Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mount?

[Hordor]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker but want your opinion!

I think I'm fairly settled on a sapphire e-ring. It's more a "formality" since the GF and I cannot move out until we're at minimum engaged, and I don't actually start work (again) until next year. She doesn't care too much about the price of the ring etc.. so I thought a sapphire ring will not be super expensive yet look amazing.

Now the issue: I want to make it a surprise, so I'm not entirely sure of her ring size.

1. I was thinking of buying a round sapphire from www.gemfix.com ($1k-$2k), and then shipping to Australia.
2. Then perhaps mount it onto a ebay sterling silver ring myself to "present" to her
3. Going to a local jeweler to mount properly.

Sound like a good / bad plan?

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Welcome! You're smart to ask for info first, before unloading your budget on something that may not make you and her happy. If you've been lurking a while, then you've seen other sapphire threads here. If not, do a search, where you'll turn up plenty of good advice.

Good idea to get the stone first, then the setting. You don't mention the color sapphire you're seeking so I presume it's blue. What treatment (or lack of) are you comfortable with? How about a lab report to verify? How about shape? and tone -- dark, medium, light, modifiers such as purplish or grayish bother you? Most of the stones I see on Gemfix at the moment within your budget are either fairly dark (and would darken further in a setting) or show some gray. If those colors are to her taste, that's fine. You might want to look around at other vendors to see what's available at what prices.

Take a look at the sticky on top regarding Buying Colored Stones, too, for some hints, and you'll find trusted vendors on the Vendor sticky.

If you buy in the U.S. you'll pay for shipping and duty -- somebody from Australia could tell you more about that than I can.

Unless you have jewelry-making experience, I would not recommend buying a silver setting & DIY. Corundum can be chipped or cracked, you could break prongs, or if they're not done right, you're at risk of the stone's falling out. It makes much better sense to have a jeweler set the stone if you haven't done it before. Would she like a silver setting? Or would gold be important to her in an engagement ring?

Take your time finding the right thing -- remember, this is a ring she will wear and look at every day for the rest of her life. Sounds like you have enough time to check out all the options. (And you CAN get engaged with ring still to come. I did & the marriage has worked out fine for 35 years.)

Good luck!

--- Laurie

 

[GliderPoss]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Welcome! First question - why not pick a local stone? Australia has many beautiful sapphires well within your budget and you would get the chance to view them first and save on shipping! Promise you they are NOT all horrible navy-black sapphires. Contact Doug from Bespoke Gems or Jenny from Coolomon Sapphires. As to the setting - definitely get the stone first then a simple solitaire setting from your local jeweller could be temp setting. Maybe your future fiancé would like to design her own?? Best of luck and keep us updated.

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Gemfix has 1 or 2 rounds within your budget that looks great and still leaves you some money leftover for the import tax and setting.
You can get your local jeweller to set it, rather than a US based bench. I would not DIY since the stone is likely to fall out or worse yet, get damaged in the process.

 

[Hordor]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Good idea to get the stone first, then the setting. You don't mention the color sapphire you're seeking so I presume it's blue. What treatment (or lack of) are you comfortable with? How about a lab report to verify? How about shape? and tone -- dark, medium, light, modifiers such as purplish or grayish bother you?

I am a sapphire noob so yes, blue is the color. I don't really mind treatment as long as it's a natural stone (though I must admit some of the high quality synthetics are amazing!). Lab report again, not necessary, I am fine with reputation. Fire and brilliance is what I'm after! I guess that's a lighter colour? Though some of the dark blue/grey with light through them look amazing.. and the lighter blues almost look like glass from pictures.

Unless you have jewelry-making experience, I would not recommend buying a silver setting & DIY.

Yes, I think you have all have me convinced me otherwise!!

Welcome! First question - why not pick a local stone? Australia has many beautiful sapphires well within your budget and you would get the chance to view them first and save on shipping! Promise you they are NOT all horrible navy-black sapphires. Contact Doug from Bespoke Gems or Jenny from Coolomon Sapphires.

I am not against Australian sapphire, though it does seem like overseas have much more variety and amazing cuts. Would these aussie contacts of yours have stones cut equivalent to what I see on whitefish, gemfix, etc? Their websites don't look that encouraging (but then again, they might be more B&M establishments)

Gemfix has 1 or 2 rounds within your budget that looks great and still leaves you some money leftover for the import tax and setting.

Yes those are very much what I am looking for! Though round cuts seem to be a very rare breed, can't seem to find many outside of gemfix.

Though I am at a loss to see what such stones look like in a solitaire setting since it doesn't seem that popular and the pictures from NSC, angara, simplysapphires may or may not be representative? Think it will be more or less impressive?





Thanks

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

5 mm round blue sapphire in an almost solitaire style setting.

 

[Edward Bristol]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

No import tax on loose gems in Australia as far I know.

 

[cm366]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Duty for all consumer items (that is, all overseas purchases made without a business license) kicks in at a per-parcel market value of $1,000 AUD. It's not consistently assessed, at least here in NSW, but I find that about 1 in 10 parcels gets inspected by customs, and I presume they'd hold anything they felt was over the limit until the GST was paid. Your mileage may vary!

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

No import tax on loose gems in Australia as far I know.

Ed,
We aren't referring to gem import tax but the usual VAT and GST for Australia.

 

[Hordor]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

5 mm round blue sapphire in an almost solitaire style setting.

Wow! Is that yours? Where can I see the specs on that gem?

And yes, I believe all we need to do is pay for the GST for importation. Have a free trade agreement with the US

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Wow! Is that yours? Where can I see the specs on that gem? And yes, I believe all we need to do is pay for the GST for importation. Have a free trade agreement with the US

I just realized I quoted an incorrect size. The blue sapphire is 1 ct and measures just shy of 6 mm, not 5 mm. It is also unheated. It isn't the trade preferred medium dark but is a medium toned blue sapphire, sometimes described as a Ceylon cornflower blue. Thank you for the sweet comment on my stone and clarifying the Australian tax.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

I love your delicate violet-blue sapphire Chrono--its like a blooming flower--possibly one of the best bang-for-your buck buys ever on PS as far I'm concerned.

 

[Hordor]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Looks like Gemfix is having technical difficulties with their website, so was browsing around and found this:



http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9573

I am no sapphire expert, but the stone appears to be of good quality not to mention it's only had heat treatment. Bit worried about the filigree setting however, the metal looks a bit thin and maybe won't stand the test of time? And I'm not sure how a wedding band would fit with it

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Your concerns are definitely valid. The stone looks nice and of acceptable cut, and it is already set BUT as you say, I don't know if she likes this style and a wedding band will not sit flush with it. It is also a high setting - some ladies aren't comfortable wearing something "sticking out" so far. The filigree setting will hold up though. I would check with her or somehow, try to find out if she likes this style of setting / ring first.

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Also, I know I'm always the one to mention things like this, but look at the color of the finger in that photo - definitely a bluish tint, which makes me think that whether or not they color corrected the photo, the blues/violets will be overstated, likely making the stone seem more saturated than it would be in hand. Sorry, but just thought I should say it...

 

[Hordor]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Thanks for the input! That filigree ring has too many unknowns with it, going to pass on it for now

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

I love your delicate violet-blue sapphire Chrono--its like a blooming flower--possibly one of the best bang-for-your buck buys ever on PS as far I'm concerned.

CC
I missed your post completely, being buried amongst the other threads. I had not meant to be rude intentionally. Thank you for the compliment. I did not expect you to remember its humble beginning.

 

[LaraOnline]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

I think your plan of buying a fantastic quality sapphire, and then having it set by a jeweller is definitely the way to go.
Does gemfix certify their stones, out of interest? The cut and quality is certainly there.

I've heard it's really not that difficult to organise the shipping of a $1,000-plus item to Australia, and that the paperwork is quite easy to manage. No doubt you have already searched that kind of information on this site...? I'm Aussie, but have never actually gone over the $1,000 threshold. Lots of women on these boards have though, with few problems.

You may be able to buy a pre-made mount suitable to the size of the stone you eventually select. (I know some people buy mounts through eBay, 'Lord of the Rings', for example, JbEG sells pro-loved mounts as well).

I personally would probably want to have the jeweller make it a setting for the stone specifically. I personally might worry about whether the setting would fit the stone properly.

But buying a mount could save you quite a bit of money, maybe?

ETA: I would still get a jeweller to set the stone into the mount though.
I do wonder whether a jeweller would be happy to set a pre-bought stone into a pre-bought mount for cheap, but surely someone will take pity on you! It would be interesting to hear the experiences of others in this regard.

She will really appreciate this lovely gesture!!! This sort of romantic consideration and kindness will set you up well for your future life together.

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

GemFix has some stones that come with an AGL memo and will send stones without memos to AGL for verification (not certify since labs do not certify anything). I've had jewellers who don't mind setting my stones in my settings. Just say it is a heirloom stone that needs to be reset. Who can say no to that?

 

[Niel]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

its not a plain solitaire but its my favorite round sapphire setting I've seen!
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ritani-endless-love-sapphire-ring.77298/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ritani-endless-love-sapphire-ring.77298/[/URL]


but as to the original question, i think maybe just propose with the stone? then she can pick whatever she please. A lot of fun for most gals, and she still has the surprise feeling, along with the thoughtfulness of you picking out the stone. Often times when i hear people say they are sentimental, its about the stone itself, so i think if you pick out the stone and she the setting, it would still feel special, but be exactly what she wants.

 

[LaraOnline]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Ooh Niel, that is just gorgeous!!

you could spend ALL your money on a fantastic sapphire, and then tell her to set it when you have more $$$
compromise nothing! (but requires patience).

:s

But a girl that's engaged loves to show off the ring, is the thing.

It shouldn't cost toooo much to get a plain solitaire setting made locally, and then get it blinged out later if she chooses?

It took me ages to work out a setting, personally. If I'd had to set the stone myself, it could have taken me a year to decide??!

I might have been married off before I got my engagement ring sorted heheh.

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

I like the suggestions posted by Lara. Put most of the budget into the stone, set in a simple solitaire. When an anniversary comes around, you'd have saved up enough for a lovely setting that she can either purchase as stock or custom.

 

[Hordor]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo



This sapphire looks absolutely incredible.. however, it's a rather strange cut? Not sure how it would stand in a solitaire ring compared to some of the images above..

 

[Tiger_Lily]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

Hi, I set stones myself all the time in silver settings. Ofc its not as great as if a pro did it, but its good enough for me. You learn after a while

This is a 1ct Sri Lankan sapphire, heated, set in sterling silver with accented tanzanites.

Its ok until I will do something better with the sapphire, I have 2 of them so a pair of earrings mabe in the future.

Otherwise I think its just fine to give a stone and the decide on the setting together. Good luck

 

[chrono]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

This sapphire looks absolutely incredible.. however, it's a rather strange cut? Not sure how it would stand in a solitaire ring compared to some of the images above..

Not strange at all; looks like this one is precision cut and should be very brilliant whereas the others you showed are "native cut" with minor cut issues.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Re: Sapphire e-ring in Australia, stone from the US, self mo

I actually think this is one of those violet ones that looks a touch gray in hand. I like it much better in the big photo. Not that it doesn't mean it wouldn't be a beauty. The cutting is beyond reproach. It might also be a stone where a more enclosed setting/basket would help with the near colorless areas around the edges.