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Need help finding a sapphire for an engagement ring

M

MacTavish

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
7
Hello,

I have been dating my girlfriend for a little over 8 years now and have finally decided to propose. I have been torn because I want to propose and show her that she means everything to me but I can't afford an extravagant ring being a graduate student. We have obviously talked about marriage and while she has hinted that the ring isn't important (I can upgrade it later when I have the financial means) I don't feel that is very romantic. I'd like her to really enjoy what I get for her, not her looking forward to eventually replacing it -if that makes sense.

I'd like to spend around $2,500 for the gem, setting, etc. I have shown her different gemstones and colors. She wants a blue Ceylon sapphire, so a darker blue sapphire -I assume like the more traditional (and expensive) ones. She likes the cushion and round shapes, but isn't very fond of ovals. I'd like it to be around 6-7mm, but obviously the bigger the more expensive. She would like the setting to be three stones (sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds) -but that isn't particularly important until I find the right stone.

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. I have a couple links to show the colors that she likes. I particularly like the round one, but I'm not sure how to evaluate prices -I'm still very much new to appraising stones.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/483542598/sale-ceylon-sapphire-round-ceylon?ref=shop_home_active_11
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204802742/sale-certified-ceylon-sapphire-oval-14?ref=shop_home_active_14
 
I am new in the world of coloured stone as well and I am also in search of a blue sapphire for the e-ring. =)

I find fellow PSers are extremely helpful and I am sure other PSers will give you more valuable advice!

Just in case if you haven't read this excellent post for beginners, I think that would be a good start:-
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

I guess one of the important questions you should decide is: are you okay with heated sapphire? If not, that certainly gives you more choices and perhaps costs less (though not necessarily so from my search) The two stones you posted are heated so I assume you are fine with that and I understand that a large percentage of sapphire are heated so that may not be a concern for you.

The other thing I want to say is Ceylon sapphires are not necessarily dark blue as they really come in various colours from nearly colourless, pastel-like to dark blue. So it may be quite a challenge to find out the "right" shade of blue. But if you know a particular tone of shade is the answer, then you can narrow down your search.

As I learn here (there are a lot of posts discussing blue sapphire), a dark blue sapphire run the risk of having too much extinctions (black areas not reflecting light) and hence not lively. So some people would say the tone of medium-dark with great saturation would be ideal. But of course different people have different tastes.

Personally I find the colour of the oval one more attractive. The round one is a bit too dark for me.

Hope the above helps a bit!　=)
 
Congratulations!!

I suck at pricing setting, so maybe someone else can chime in on how much a three stone setting might be, and that will help you get an idea for the stone budget. I'm guessing something like 1k, maybe 1500-max for the sapphire?

When you say "Ceylon blue", does it actually have to be of that origin, or is that more a discription or the color?

The round you linked looks pretty dark. I bet we can find something nicer :)

If a cushion appeals, this might be an option, though it looks like it leans a bit purple:
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-1206-cushion-portuguese-style-1-11-cts

ET has a number of rounds that might appeal:
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/0-89-carat-royal-blue-montana-sapphire-heated/
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-18-carat-royal-blue-montana-sapphire-heated/
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/0-89-carat-rich-cornflower-blue-montana-sapphire-heated/
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-11-carat-cornflower-blue-montana-sapphire-heated/
 
To echo Chrono and Adastra's thoughts:

If heating isn't an issue with you, that will definitely help with the price of the stone.

A very basic three stone setting is probably going to be around $1,000 to $1,500. I usually go scope out sites like Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile just to get basic prices. Based on that, I probably wouldn't go above $1,000 to $1,500 on the stone.

However, if you are open to upgrading your setting at a later point, you can splurge a little more on the stone. A basic solitaire band you should be able to do for around $500-$700.

Some basic three stone settings:

http://www.brilliantearth.com/Selene-Diamond-Ring-White-Gold-BE1D225-1825705/?did=3057744&is_tab=1
http://www.brilliantearth.com/Petite-Three-Stone-Trellis-Ring-(1/3-ct.-tw..)-White-Gold-BE503TD2R30-1151739/?did=3057744&is_tab=1

Agree with Chrono that if the sapphire doesn't have to originate from Ceylon, but you are just looking for that color, it will open up your options.

I'm in love with this one from Earth's Treasury. The cut is gorgeous IMO. It would probably be a little out of budget for the stone though, unless you went with a very simple setting.
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-32-carat-cornflower-blue-montana-sapphire-heated/

54a1519-et-1200.jpg

I also like this Umba, and it's a bit more budget friendly.
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/0-94-carat-cornflower-blue-umba-sapphire/
54a0994-et-1200.jpg
 
Thanks for all of the replies!

Heating is not an issue, she doesn't mind. When I said Ceylon, I really meant royal blue. Also, around 1500 for the stone seems resonable, leaving 1000-1500 for the setting. She has stated that she wouldn't mind oval, but she wouldn't prefer it.
 
Chroman, that color is amazing. It says that it may need to be recut due to zoning and a window? I only vaguely know what those terms mean. Is it too small to recut? Its 2.06 ct with a fairly large face (7.8x6.5). Does this mean the pavilion is smaller than usual?
 
I don't think a recut will have an effect on the zoning, and she says its not visible face up so it may not really be something to worry about

A recut would be more to address the window and optimize light return. My optics are poor, but I think its often cause by the pavillion angles being wrong, like if the stone is too shallow for its face-up size. The danger would be that it will face up smaller and the color can change.

Sometimes settings can help mitigate the visibility of it. Since the stone is a bit silky that might help hide it too. For some people the risk outweights the window and ppl are ok the them, especially for really nice color. But, its really a personal thing. Windows drive some ppl bonkers..

There's even a current thread on it :)
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/window-re-cut-yes-or-no.228415/

One more idea - reach out to Roger Dery at Spectral Gems. I think another poster mentioned that he has some non-listed sapphires atm.

Other vendors may be restocking in Tuscon ATM, so inquiries may be useful to find nice stones that they havent listed yet.
 
Thanks Chroman. I have actually contacted Roger Dery and have seen a few gems in my price range, they are beautiful. I assume since you, and others, recommend him that he is reputable and prices are fair? Not sure if we are able to openly discuss venders, so sorry if this is against terms. Thus far he has been responsive, polite, and given me quite a few good options.
 
Chrono - Possibly too light/too green? I'm not sure what it will look like set. The jeweler pictures are kind of tricky, I know they will darken but I don't know to what extent. The image I attached is the exact color she likes (its a 7.1 x 5.6mm cushion brilliant from steveperrygems.com). Would the Earth's Treasury sapphire compare to this one? Would the Steve Perry sapphire become too dark once set?

_38989.jpg
 
Looks like she wants top colour. Not too much to ask for. :lol:
The ET sapphire is nice but too green and not saturated enough, compared to your inspiration picture.
 
Yeah, not too picky :shifty:

What are your thoughts on the Steve Perry sapphire? It's in our price range but I'm afraid it may become very dark when set.
 
Best to see it in person to evaluate how it behaves under your lighting condition. It is difficult to assess true colour in that picture.
 
Yeah, the color looks nice in that *one* picture, but its just one photo..

That stone does look a bit silky. It may end up having more "glow" than "sparkle" if thats the case. That's not good or bad thing, but more a personal preference. Something else to consider!

At the very least, see if they'll provide more photos, including a hand shot and different lighting envirnnments. Also explicilty ask if there are color shifts (if so, it will likely shift purple) and how stong they are.
 
So basically she wants a rich, primary color blue with no violet or green undertones?

This one is a tad bit over the $1,500 mark. Though I think it may be a tad dark and green for what she wants.
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-19-carat-cornflower-blue-umba-sapphire/
54a0992-et-1200.jpg

This one is significantly over budget, but may be closer to the color she wants.
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/1-11-carat-cornflower-blue-montana-sapphire-heated-2/
54a1365-et-1200.jpg

I think the color on this one is great. So is the price. It's just significantly smaller in size than what you are looking for at 4.5mm. I still think it's a lovely stone though and could look great with a knockout setting. I get wanting bigger though :)
http://www.earthstreasury.com/product/0-52-carat-royal-blue-umba-sapphire/
56a9608-1024.jpg
 
I was also going to ask if she's seen a number of blue sapphires in person? What kind of "look" is she wanting from the stone? I just ask because I know it seems you are concerned about it being too dark once it is set. Is she looking for something more flashy and sparkly? If so, you may want to consider a lighter color stone.
 
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