Opinions on a sapphire? (Yes, another thread)

[Upgradable]

I'm seriously window shopping and this stone has caught my eye. Tell me what you think about it. Seller says gentle heat only and is willing to get a GIA cert. There is a good return policy. I asked about zoning and the seller said, "I had a second look in the stone. There are no color zoning in the stone. Under a 10X magnifying i noticed micro color bands which are not vissible to the naked eye and to the normal look." I haven't bought it yet, but am in serious negotiations. I don't want to talk about size or price though. I just wouldn't want to pull the trigger without the opinion of all my Colored Stone Homies first! (BTW- it is between this stone and another)

 

[LD]

Uppy, two things:-

1. It has a window - are you ok with that? It'll probably lessen with a clever setting but just wanted to point it out in case it would drive you bonkers and you hadn't noticed it (I'm sure you have!).

2. The overall appearance is "hazy" or "smokey". Now, I know some people love this look but, and this is purely a personal opinion, it drives me NUTS. I'm always rubbing the stone to try to clean it - which of course never works! Will it bother you?

Do you have a photo of the other one you're thinking of so we could compare/contrast?

 

[Upgradable]

LD, thanks. I'd have to have the stone in my hands to assess whether or not the window was distracting. As for the haziness, one of the things I love in colored stones is silkiness. I think this would fit the bill for that. And I could have the stone evaluated for a possible recut (or tweak) to minimize any windowing.

Here's the second stone. It is a Madagascar, which is usually my first choice in sapphires. The other is stated as being Ceylon. Origin doesn't bother me at all, just the look and possible treatments. This second one is already at GIA.

 

[LD]

Well if you like sleepiness then the first one fits that bill and the way you describe it I suspect that it may be the winner for you!

The oval looks to have quite a lot of extinction going on so it's looking much darker generally (assuming the pictures are accurate for both gems). The cushion cut has a more even colour and certainly from the pictures the colour packs more of punch. I suspect that the oval will perform better (simply because of the clarity) but even though the lighter areas will perform that probably won't counteract the extinction.

 

[Upgradable]

I had another madagascar sapphire (sad story) and still pics looked much like this oval. However, the seeming extinction just allowed for an amazing color play between midnight and stunning royal blue flashes.

 

[Upgradable]

Aarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!

I just keep going back and forth!

I know I'd really like the oval, it has a look I'm familiar with and am sad to have let get away. But the Kashmir look has me all googly-eyed! The color and the silkiness make me weak in the knees. But it could be windowed and/or zoned. However, it is considerably cheaper than the oval. But the oval is quite a bit smaller. The cushion is huge! But the oval may come back as unheated, then I'd lose a chance at it because the price will be going up considerably!!

So, do I go for a larger, cheaper, brighter, silkier stone that I may fall passionately in love with? Or do I go with the stone that I know I will be happy with, still good sized, within my budget, and may come back from GIA as unheated? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know....

 

[FrekeChild]

Cushion. The bowtie and extinction in the oval would drive me batty. Plus I like the silk.

 

[Upgradable]

Cushion. The bowtie and extinction in the oval would drive me batty. Plus I like the silk.

And it's the color of your shoe!!

 

[Enerchi]

Cushion. The bowtie and extinction in the oval would drive me batty. Plus I like the silk.

And it's the color of your shoe!!

well... there are crazier reasons for selecting stones!!!

I do not know enough to suggest one over the other, but visually, the cushion appeals to my eye - the colour, the silk, the cut and to me, I don't see a window but I just see "BLUE" and that is a very captivating blue colour!

 

[minousbijoux]

Aarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!



So, do I go for a larger, cheaper, brighter, silkier stone that I may fall passionately in love with? Or do I go with the stone that I know I will be happy with, still good sized, within my budget, and may come back from GIA as unheated? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know....

Uppy, my dear, read your quote and then tell us you don't know what to do! It sounds like if you went for the oval, you'd be going for a stone that you will like very much and that might end up being a good deal. A few years down the road, though, are you going to gaze upon it and say "well I like it, but the best part was that it was a good deal!"?

 

[FrekeChild]

Cushion. The bowtie and extinction in the oval would drive me batty. Plus I like the silk.

And it's the color of your shoe!!

well... there are crazier reasons for selecting stones!!!

I do not know enough to suggest one over the other, but visually, the cushion appeals to my eye - the colour, the silk, the cut and to me, I don't see a window but I just see "BLUE" and that is a very captivating blue colour!

See?! You must get the cushion and then you have to let me borrow it. Because it matches my shoe.

(Plus I have a dress this color too. I could wear them all together!)

 

[Upgradable]

Cushion. The bowtie and extinction in the oval would drive me batty. Plus I like the silk.

And it's the color of your shoe!!

well... there are crazier reasons for selecting stones!!!

I do not know enough to suggest one over the other, but visually, the cushion appeals to my eye - the colour, the silk, the cut and to me, I don't see a window but I just see "BLUE" and that is a very captivating blue colour!

See?! You must get the cushion and then you have to let me borrow it. Because it matches my shoe.

(Plus I have a dress this color too. I could wear them all together!)

I can find no flaw in your reasoning. No flaw at all!

Oh, if I could just bring them both home and decide with them side by side. But the agreement I have with hubby says that I can do what I want if I have the cash with which to do it! And I only have the cash for one.

 

[FrekeChild]

You can do it!!!!!!

 

[Enerchi]

Clearly, the winner is the cushion "shoe" stone!!!

 

[Upgradable]

Aarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!



So, do I go for a larger, cheaper, brighter, silkier stone that I may fall passionately in love with? Or do I go with the stone that I know I will be happy with, still good sized, within my budget, and may come back from GIA as unheated? I don't know, I don't know, I don't know....

Uppy, my dear, read your quote and then tell us you don't know what to do! It sounds like if you went for the oval, you'd be going for a stone that you will like very much and that might end up being a good deal. A few years down the road, though, are you going to gaze upon it and say "well I like it, but the best part was that it was a good deal!"?

You've hit the nail on the head! From the pictures I love the cushion!!! And it really looks like a one-of-a-kind. But I'm afraid I'll find some deal breaking flaw once I have it in hand. And then when I return it, the oval will no longer be available.

 

[Upgradable]

Okay. And one more slight concern with the cushion...........

How big is too big? What would be the maximum finger coverage you would feel comfortable wearing (outside of the palace, of course)?

 

[FrekeChild]

How big are we talking here?

I'm somewhat uncomfortable wearing my 8+ carat monster push present ring around, but that's because the cut is very very deep, and the setting is very very high, and I don't want to hurt it! Plus it's gotta make it until the kid comes of a decent age to wear it, so I have to keep it nice for at least 17.6 years still!

ETA: My topaz is 8.18ct and 11.7x10.5

 

[innerkitten]

I like the first one. The color is lovely. It does look like it has zoning and a bit of a window but a stone doesn't have to be technically perfect to be a nice stone as we all know.

 

[innerkitten]

How big are we talking here?

I'm somewhat uncomfortable wearing my 8+ carat monster push present ring around, but that's because the cut is very very deep, and the setting is very very high, and I don't want to hurt it! Plus it's gotta make it until the kid comes of a decent age to wear it, so I have to keep it nice for at least 17.6 years still!

ETA: My topaz is 8.18ct and 11.7x10.5

Did you have a baby? Congrats!

 

[minousbijoux]

And if you get it and its not perfect? Its too big? Its too dark? Its too I-don't-know-what-but-you-fill-in-the-blank? You'll send it back and wait for the perfect one to come along! Judging by DB, you have done an excellent job recently in allowing beautiful things to go to new homes in order to fund your dream sapphire; it doesn't mean that this is the one. You may just have to do some more shopping, and viewing and admiring...

 

[Upgradable]

Minous, it's never the destination, but the journey!!

 

[T L]

I'm seriously window shopping and this stone has caught my eye. Tell me what you think about it. Seller says gentle heat only and is willing to get a GIA cert. There is a good return policy. I asked about zoning and the seller said, "I had a second look in the stone. There are no color zoning in the stone. Under a 10X magnifying i noticed micro color bands which are not vissible to the naked eye and to the normal look." I haven't bought it yet, but am in serious negotiations. I don't want to talk about size or price though. I just wouldn't want to pull the trigger without the opinion of all my Colored Stone Homies first! (BTW- it is between this stone and another)

What is your budget if you don't mind my asking, and what size are you going for? The reason I do ask is that we probably want to make sure you get the most for your money (which these days isn't always the case buying a sapphire). For me, the most beautiful sapphire I have seen in a long time is the one that Artekia (formerly "Crasru") just purchased. It's the optimal color and has the optimal amount of silk, and is a very pleasant shape with no window. It's okay to have a bit of silk in a sapphire, but not so much you can't see through the stone too well.

I totally agree with LD on her judgement of the two pieces you've shown in this thread.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-sapphire.171999/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-sapphire.171999/[/URL]

 

[minousbijoux]

...and for me, the most beautiful sapphire I have seen recently is this one with lots of blue silky goodness:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-have-my-dream-sapphire-now-i-need-to-set-it.172176/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-have-my-dream-sapphire-now-i-need-to-set-it.172176/[/URL]

 

[chrono]

I adore Artekia's new blue sapphire; the colour is so rich and that touch of silk amps up the colour - enough for me to forgive the depth.

Both sapphires you showed have their own flaws:
1. Personally, I think sapphire 1 has too much silk. It is so silky that even the window is difficult to see. This is both a good and bad thing. It also means that you probably won't get much sparkle, just a base colour. Will you be happy with a potentially "dead" stone that has only colour to back up its charms?
2. Sapphire 2 is really extinct. Sure, it has good colour and a lot of sparkle, but it is difficult for me to see that colour when extinction covers so much of it.
3. No mention of how they perform under indoor lighting. To me, that is one of the more important tests. Will it darken? How much will it "gray-out"?

 

[Upgradable]

At this point I'm leaning toward having the first stone sent to GIA, and then having it sent to me to see if I like it. Only thing I may be out is the GIA cost.

 

[Upgradable]

What about this as an option? It is just a tad smaller than the other oval, but the same price (top of my budget). I know the pics don't give much to evaluate.

 

[Upgradable]

Here they are side by side. Size adjusted.

 

[chrono]

Hard to tell the true colour since the true background has been removed, thereby leaving me with no clue as to the lighting condition.

Also, all three are from different vendors, so that makes it more difficult to compare them fairly.

 

[Upgradable]

?

 

[chrono]

Uppy,
The fourth one looks promising. The shape is more elongated though; is that all right? Since the 3rd and 4th are both from AJS, you can ask their opinion on both stones. I would still prefer a more "natural" picture though, not on a white background that has obviously been photoshopped onto. Are stones 3 and 4 colour zoned a little or are my eyes playing tricks on me?