padparadscha engagement ring

[melda]

thoughts?

 

[Treenbean]

Looks huge! Stats? Close ups? Very substantial piece....

 

[Arkteia]

I'd love to see a photo taken in more light, but in this picture, it looks great.

 

[Sizzle]

We need more photos from different angles Please and thank you!

 

[melda]

it's really hard to get a good picture! it's big, but not that big; my fingers are super tiny. the ring is size 4.5 and it's still too big. the stone is about 2 cts, and the ring is 18k white gold.

i actually bought this on ebay, and i'm soon going to send it to gia to get certified, but there's virtually no way it's a fake/a rip off. and if it is, i get my money back! i'll be sure to share more stats when i have them.

 

[LD]

Melda I'm pretty sure that the GIA won't give you a report on a stone already set. You'd have to send it to them unmounted. This goes for most reputable labs.

One other thing, you MUST get it checked to find out what treatments may have been applied. Padparadschas are exceptionally difficult to source in that carat weight and normally command a very high premium. However, BE diffused "Padparadschas" are very very cheap and Ebay is littered with them.

I hope it turns out well for you.

 

[RaiKai]

It is beautiful! Definitely different, and eye-catching.

 

[Kismet]

Melda I'm pretty sure that the GIA won't give you a report on a stone already set. You'd have to send it to them unmounted. This goes for most reputable labs.

One other thing, you MUST get it checked to find out what treatments may have been applied. Padparadschas are exceptionally difficult to source in that carat weight and normally command a very high premium. However, BE diffused "Padparadschas" are very very cheap and Ebay is littered with them.

I hope it turns out well for you.

AGL gave me a report on my mounted emerald. They do charge you a bit extra for it though.

The ring is awfully pretty though. Will you wear a wedding band with it or just solo?

 

[brandy_z28]

Melda, check out the AGL. I believe they will charge a 15% higher rate for a mounted stone but then you won't have to worry about unsetting the stone and all of the hassles and risks involved with that.

 

[melda]

i did my homework very carefully - this stone isn't anything like the cheap Be infused ebay rings, and i got it from a very reputable seller. the seller specializes in estate jewelry, and has sold thousands of pieces without a single negative complaint. i spoke to her, and she said she had hung onto the piece because she loved it, but she has fallen on some tough times and needed the money. i purchased the ring for $2000. i'm guessing it's worth between $8,000-$10,000.

i am considering getting it appraised from the natural sapphire company, as they will appraise the stone and the jewelry together. i'd be interested if anyone has experience with appraisal from nsc.

 

[LD]

Melda - please don't take this the wrong way - but it's IMPOSSIBLE to tell a BE diffused sapphire by just doing homework. BE Sapphires come in all shades, shapes and sizes. Without highly specialised equipment (and there are only certain labs that have it) it's absolutely impossible to tell. I'm not sure if the search facility is working fully yet but there is a very well thought of vendor who sold a Pad he thought to be natural to a PS member. Of course for peace of mind they both wanted it sent to a lab and it turned out to be BE diffused.

Just another point, the NSC don't have the equipment to test fully - this should be done by a lab if you want your stone properly assessed. I'm sure you know but a lab report and an appraisal are two completely different things. A lab report will tell you the exact make up of the stone (and without that, it's almost impossible to put an accurate value on the stone) and an appraisal will give you a value for the ring. A good appraiser (and you can find names on this board but Richard Sherwood springs to mind) might be able to help.

 

[T L]

AGL might grade the stone in the setting (email them to be sure). I saw that they graded Kismet's emerald in it's setting in her recent thread.

ETA: DOH!! I see Kismet already mentioned that above.

 

[SB621]

It is a beautiful ring but as LD already said I would have it certified by AGL. I would not go with NSC because they will only give you a proposal which to me is worth peanuts.

ALso just an FYI but LaurenThePartier and I both bought pads from well known jewelry stores that ended up being BE treated. I think with LTP they ended up giving it to her free because it wasn't worth anything and with my situation I just returned it to get a refund. Bascially I"m trying to say it doesn't matter how much homework you do or how reputable the company- you can't tell a fake from a real one unless you send it to GIA or AGL. Goodluck and I really hope it works out for you!

 

[T L]

Appraisals are very different than lab reports which give you the information about treatment and other physical specifics. NSC doesn't have the specialized very very expensive equipment to test for diffusion either, as LD said. Just because a seller has been in the business for many years and is trustworthy, does not mean that he/she won't get duped and sell a be-treated (diffused) stone. Recently, on these boards, a very reputable seller known very well in the trade, obtained a padparadscha for a customer, and when he sent it to the lab, it came back as a synthetic, so if he had not sent it to the lab, he would have sold her a synthetic stone. I think anyone who is in this business should send a potentially valuable sapphire to a lab first before selling it to the customer, which is you in this case. The fact that your seller did not do that in the first place tells me one of several things

1) He/she doesn't understand treatments and how deceptive they are.
2) He/she doesn't know sapphires are routinely and very commonly diffused
3) He/she is trying to pull the wool over your head.

It is okay to trust a vendor, but always make sure you verify!! Buying sapphires, emeralds and rubies are the most precarious gems to buy in the market, and you must always be leary of the myriad of treatments, simulants and synthetics out there. Therefore, I'm not sure you know how much "homework" you were actually supposed to do. It's not your fault, but you live and you learn. I hope the sapphire turns out to be natural, and hopefully natural in color. If it is a fake, simulant or man made sapphire, then it's worth just about as much as a diffused stone, which is natural, but not valuable at all. Basically, they take what amounts to road gravel corundum and diffuse it with chemicals at very high temperatures that change to the color to something desirable.

BTW, if it is a natural sapphire with natural color, or color that is only heated to ward off modifiers (a less invasive treatment than diffusion), you also need to love the quality of color. So many dealers call any old sapphire, from brown to pink, "padaparadscha" which is a marketing name. Don't fall for marketing names, and look at color you love that is as free from brown or grey undertones as possible. I've seen many so called "padparadscha" sapphires on NSC and other places that are supposedly natural stones that are natural in color, and I wouldn't pay $50 for them. In my opinion. this marketing name is often used to sell some undesirable colors at high prices.

 

[melda]

thanks a lot, guys! i just sent an email to agl, so hopefully i will be able to mail the ring out tomorrow.

i'm very optimistic that this is the real deal for two reasons: (1) it's an estate ring, so it might be older than Be treatments and (2) the diamonds are real, so someone would not (at least knowingly) set a treated stone with real diamonds.

i've yet to decide what i'm going to do about a wedding band, but i'm pretty sure i want one.

all your comments are very much appreciated!

 

[melda]

more pics, because i can't resist!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Melda - please don't take this the wrong way - but it's IMPOSSIBLE to tell a BE diffused sapphire by just doing homework. BE Sapphires come in all shades, shapes and sizes. Without highly specialised equipment (and there are only certain labs that have it) it's absolutely impossible to tell. I'm not sure if the search facility is working fully yet but there is a very well thought of vendor who sold a Pad he thought to be natural to a PS member. Of course for peace of mind they both wanted it sent to a lab and it turned out to be BE diffused.

Just another point, the NSC don't have the equipment to test fully - this should be done by a lab if you want your stone properly assessed. I'm sure you know but a lab report and an appraisal are two completely different things. A lab report will tell you the exact make up of the stone (and without that, it's almost impossible to put an accurate value on the stone) and an appraisal will give you a value for the ring. A good appraiser (and you can find names on this board but Richard Sherwood springs to mind) might be able to help.

Melda, I'm glad you have the ability to get a full refund if your Pad comes back as anything other than natural and untreated. It's stunning and the setting is spectacular.

That being said, while I didn't buy my Pad from an online vendor, I bought a consignment stone from a well respected jeweler in my town. For peace of mind, I had it sent to be certified and it came back BE diffused.

TravelingGal also bought a Pad from one of our respected precision cutters, and her original pad turned out to be synthetic, so please know that even professionals can be easily fooled.

I'll be looking forward to an update from you when the results come back!

 

[chictomato]

It is indeed an elegant piece hope that it turns out the way it should be! Do keep us update!

 

[MAC-W]

Melda, its beautiful. I hope you enjoy wearing it for a long time.

 

[marcy]

It is beautiful! What a great color.

 

[chrono]

Congratulations on your engagement and new e-ring! An appraisal is NOT good enough especially since you do not really know the treatment level or even if the stone is a natural stone. There is absolutely no way of knowing without having the right equipment. We all can presume all we want but without proper testing, nobody can say for sure that it isn’t BE diffused, a synthetic or even if it can really be classified as a padparadscha sapphire. The requirement to be called a padparadscha sapphire is extremely narrow and just about any vendor can call it whatever they want in order to make a sale, but a lab memo from GIA or AGL will tell you for sure.

An estate ring only means that it is second hand, not necessarily old. Also, BE diffusion has been around a very very long time, only that the process has improved greatly as time goes by. You’d be surprised how many synthetics are set in settings with real diamonds, even in antique rings. There are plenty of synthetic spinels, sapphires and aquamarines in antique rings. Please do NOT make any presumptions as you can read from other regular posters here, even highly reputable vendors have been fooled. Have you any update from AGL?

 

[Indylady]

It is gorgeous! Ditto others; I would have it certed as well.

 

[maebelle]

The ring and stone really are amazing, and huge! no need for a band with the setting

Hope the certs come back with good news

 

[Amber St. Clare]

It is absolutely beautiful!!!

 

[melda]

g.i.a. does do reports for mounted stones, as long as the stone is open from the back, as mine is, and they do not charge any extra fees, so that's what i'm going to do. sending it off right now!

 

[kenny]

Since you already bought it without knowing what it is . . . at this point I'd only send it to a lab if it is returnable for a full refund.

Without a lab report it would be easier thinking/hoping it is the deal of a lifetime.

If it is not refundable I would not send it to a lab because I'd much rather hope that I underpaid than be sure that I overpaid.
Gem sellers don't give just away $8,000.

 

[T L]

I highly doubt that stone is worth $8K if it's like the photos IRL. Just because it is called "padparadscha" by someone, does not mean it will automatically be valuable. The stone has some brown in it, which decreases the value, if it is like the photos. Many jewelers might call that brown, "orange" to deceive. It could be that the photos are not accurately showing the true color as well, but based strictly on the photos, that is what I see. In the end, the OP is the one that should be happy with it, but it's probably worth what she paid. Appraisals are always inflated for insurance purposes.

This is the more delicate color I see in expensive padaparadschas. Just being honest since the OP did ask for opinions. I apologize if I offend. Aesthetically, the setting is nice, and the stone has a pleasing shape and cut.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&ei=44Y3TI7LMciwnAfBwvSmAw

 

[melda]

there's no brown in the stone, just may look like it from the photo. it's certainly possible it isn't a pad - the color is more orange than is showing. but as long as the stone is real/untreated, i will be happy with my purchase.

that harry winston stone looks more pink/red to me, and i actually don't care for that color at all.

it's my understanding that this (http://www.planetarygems.com/images/Pad ... 20SL08.jpg) is a better example of the right color.

 

[T L]

I don't think the planetary gems stone is as fine as the Harry Winston, that stones look brownish to me as well, and I'm on my good monitor.

Well, the important thing is that YOU like it, and you're paying a fair price for a natural colored gem.

Good luck to you and congratulations on your engagement. Keep us posted about the gem.

 

[Arkteia]

I don't think the planetary gems stone is as fine as the Harry Winston, that stones look brownish to me as well, and I'm on my good monitor.

Well, the important thing is that YOU like it, and you're paying a fair price for a natural colored gem.

Good luck to you and congratulations on your engagement. Keep us posted about the gem.

TL, your eyes are so sharp, and I caught this bug...Now I have to view photos of stones with my eyes CLOSED...I started seeing gray and brown everywhere!