please help me purchase a sapphire and ring

[sys]

i've lurked here for a couple of weeks, trying to figure out how to go about creating a sapphire engagement (though my wife and i are already married, so if i make reference to my wife's preferences, don't be confused) ring, and while the information i've seen has been very useful, i'd like to ask for advice targeted directly at my confusions.

i know absolutely nothing about jewelry, so i have a lot of very basic questions about how i go from purchasing a sapphire to the finished ring (like, do i buy the stone, then send it to a ring maker? do i buy the stone and an empty ring and then take them both to some local jeweler? can the person i purchase the stone from send it directly to a person that will set it in a ring? etc.)

however, i think the first step is simply selecting the stone, so that's what i'd like to ask about first. i'm looking for an oval blue sapphire. probably in the range of 6.5 to 8.5 mm x 4 to 6 mm. in looking at various photos, i think i like "portuguese cut" stones, or at least stones that have been cut to have a lot of small facets. not too dark, not purplish. lighter than is considered best might be ok (my wife originally was thinking of a topaz ring). i think clarity is likely more important that saturation to her. i was originally looking at sapphires priced from around $200 to $600, but i would be willing to spend more (to a maximum of 2k for the sapphire and ring both) if doing so results in a significantly more attractive finished product.

looking at a few sapphires, this one caught my eye (i'm not sure if people can access this image in this format or not, please let me know if not); however the photo of the same sapphire in a hand looks quite different:

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_1012.jpg
http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_1012_A.jpg

as a comparison, these sapphires also are attractive to me, but are much cheaper. i would be grateful if someone could explain what aspects of the first stone make it more expensive than these two.

http://www.ajsgem.com/sapphire/blue-sapphire/blue-sapphire-1.05-carats.html-6
http://www.ajsgem.com/sapphire/blue-sapphire/blue-sapphire-1.34-carats.html


finally, this stone is more similar in price to the 1st stone, but also seems attractive, and appears to have been cut with many facets. it might be darker than what i am looking for; however, it is difficult for me to understand how consistent the coloration is across different photos (for example the two photos of the first sapphire) does either the first stone or this one seem superior to the other?

http://www.ajsgem.com/sapphire/blue-sapphire/blue-sapphire-1.3-carats.html-0


many thanks!

 

[royalstarrynight]

I suspect the AJS ones will be rather dark or have quite a bit of extinction in the 1.34 carat one. They look like they've been exposed to intense light. I'm also getting quite a bit of grey.

Picture color consistency is partially why this forum exists! Plenty of variation. I suggest that you look through some of the forum to see real life pics compared to gemfix. I suspect they're pretty accurate.

The stones you're looking at seem much smaller than the dimensions you're looking into. If you're picky about color, I'm not confident that you'll be able to find a sapphire of the color you want at the desired size for the budget you have.

On setting, things vary depending on what you want.

Any thoughts of what types of settings you'd like? Stock settings might be cheaper and readily available.

What is your timeframe? Custom can take about 2 months to come back max.

If you're going custom, you work with a vendor with your inspiration pictures and ideas and let them come back to you with CAD drawings. Post some thoughts on settings and we can help you out there.

 

[chrono]

Although you can purchase a ready-made ring, usually they tend to either cost more or for the same price, be of lower quality than shopping and putting the ring together yourself. Also, getting it done separately gives you more stone and setting options. Buy the stone from the vendor of your choice, shop for the setting, then send the stone (and setting) to either your local jeweller to set or to the setting maker (who will custom build your setting).

As long as the stone is well cut, it will be brilliant and lively. I've seen some sub-par portuguese cuts that looked rather dead. It is great that your budget can be increased because 1 ct sapphires in the $600 range are generally quite gray, overly dark, overly light or has a lot of green.

Of all your options, the Gemfix sapphire is the most beautiful one. It is well cut, the colouration is attractive and within budget. The reason why the two AJS stones are less attractive is because they are significantly grayer and greener, and not as well cut. The third AJS stone might be a bit too dark.

 

[minousbijoux]

Just so that its clear, when we say something is grey, its another way of saying it is lacking in saturation, or intensity of color. The more blue hue it has, the less grey you will see. Stones of lower saturation are much more abundant and therefore cheaper in price. Also, another thing to watch out for in corundum is color zoning, which is when the color is not consistent across the face of the stone, but has lines of changing saturation/tone which read as inconsistencies in color. One of those cheaper stones you linked to looks like it may also be suffering from color zoning as well.

 

[sys]

Just so that its clear, when we say something is grey, its another way of saying it is lacking in saturation, or intensity of color. The more blue hue it has, the less grey you will see.

thanks! i was wondering about that, as i didn't see those stones as blue-grey in color. which is something i would probably find attractive, but my wife wouldn't, so that's not what i'm looking for.



i'm going to try and look for a few more stones in that price range and link them here. the gemfix sapphire seems like it might be a good choice, but i have a few reservations about it (if it looks like the bluer pic, great, but if it really looks more like the paler pic, i'm less certain). also it is a little fatter for its length than i think would be ideal. and finally, i just don't want to jump at the first sapphire that seems adequate without looking at other options.

 

[sys]

As long as the stone is well cut, it will be brilliant and lively. I've seen some sub-par portuguese cuts that looked rather dead. It is great that your budget can be increased because 1 ct sapphires in the $600 range are generally quite gray, overly dark, overly light or has a lot of green.

Of all your options, the Gemfix sapphire is the most beautiful one. It is well cut, the colouration is attractive and within budget. The reason why the two AJS stones are less attractive is because they are significantly grayer and greener, and not as well cut. The third AJS stone might be a bit too dark.

thanks very much. i'm going to look at additional sapphires in the $800-1200 range and see how they compare. i do like the gemfix stone, but my opinion is really mostly just influenced by the style of cut and symmetry of the stone, which probably aren't the best criteria to use.

 

[sys]

I suspect the AJS ones will be rather dark or have quite a bit of extinction in the 1.34 carat one. They look like they've been exposed to intense light. I'm also getting quite a bit of grey.

Picture color consistency is partially why this forum exists! Plenty of variation. I suggest that you look through some of the forum to see real life pics compared to gemfix. I suspect they're pretty accurate.

The stones you're looking at seem much smaller than the dimensions you're looking into. If you're picky about color, I'm not confident that you'll be able to find a sapphire of the color you want at the desired size for the budget you have.

On setting, things vary depending on what you want.

Any thoughts of what types of settings you'd like? Stock settings might be cheaper and readily available.

What is your timeframe? Custom can take about 2 months to come back max.

If you're going custom, you work with a vendor with your inspiration pictures and ideas and let them come back to you with CAD drawings. Post some thoughts on settings and we can help you out there.

thanks very much. i like the idea of a darker stone, but my wife would not, so i need to confine myself to lighter colors. i think the way i listed my target size may have been confusing. i meant that i was looking for a stone somewhere in the range of 6.5 x 4 mm to 8 x 6.5. but probably in the smaller range of that. i don't expect that i'd want anything terribly complex as a setting. white gold, fairly clean and small, either with some small diamonds in the band or possibly with one or three slightly larger diamonds set on each side of the sapphire. i'm not in a huge hurry, 2 months would be fine. unfortunately i have little to no inspiration. i can view photos of existing rings and say which ones i like, but i'd be at a loss if i had to try and describe what i'd like to someone trying to design a ring from scratch.

 

[sys]

well, i looked at a ton of the sites linked in the recommended vendors thread, and very few of them had sapphires that seemed to fit what i'm looking for. really the only other stone in that price range, shape and size that seems competitive with the original gemfix one is this other gemfix sapphire.

http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_981.jpg
http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_981_A.jpg


but i think it is paler than i'd prefer, and not as attractive overall as the first one?


it makes me nervous that i can't find anything that seems comparable. is the first sapphire actually a better value, or am i just not looking where i should? or is there something about the quality of the photography, etc. on the gemfix site that makes them appear better than on other sites?

basically i guess i'm just looking for reassurance that the first gemfix stone (this one: http://www.gemfix.com/images/stones/sapphire_blue/sapphire_blue_1012.jpg) is a rational choice, and not just a rash decision.

these are the characteristics listed.

Sapphire Modified "Portuguese" Cut Oval
Weight: 1.27 cts
Measurements:7.1x5.7mm, depth 4mm
Clarity: VVS
Origin: Sri Lanka
Enhancements: Heat only
Price: $ 995.00
Order/Stock No.: sapphire_blue_1012
Description: Fabulous medium blue color, extremely brilliant. Excellent cut and clarity. Pantone 2728 (Cut by Andrew Gulij)

 

[minousbijoux]

I so totally hear you when you say you would be at a loss to try and describe something you'd want to have made. When I first came here, I had only a rudimentary knowledge of various design styles and settings. But you can't help but pick up design ideas and pointers up by hanging around here. There have been so many people who've come here with little to no knowledge and, with the hand holding and great assistance offered by the resident experts (who have had a lot of practice designing and setting stones), they end up with gorgeous rings that they are really, really happy with (sorry for the bad sentence grammar-wise). I know for sure that if I wanted to have a custom ring made, this is where I would come and call on the expertise of frequent designers here, like LD, Kismet, FrekeChild, and Chrono, as well as budding jewelers like Distracts and Innerkitten. And there are so many others here who have created wonderful pieces and can offer great insights based on their experiences.

I would suggest you check out the eye candy thread at the top of this page. There are probably 80 pages of rings that PS members have created. Some of them are simple and some ornate. Some are bespoke and others have been made around a prefabricated setting that they've ordered (and members can guide you in doing this as well). The one thing they have in common is that they all start around a special stone. So once you have the stone, the next step can begin. In the meantime, you can think about the styles she'll like (simple solitaire? Ornate? Sleek modern? Halo? Art deco? Three stone?) and start thinking about the metal color you think she'll like.

 

[minousbijoux]

I am just now seeing your latest post. Part of it is that you are competing with a lot of other folks these days for blue sapphires, which are in the midst of unprecedented popularity. Roger Dery of Spectral gems, recuts sapphires often, so I would contact him as well. Also, do you think you might consider Montana sapphires?

http://www.spectralgems.net/A-corundum.html

Montana sapphires here:

http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=view&cat=401

Look here as well in case he has anything that might work:

http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=view&cat=301

 

[chrono]

For almost all coloured stones, the hand shots tend to be the most representative of what you will see in person. Only a handful of vendors are able to capture the true colour of the gem without having to take hand shots; Barry of ACStones and Gene of PrecisionGems being the 2 notable lapidaries. When it comes to GemFix, I view the larger (or "glamour" shot) to look at the cut and symmetry. I study the hand shot to evaluate the colour.

The second GemFix sapphire you linked to is not only paler but less saturated. I would still go with the first one (1012). Since you have time, why not order the stone to view it in person before deciding if it is a keeper? Most PS vetted vendors are vetted for good reasons, one of them being that they have a reasonable and generous return / review period with a hassle free refund policy. At worst case if you decide it's not the right stone for you, just return it and get your money back.