explain what''s involved with private parties insuring loose gems for international shipment, i.e. shippers and insurance limits? Inside the US it''s no problem up to $25k, not sure about international shipping.

Hello Elmo,

I''ve never used any since the AJS and other''s I''ve used have the returns insured on their end. I just ship regulary by post office. I do know that some dealers use a private insurance company to insure their deliveries. FedEx only insures jewelery up to $25 or so, also some dealers would rather the driver not know what is in the package . The label on FedEx states the value of the package for insurance. These types of packages are easier to get lost A private insurer such as Llyods of London etc will insure these packages separately.

Regards,
Maurice

 

[bar01]

Some other sites for you to visit

www.cherrypicked.com
www.kashmirblue.com
www.awesomegems.com
www.simplysapphires.com
www.sapphires.ca


This Link in the PS FAQ section may be of interest.

 

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Re: Israel Diamonds: I purchased a sapphire from them quite a few years ago, and was very pleased with the stone, and their service.

But the company has been sold since I dealt with them, and the the nice man I worked with then, Avi Ben-Yair, is now one of the owners of Twin_Diamonds...

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