Price of heated sapphires

[Macky]

Hi there! I am contemplating purchasing this sapphire but not sure if it is a good deal as it is heated (I have only ever purchased unheated sapphires before). It is up for auction and will probably sell for around 200 US dollars. The vendor lists it as 1.19 carats, heated, and VVS. Thanks!!!!

 

[minousbijoux]

The problem is that there is no way for you to know whether its had more invasive treatments such as Be diffusion. Stones with these treatments are plentiful and cheap, so $200 would be a lot to pay.

 

[Macky]

No- I know this vendor very well. I have bought loads of stones from him before and his stones have always been exactly as he has described. This stone has only had heat treatment and nothing else.

 

[Macky]

Oh and no I don't buy off eBay. This is a specialist gems only site.

 

[marymm]

No- I know this vendor very well. I have bought loads of stones from him before and his stones have always been exactly as he has described. This stone has only had heat treatment and nothing else.

So you've sent stones you've purchased from this vendor to AGL or GIA or another reputable lab, and the resulting grading reports all matched up with the vendor's listing details? That would be the only way for you to confirm "his stones have always been exactly as he has described." Curious - how many stones have you purchased from the vendor, and how many did you send in for reports?

 

[shinyrocks]

For the size and color, that would definitely be a steal at $200. Like others have mentioned, I would proceed with caution unless you know for certain, since it almost seems "too good to be true." Might be worth a $70 AGL Sapphire Brief just to be sure. Would still be a bargain AND you'd have a certified stone to boot

 

[Macky]

The stones are certified through IGL. When I receive them, I have them independently appraised. I have bought five stones from him before and the appraiser has always said the descriptions were spot on. And if I found out that ANY of his stones didn't match up with his description (or had treatments that weren't properly disclosed) I could get him kicked off the website and ruin his business. It really isn't in his interest to misrepresent his listings.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Actually I am curious about this point. Maybe someone can clarify for me? I understood that diffusion in sapphires could only be accurately detected via LIBS testing. And if the lab didnt have this equipment (I was under the impression that many small labs dont) then there was not much an appraiser or the lab could tell you. Maybe this is oversimplified. Would love to know . I guess I am asking what degree of certainty you get from just looking for rings of colour in the stone, or other visual signatures.

 

[minousbijoux]

Actually I am curious about this point. Maybe some one could clarify for me? I understood that diffusion in sapphires could only be accurately detected via LIBS testing. And if the lab didnt have this equipment (I was under the impression that many small labs dont) then there was not much an appraiser or the lab could tell you. Maybe this is oversimplified. Would love to know .

Exactly correct - I was just too tired to continue to argue with the OP who clearly had one thing they wanted to hear! If IGL is the one I think it is, it appears from their website that they do not have the means to test for the more invasive treatments such as diffusion, etc., so I'm not sure how the OP is so certain. Appraisers absolutely do not have the sophisticated and costly equipment to test for more invasive treatments, which is why folks send things to the handful of reputable labs at the outset.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Thanks Minous, that was extremely helpful .

 

[Macky]

According to this article, diffusion treatment sapphires seems to only apply to padparadscha sapphires. Is this correct?

 

[Macky]

And no- I wasn't arguing. I was saying there was no basis to assume that the gem had been treated by diffusion. Anyway, when I receive it I will send it to GIA and see what they have to say. If it turns out to be diffused- I will simply return the stone. It's not really a big deal.

 

[minousbijoux]

Nope, not correct at all. In addition, bright orange, blue and pink corundum are more often diffused than not. If you look on ebay, they are all over, pretty easy to find.

 

[Macky]

Well- as I said, I will send it to GIA and report back with what they say.

 

[minousbijoux]

Well- as I said, I will send it to GIA and report back with what they say.

Good plan - AGL will be even better!

 

[Macky]

Ok- thanks for letting me know!

 

[Macky]

Update: the stone ended up selling for 102 US dollars and based on the feedback here I decided not to purchase it.

 

[minousbijoux]

Thanks for coming back to update us!

 

[Macky]

I hope I did the right thing not to bid at that price. Lol.

 

[qubitasaurus]

Whenever I am wondering about this, I take stock of every stone or other similar luxury item (at the moment I am buying way too many AsianBeauty products) that I have bought, bid on or really waivered about buying, in the last month. If I can count to 2, then the chances are there will be another stone next week . This reminds me it is a hobby, and thus only worthwhile participating in the parts of it which make me happy .

 

[Macky]

Thank you