Opinions on 5 carat sapphire

[Acl]

Hi, I'm new to the community, and buying a loose sapphire for a halo style ring. I've read a lot of helpful information on this forum in shopping for a sapphire, and I think I've found one I'd like to buy online. I'd love to get opinions from some of the experts here.

Here are the specs:
-5.06 carat untreated sapphire
-9.96 x 9.58 x 6.46mm
-certified by GIC, a local laboratory
-seller claims its vvsi, eye clean
-$6000

The only flaw that is jumping out to me is the assymetry of the pavilion. But I don't feel it's noticeable from on top. Am I missing anything obvious? Does this seem like a fair price? A good deal? Too good a deal?

Would the offset pavilion cause a problem or simply be hidden in a halo setting? Id consider having it recut, but i dont want to buy it relying on recurring since I won't know if it's a good candidate for that until after I purchase it.

I'm attaching some photos and gif of the sapphire. I have some videos, but they were too large to post. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[voce]

GIC is probably credible, so an unheated 5ct sapphire at $6000 is $1200/ct, which is a good deal. I don't know if the pavilion affects this, but I'm not liking the color banding on the stone face up, which does have to do with the cut. Not only are there three cone-shaped dark areas, but in the gif you can see a darker strip of blue running diagonally from the middle left to lower right. On the still pictures this deeper band of hue runs horizontal.

Maybe I'm only seeing these things since the images are so big, and bigger gemstones make it easier to see flaws. From arm's length, though, and especially encrusted by a halo of diamonds, the things I mentioned would not be noticeable, and all people will see is major bling with a beautiful blue sapphire.

 

[LilAlex]

Never heard of GIC. GIC web site has a lot of "under construction" or missing pages, assuming I'm looking at the right one. Stone looks lovely in those oversharpened and probably blue-channel-enhanced photos so the price is way too low, imo. Since there are no true bargains on loose gems, and the native cut does not look terrible, I presume it has major issues or is something other than heat-treated. Odd that the culet is so off-center in the video but not in the face-on still photos. I would not trust this for one second, but that's just me.

 

[Bron357]

It’s a really lovely stone, my only “issue” is that you are losing a lot of “face up” size due to the deep pavilion.
By this I mean my 2.96 carat round blue faces up as 9.1mm round so looking down, mine would appear similiar size to yours
And it’s going to have to sit up high on your finger because of that depth.
I also have a lovely pale lemon sapphire, cut almost identical to your blue one (very deep plus a high table) and it’s also just over 5 carats and side by side by 3 carat, they look almost the same size.
Excuse the awful photo but just show you how all the “extra carat weight” in my lemon sapphire isn’t really noticeable.

 

[Acl]

Thanks for the replies. That's all really helpful information.
One of my biggest concerns is that the seller is leaving something out, (i.e.. this seems pretty cheap for this sapphire as described, so something must be not as described). The sale is through easy, and the seller offers a return policy if it's not as described, plus I would use paypal and a fraud protection card to protect myself, but I don't want to waste time returning it if it's not as nice in person as it looks in the photos and video. Your comments lead me to believe that is very likely.

Here's a link to the original etsy listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/601327...search_query=5.06 sapphire&ref=sr_gallery-1-1

Also, I didn't realize that the pavilion was so high for a sapphire this size. I read that the stone's height should be 60-80% of the average diameter- otherwise it might tend to be too dark? In this case it's 66%, so I thought that was pretty good? I definitely don't want the ring to sit uncomfortably high off her finger. Maybe I'm better off to look for a smaller carat of the same size with a lower pavilion.

Anyone have any recommendations what is a good non-scam price I should expect to pay for what I'm looking for? I'm hoping to find something in the 3-5 carat range, round or oval (ideally round) around 9mm, eye clean, intense color blue.

Thanks again!

 

[ShinyPink]

For such a large purchase, I wouldn't buy from someone with only 10 reviews from two years ago. He also has "rare" gems that sold back in 2016, but are listed today. Plus, some of the photos are questionable.

Go through the vendors list here and you'll get a good idea of gems and prices from people we trust. There are some on etsy. Just be careful, and come here to ask questions. It's tempting to trust photos and a return policy, but not from someone unknown with few reviews.

 

[voce]

Also, I didn't realize that the pavilion was so high for a sapphire this size. I read that the stone's height should be 60-80% of the average diameter- otherwise it might tend to be too dark? In this case it's 66%, so I thought that was pretty good? I definitely don't want the ring to sit uncomfortably high off her finger. Maybe I'm better off to look for a smaller carat of the same size with a lower pavilion.

Anyone have any recommendations what is a good non-scam price I should expect to pay for what I'm looking for? I'm hoping to find something in the 3-5 carat range, round or oval (ideally round) around 9mm, eye clean, intense color blue.

I think the 60-80% "ideal" depth is for the average or typical sapphire to achieve the most desirable color without having a window (pavilion is too shallow). If the color intensity is high, or if the gem is precision cut in a certain way, then you really don't need 60-80% depth. Plus, a stone with a small window and a pavilion that is not too shallow will "close up the window" when the stone is set, so that you cannot see the window after it is in the ring.

In the 3-5 carat range, there are a limited number of round sapphires that are intense color. Not even palagems.com or cushiongems.com has one in stock, and they supply the finest sapphires to jewelers. Most gems of that size that exhibit fine color are cut as oval or cushion.

The price really depends on the intensity of the color, and there is quite a range. From my own experience picking out a sapphire to set, I chose a vivid color saturation, but the gem looks dark in low light settings. Sapphires will look darker when set in a ring, so perhaps you don't need to buy a gem with such a high color intensity.

The price can range from $3000, on the light color saturation end, to about $30k-$50k for the most intense color in a good cut.

Lighter 4ct gem, 9.7mm:
https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-11-1305

The Natural Sapphire Company has one of the biggest inventories, even if they are a fair bit pricier.
Filtered for round and 3 ct+:
https://www.thenaturalsapphirecompa...&carat_min=3&carat_max=75&sortby=&pagesize=40

Some other prices/options:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/275280...earch_query=round sapphire&ref=sr_gallery-1-4
https://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/blue-sapphire/4.10-carat-round-sku-22754
https://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/blue-sapphire/4.44-carat-round-sku-23009
https://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/blue-sapphire/5.23-carat-round-sku-23121
https://www.jamesallen.com/gemstones/blue-sapphire/5.08-carat-round-sku-23010

I think some of the ones at James Allen look nice, but they are all heated, so you should be expecting to pay more for untreated.

These ones are already set in rings, but are certified and untreated, and cost $4300-$4400.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/583416661/untreated-no-heat-custom-sapphire-ring?ref=shop_home_active_5
https://www.etsy.com/listing/566834...e-diamond-ring-315-ct?ref=shop_home_active_23

IMHO it's often more expensive to pick a loose stone, then custom set it, than to buy premade rings.

 

[Acl]

Thanks again all for your advice, I should have started posting questions here sooner, this forum is super helpful. I'm going to take a pass on the 5ct stone, I think everyone here confirmed my gut instinct that something doesn't quite smell right about the deal. Additionally, with the advise about the height of the pavilion and some more research, I think maybe this stone wasn't such a good fit anyway.

I would consider buying a pre-made ring, as you're right it is definitely more expensive to buy the pieces separately, but I have found a particular ring that I'm interested in by a jeweler who specializes in meteorite inlays - and they don't have a suitable stone. My partner is a big space enthusiast, and used to work at NASA, so I think she will love the meteorite. The only think I know about what she wants for a ring is that she doesn't want diamonds, and she does want something uncommon. I think a sapphire and meteorite ring should qualify as something you don't see everyday.

I've found another sapphire I'm interested in, and was able to view it in person. However, it's uncertified and I don't know how much I can trust Jewelry Exchange's assertions about it.

Here's a link to a post about the new sapphire: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/4-ct-loose-sapphire-opinions-jewelry-exchange.240964/