Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ring

[MJ0911]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post but I've been reading for quite a while! I'm trying to find a very light pink/peach/champagney coloured sapphire for my engagement ring. I've had quite a bit of trouble and have also been working with a jeweler in London who has had no luck. But I think I might have found a contender - trouble is it's in Canada so I can't view it in person.

The vendor seems super communicative and has good reviews, but I'd love some second opinions on whether you guys think this is a stone worth looking at. He offers a 10 day return policy, but I will of course have to pay shipping from Canada and also don't want to be wasting anyones time. The vendor tells me it's precision cut, eye-clean and no bow-tie (it's oval, but quite a fat oval!). It's just over 1.6cts.

Thanks!

 

[marymm]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Hi OP - welcome to the CS forum!

As to the color, based on the photos, it seems to match what you're looking for - as to the cut, I will say that the oval seems to have a keel pavilion - keel pavilions tend to easily display tilt windows - that's why you see straight through to the vendor's finger in that first photo - and even in the next two photos with the stone slightly on its side, you can tell there is a bit of a tilt window - the last photo shows a full face shot, and in that photo there is no tilt window but you can see the horizontal "line", if you will, that is the keel-shape culet.

Whether this would bother you or not, I don't know - keel pavilions are not bad or wrong, and many precision-cut ovals do have a keel pavilion - people usually buy colored gemstones more for the color, and then consider cut - and to get the color they are seeking, many people are happy to accept a well-cut gemstone that occasionally displays a tilt window.

For me, I've come to realize that I much prefer a point culet as opposed to a keel-shaped culet - that said, I do prize color and precision-cutting above all - and I have kept well-cut ovals with keel pavilions just because they are the exact color I was looking for - it is just harder for me to figure out the right setting to best showcase those stones since I prefer to limit if not eliminate tilt windows. Hope this helps!

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Hi MaryMM - thank you so much for responding, that really helps a lot. I did wonder if I was seeing a window, but then with it being precision cut I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things! The colour seems exactly what I want, but with it being for an engagement ring the tilt window does worry me as I definitely don't want people being able to see through the stone to my finger when i'm wearing it! Perhaps the best thing to do would be to order it then take it to a jeweller to see how much they can minimise the window with one if the settings I have in mind... Thanks again for your input, really helpful!

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

P.S. if anyone else is reading this and has suggestions of stones that might suit then please let me know! I'm looking for a light peachy sapphire, ideally cushion or oval cut and between 1.5 and 2 carats. Thanks!

 

[marymm]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

I looked real quick at many of the PS vendors and did not find anything within your parameters - you may have better luck if you email some of them directly, to see if they have any rough that might yield what you're looking for.

Any chance you are open to a Spinel? Many consider them durable enough for an engagement ring... GemFix has a beautifully-cut oval that seems very close to what you're looking for:

http://www.gemfix.com/spinel.html (6th row down, far right column)




Spinel Modified "Portuguese" Style Oval
Weight: 1.72 cts
Measurements: 8x6.2mm, depth 4.6mm
Clarity: VVS
Origin: Burma
Enhancements: None
Price: $ 775.00
Order/Stock No.: spinel_306
Description: Extremely brilliant! Light silvery-pink with peach flashes. Excellent cut and clarity. Pantone Color Card 670-671C. (Cut by Andrew Gulij)

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Thanks - the spinel colour looks amazing. Unfortunately we're quite set on a sapphire (though also keeping an eye out for antique diamonds, cushion or oval) as both of us like the idea it's a fairly traditional engagement ring stone, though of course we're going for a non-traditional colour. But thanks for the suggestion - I will continue to keep an eye out and work with my jeweler. And we may well check out this canadian stone too. He sent a video in which there didn't seem to be much of a tilt window at all so I think it should be worth investigating further!

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Are you trying to avoid padparadscha-type sapphires?

ETA: and what is your price range?

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Not trying to avoid them per se - I really love the blend of orange and pink - but for me the key is a light colour since I'll be wearing it every day. In terms of budget I'd like to keep it under $3500 but we're pretty flexible. For me the key is the right colour, the right shape and size (around 2 carats and ideally oval or cushion), and an ethical supply chain. Price very much comes after these as a consideration.

 

[carmen1]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

How about this one - more peach than pink though: http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9517

Or this one: http://www.multicolour.com/detail/?470804053

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Hi Carmen1, strangely enough I was actually just looking at your ring that you posted here in the coloured ring thread. I'm planning either a mixed-metal mount, or to go with a single metal and have a contrasting wedding band. It's good to see someone who has combined rose and white gold so successfully! And the two stones you posted look lovely - these stones are so hard to get an idea of without seeing them in person, but I'm going to contact the sellers and see if they have additional pictures and/or video, and can also tell me a bit about the provenance etc. Thanks for helping me - I'm so impatient to be officially engaged, but at the same time am trying to hold out for the perfect stone. Off to visit our jeweler on Sat again to see what he's found. Hopefully he might have had some success too.

 

[carmen1]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

You are very right that the color in these stones is difficult to judge from vendor photos. The vendor photos & handshots for my sapphire were really yellow and I didn't find them very representative of the sapphire once I had it in person. I just asked a ton of questions and had to rely on the seller to describe the color vs what was in the photos, so a good return policy was a must!

Also, I have no idea whether this one is still available, but since the seller was in London it may be worth looking into for you:

http://diamondbistro.com/category/2...402/Unheated-Natural-Pale-Peach-Sapphire.html

 

[MJ0911]

Re: Newbie needing help with pink sapphire for engagement ri

Thanks Carmen1 - I think I've seen that one on loupetroupe and it's definitely a great colour. A bit smaller than I was looking for but I know I'll likely have to compromise somehow to get the colour I want so think it'll be definitely worth getting in touch. We're meeting with our jeweler tomorrow to see what he has found, and if nothing suits I think I'll go ahead and order these two stones to look at. Thanks for your help!