need sapphire advice

[valleygirl]

I just bought a sapphire ring! yay! until I started looking at it....

The color is perfect for me, it is a lovely, rich blue that made me fall in love with sapphires to begin with. After inspecting it however, I''ve noticed some things that didn''t make me quite so happy. There is a rather glaring inclusion that seemed to be on the bottom of the gem, after noticing that, I noticed what appeared to be streaking of the color. When I look at the gem from the top the color seems much more rich and uniform than from the bottom.

There are some good points however. I love the setting. The diamonds look really good in my opinion. With a 30-day money back promise my question is: For $950 is it worth keeping and getting it re-cut?

I have been looking at concave faceting and I love it! I was hoping to get whatever gem I purchased cut in that fashion. However I don''t know enough about gemstones and looking at them to tell if the gem I have would lose its color which I so dearly love. This is going to be my engagement ring and I want to be happy with it, I do not want to settle. But if this is a good deal and I can get it re-cut to maximize its beauty then I will be thrilled.

Here are the stats:
18K White gold setting (2.89g app)
1 Sapphire from Sri Lanka, oval shape, 8mm x 6mm, 1.219ct
6 African Diamonds all round, 2 1.7mm, 2 1.5mm, 2 1.3mm, .067ct total, I color, SI2 clarity

I will get pictures posted tomorrow since I don''t have the camera today

 

[RevolutionGems]

It is a bit hard to comment on the inclusion without seeing it but I can tell you that color zoning is very common in sapphires. That is the streaking you see from the bottom of the stone.

The reason the zoning is not apparent when looking at the crown is because the light is reflected around in the stone giving it a more even appearance. Typically, the zoning will be oriented to achieve that very effect. For the most part, you won''t ever see that zoning unless you are looking at the stone from the back or at certain angles from the side.

That being said, it is hard to say if it is worth recutting the stone. It would depend almost entirely on where the inclusion is located. If it is near the surface, it might be cut out with little loss of size. However, if it is deeper in the stone, you would lose a significant omount of weight trying to remove it.

Can you post some pics? That might give a better idea of what needs to be corrected and if it is worth the time, money and effort to get it fixed.

The other thought is that you might contact the jeweler and tell him you want a different stone. He may replace it with something else for not too much more money.

 

[valleygirl]

there is a 30 day money back promise. you can either replace it or get a full refund. to me the inclusion seems to be closer to the surface, but it was definately set in a way that makes it hard to tell, at least for me.

 

[RevolutionGems]

The main thing here is how you feel about the ring and the stone in particular. Do you love it? If so, can you live with the inclusion or is it going to eat at you?

$950 is a pretty good-sized investment. You have to be happy with the ring.

I think you should call the jeweler and discuss replacing the stone. II think it is a perfectly reasonable request. It may cost you a few more bucks up front but it will give you a lifetime of flawless love.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Hard to comment on the inclusion without seeing it. Can you see the inclusion when the stone is on your hand? Or do you have to flip the stone to see it? You have to decide how much it bugs you.

 

[valleygirl]

At a certain angle I can see right through the table and the inclusion is just beaming... i think its mocking me...j/k

The pictures that I have didn''t turn out so hot, a lot of them are REALLY fuzzy... the camera is dying but its the only one I have
you can''t see the inclusion from this pic, but the color is at least close. In real life the blue is more vivid.

hopefully the attchment works...

 

[valleygirl]

here''s another... this is a more realistic representation of the color in natural light

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 6/5/2008 10:49:49 AM
Author: valleygirl
At a certain angle I can see right through the table and the inclusion is just beaming... i think its mocking me...j/k

The pictures that I have didn''t turn out so hot, a lot of them are REALLY fuzzy... the camera is dying but its the only one I have
you can''t see the inclusion from this pic, but the color is at least close. In real life the blue is more vivid.

hopefully the attchment works...

That is how I felt when my stone was loose and I found an inclusion in the cornor. I kind of got lucky though because it only shows up at certian angles, and those angles do not occur when it is on my hand unless I put my hand in a weird position. So I really don''t see it like I use to. But if you are seeing it under the center of the stone and it is bugging you, need to decide if this is somthing that is going to bug you so much that you will not enjoy wearing it.