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Sapphire Engagement Ring Advice

J

jcn

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 12, 2010
Messages
3
Hi,

I am currently searching for a blue sapphire engagement ring and reading through these forums has proved very helpful. As I am feeling a little overwhelmed I thought I would try to get some advice.

I realize that many people purchase their stone and setting from different vendors but I am hoping to propose in two weeks while on vacation so assume I do not have the time to go that route. The Natural Sapphire Company seem to be popular so I have been looking at their round stones and settings. These are the settings I am considering -

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS903W14
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS649W14

I don''t think I want to go with a dark blue stone but am open to other shades. I am not opposed to heated sapphires and am hoping to keep the total under $4K.

I have read that NSC do not always put out great cuts but I am not sure I would know what was good or bad when viewing images online. Are there alternative companies with good reputations that sell both stones and settings? Or does anybody have recommendations of nicely cut stones at NSC?

Thanks and any advice is much appreciated!
 
Can you post a link to the stones themselves instead of trying to do it through the setting? The links you gave only go to the setting without showing the stone.

Just as a heads up, it might be a little ambitious to get this done in 2 weeks whether you go through TNSC or anywhere else, especially since you are looking to have a custom ring made.

You *can* by a stone site unseen and have a ring made, but I would definitely recommend seeing the stone in person. Sapphires and other colored stones have a way of speaking to you. When you get the right stone you'll know it.

Just seeing the stones will take a week from NSC. They will overnight you the stone and then you have 5 days to send it back. Assuming that you ordered it, got the stone, checked it out, and then sent it back you'd be looking at a minimum of 3 days before you could get the setting into production. The settings are made to order, they don't have them in stock as far as I know.

In terms of cuts, when it comes to colored stones like sapphires, you aren't going to see the same precision cuts as you would with diamonds. Colored stones are about the color firstly with the cut coming in second or third in priority. If you are a stickler for a perfect cut, you're going to need to go through a precision cutter. There are several highly recommended cutters on the board here. Again this is going to add time to the equation because you'll need to find the stone and then go somewhere else for the setting. There were some good forum topics in the recent past about this. Do a search for "cut in king", I think that will bring one up.

If you are set on getting this done in two weeks, you can do it, but you'll likely need to rely on the opinion of the person you're working with. In my experience with the NSC, the woman who helped me was very helpful in lending her opinion about what stones would be best for me.
 
Date: 5/12/2010 4:03:43 PM
Author: jcn
Sure, I did not link to a stone as, other than assuming more expensive is better, I am not yet sure what to look for in a stone. Here is one that I like:


http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/B3667/Round/stoneid=B3667


Does that look good? Are the any other companies I should look at for similar styles?
Click to expand...

As you probably tell from poking around on NSC, sapphires come in A LOT of different colors. What you choose comes down to what you like. The stone you linked to is nice, but it doesn't do a lot for me personally. It seems like it has some grey undertones and is slightly on the purple side. I might personally look for a stone where the blue was more saturated.

There are several other places you can look for sapphires that will have quality stones. I don't know them off the top of my head but I'm sure some others will pop in and offer you some help in that regard.
 
Hi JCN...and welcome to PS. I purchased a ring from NSC and have been very happy with it. I did however get a yellow sapphire in a 3 stone ring that was custom made and took longer than 2 weeks to receive. They were very friendly to work with and actually sent me the stone for approval prior to making the ring. Good luck with your search for the perfect ring. But I am not sure you will have it within your 2 week time frame.
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Thanks for the info. I was not sure how it worked but now see that two weeks is going to be tight. Perhaps I should look at pre-set rings.
Click to expand...

You *could* look at pre-set rings, but if you can at all push the proposal date back, finding that special stone and ring is A LOT of fun. You fiance will probably appreciate you efforts too. Sorry if I''m talking out of turn since I don''t know you''re reasons for wanting to do it within the next two weeks.
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Thank you both for the advice. I was hoping to propose while on our vacation but would prefer to find the right ring and stone so might have to rethink the date. I wish I had found this site sooner!
 
2 weeks is very rushed to find the right sapphire and setting unless you are prepared to pay a lot; basically you are going to end up overpaying. Sometimes the right stone shows up right away and sometimes it takes a few weeks or even months depending on your requirements and how fussy you are.
 
Since I think that ring is going to mean a lot to your lady and it is going to be on her finger for a long time, I think you really shouldn''t do a rush job. There is a lot to learn about buying a good coloured stone and I think you should spend some time looking at stones so you can understand better what you and your lady like.

Could you propose with a simple band and then get your lady involved in building her ring? Many women like to be involved in getting the perfect engagement ring (and this is actually the more traditional way), while others do want to be completely surprised.

If you do want to propose in 2 weeks, I would recommend you talk to Michael E. He is a lapidarist and jeweller who has done some amazing customizations of stock settings (so you could have a more custom ring without the time and expense of a made from scratch one). He can also advise you on the purchase you make.

Since more expensive often does not mean better, let us understand what you are looking for a little better

- Budget is $4k max
- Heated is ok (if so, I would stay away from NSC, since they charge a very hefty premium)
- Colour is blue, but do you want a darker blue or a lighter blue? Take a look at all the sapphire rings on PS and link us a few colours you like?
- What size are you looking for?
- Do you mind inclusions? Is eye clean good or do you want a better grade?
- How important is cut to you?
- If something has to give to meet your budget, what would you sacrifice? What won''t you sacrifice (colour, cut, size, clarity?)

Personally, I like this lighter blue from wildfish

cor151-rl2.jpg
 
Date: 5/13/2010 9:22:46 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain

If you do want to propose in 2 weeks, I would recommend you talk to Michael E. He is a lapidarist and jeweller who has done some amazing customizations of stock settings (so you could have a more custom ring without the time and expense of a made from scratch one).
Click to expand...
Ditto to the above, if you''re in a hurry, finding a lapidarist+jeweller is always good. Contacting Richard Wise (at http://rwwise.com/index.html) who is a gemologist/jeweller or Hans Meevis (at http://www.meevis.com/) who is a lapidarist/jeweller might also be a good idea, but I don''t know how fast they''d be willing to work cause they really are artists and great craftsmen.
 
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