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Sapphire Engagement Ring questions

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undercover

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
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Hello!

Been lurking for a month or so, you guys seem pretty helpful, so here goes!

I''m looking at proposing in a month or two, and so I''m looking for a ring...

Her input:
loves sapphires, hates diamonds.
sapphire is her birthstone.
doesn''t want anything too flashy
doesn''t want the stone to stick up too high
doesn''t want the ring to be too big/heavy
Is OK with solitaires, but sidestones/pave are better...

My input:
I love her, so I want to get her something decent...
I have liked all the white sapphires I''ve looked at online, but haven''t seen any irl.
Would love to get her something very nice yet tasteful.
I want it to be a surprise as much as possible.

Also, my budget is $1000 or less. We''re missionaries, so I don''t have a huge budget, and she also doesn''t want to have a huge cost if her ring gets stolen/damaged (maybe insurance would help?)

So anyways, I have a few questions:

1. What is a good ratio of gem/setting?
2. Is NSC worth the money, and should I get a setting elsewhere?
3. Are white sapphires really that bad that I should get blue instead?
4. What do you guys think of the violet/unique sapphires?
5. Some recommended settings?

I''ve looked around a bit, but I''m really picky and want to get a ring I can be excited to give her.

Help?
 
I looooooooooooooooooooooooooove violet sapphires. But, a lot of people think sapphire and think blue.

There are a couple threads with white sapphire rings here - a beautiful one recently, in fact, but does your FI-to-be dislike diamonds because they're white? If she wants a color stone, I'd honor that. Also, if theft is a legitimate fear, someone might think that the white stone is a diamond and thus be driven to steal it, whereas while a quality sapphire can be very pricey, the general population doesn't have the same relationship with them as they do diamonds.

Also...she likes pave and sidestones but not diamonds? I'm confused -pave is typically done with diamonds. Does she want multiple colors in her ring? A blue stone with small white sapphire sidestones could be pretty, and there a couple lovely rings on PS with a colored center stone and colored sidestones - but I think those are more right-hand rings. A round or oval stone center stone with diamond baguettes, trapezoids, or half-moon stones could be very beautiful if she doesn't mind diamonds as sides. A simple look might be best right now - you can always upgrade later or present her with a beautiful pave or eternity anniversary band in the future.

My absolute favorite simple setting is the Whiteflash X-prong trellis setting. As plain settings go, it's a little pricey ($925). In a three-stone, I would definitely go with a trellis setting since they tend to sit a little lower but have a very classic, fluid look. I would NOT go custom, since theft/loss/etc is a concern. Also, definitely, definitely insure. It doesn't cost much at all - I think DH pays about $2 a month (if that) extra on our renter's insurance.

Also, I think I'd stay away from pave depending on what the nature of her work is. I have a bead set wedding band (tiny diamonds, pave-ish look) and it's really really easy for grit grime to get in there and not uncommon for those itty bitty stones to become loose in this type of setting. I wouldn't suggest it for an active person - plus, if she gets in the habit of taking her ring off to work with things, it might get lost, etc. I'm guessing she'll want to keep her ring on all the time and that's why she's suggested it to be non-flashy, not up high, big, heavy, etc.

To be honest, I don't think there is a specific ratio that should be spent in setting the stone - it's just important to have a setting she loves and a stone that she loves. Since gems can cost considerably less, and gold is currently high, you may very well spend more for the setting than you do the center stone. Why not if it results in the perfect ring? :)

Also - what's her personal style? Does she like modern things, contemporary? Traditional, fancy? Linear or brilliant cuts?

OHHH - they're certainly not everyone's taste, but I am OBSESSED with Richard Homer concave cuts - they do amazing things with light and aren't your average gemstone - would be stunning in an e-ring. There are several Richard Homer threads on here if you do a quick search :)

ETA: IR to budget...a concave cut sapphire might be out of the budget, but another type of stone might not be. Wink Jones is a good person to contact. Also, I think you should be able to find a nice WG setting (including a trellis setting) around $200-$400 easy, which would leave you a decent amount to play with for the stone. Because of the diamond weight, workmanship, pave/sidestone setting could be harder to find in the budget. IR to NSC, people here LOVE their work. Never seen it IRL, but PSers seem very pleased with the workmanship.
 
Re: Elmorton

You''re confused? Me too, I guess she''s sent some mixed signals. I think you''ve got some good points about not going pave for her... I think her main reason was that she saw a bunch of goofy cathedral settings that were way high up without anything around them... Should be avoidable with a good mounting. She said she is ok with side-diamonds, but I don''t think she would care too much either way. I''d rather put more into a good main stone, and a good ring. Also, I think a lot of the worry of it being lost/stolen/damaged is unnecessary (insure, for sure!), but still I would not like to make her worry too much.

I do need to ask her if she''s against the white-sapphire idea... I guess I liked them from the other threads I saw and thought they would be a good compromise between her love of sapphires and the normal expectation of a diamond. But if she likes sapphires for the color, then that shoots that.

I do like some of the Whiteflash rings, although most of it is their beautiful website. I''ll have to shop around a bit more... anyone else got some suggestions? Another I had, which might get more expensive, was to do 3 stones, 2x white sapphire with a larger blue sapphire in the middle. Not sure how do-able that is...

Also, I''m still looking at those violet-ish sapphires... they''re beautiful!

Re: sbuffaloe

I like that ring! Not sure if it''s right for her though... Also, I wonder about the "Insignificant Inclusions (VVS2)," how bad is that? That Sapphire seems big compared to the ring... would that be weird?

A couple more questions:

What''s a good carat weight? 1-1.5ct seems to be somewhat standard...
How hard is it to buy a stone from NSC and have it put on a ring from somewhere else? What''s the procedure? How long does it take?
Shape/Cut: There''s a lot of variety for sapphires, is it just preference or what works well?

Thanks for the advice, it''s more helpful and reassuring than you know!

A few of sapphires I''m looking at:

Violet:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Violet/Princess-Cut/stoneid=U238
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Violet/Oval/stoneid=U152
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Purple/Oval/stoneid=U2251

White:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/White/Radiant/stoneid=U2269
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/White/Oval/stoneid=U2272
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/White/Round/stoneid=U2287

Blue:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Oval/stoneid=B2304
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Radiant/stoneid=B2558
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Cushion/stoneid=B2494
 
A couple of pre-made rings that I like from NSC:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J956
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com//Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J1065

Although I''m not sure how well they work as engagement rings...

Something like this might be more traditional:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J870

But then again, this is fun...

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com//Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J886

Choices, choices, choices!

OH, and this is real nice, if only it were WG!

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com//Sapphires/Jewelry/Rings/Jewelry=J890
 
Undercover,

To make this easier, I suggest getting an idea of colour first, then shape. otherwise there''s just too many options to pick from.
Gemstones are usually sold by dimensions AND carat weight. Whatever you and she feels most comfortable with is what you should get. Some people find 1.5ct too big while others find it too small. Some 1.5 ct sapphires are larger than others depending upon the cut so watch out for the dimensions too, not just the carat weight.

NSC stones are typically more expensive because they put a premium on being unheated. As long as a gentle heat treatment is the only treament to the sapphire, I''d rather get a heated stone than unheated to get a good quality sapphire.

Shape is more of a preference as well. I don''t like oval, princess, trillion and marquise cuts. Cushions are my favourites, followed by rounds, and pears. In terms of brilliance, rounds are the brighest and liveliest.
 
As a colour e-ring girl, my take on her likes/dislikes from what you have written is:

She's not fussed on a big white rock.
She's not fussed on solitaires
She wants the centre-stone to be the main feature.
She is happy to have a few diamonds to add a bit of zip.

These were my main thoughts when designing my e-ring.

I would:

Definitely get a coloured sapphire not a white one - a white one in an e-ring won't sparkle like a diamond will and you may either have the theft problem, or people wondering why you didn't give her a diamond since she obviously wanted one.

With a coloured stone, you are making a statement that you didn't want a diamond and know your own mind about what you do like.

Personally I adore the blue/violet stones - the almost ultra-violet ones. There was a gorgeous one on cherrypicked the other day (not that I would recommend there as it's $$$$$ - but nice to look at
31.gif
).

NSC is a great place if you particularly want unheated. Personally, I don't mind heated, especially if I'm on a strict budget. I'm not into other treatments like BE though.

You could try contacting one of the PS vendors, telling them your budget and seeing what they can come up with.

With Tucson coming up this weekend, now's the time to put your wish-list in!

ETA: I'm another huge cushion fan, I also like ovals. You will find a lot more available in coloured stones in these shapes than in others (Pears are easy enough to find - but I wouldn't want to buy one for someone unless I knew that was what they wanted.) Rounds are much more difficult to find it sapphires.

Cut is v important in coloured stones - a) to bring out their best qualities and b) so you don't pay $$$ for excess unneccessary rock. Native cuts are cut for maximum weight not maximum beauty.

I suggest you find the stone first and then start on the setting. You could always go with a very simple setting - putting the $$ into the centre-stone and then upgrade the setting for a 5th wedding anniversary or something.
 
Looking again today with a slightly more refined search...

I''m sticking with colored. Violet or Blue, not sure yet.

One question on color:
In stores and in pre-made rings I see a lot of dark-blue, yet on NSC I see almost no darker gems, why is that? So far, I really like the looks of the more-clear gems, they seem to sparkle more.

Here''s the ones that caught my eye today:

Violet:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Violet/Oval/stoneid=U152

Blue:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Oval/stoneid=B2304
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Cushion/stoneid=B2494

I''m going to go out on Saturday to take a look at some IRL so I can get a better idea of sizes.

Also I''m looking at mountings. I like the two below, but they''re a bit $$$...

Do I want to get a wedding band right away or wait? Would a normal solitaire be too plain? I don''t mind the look of a regular tiffany or the tulip design, which might be more practical and easier to keep clean, but is that ok for an engagement ring? I saw someone today with a huge ring, with a bunch of diamonds...

Mountings:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS567W14

(wedding set)
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS53W14
 
Date: 1/30/2008 8:11:39 PM
Author: undercover
Looking again today with a slightly more refined search...

I''m sticking with colored. Violet or Blue, not sure yet.

One question on color:
In stores and in pre-made rings I see a lot of dark-blue, yet on NSC I see almost no darker gems, why is that? So far, I really like the looks of the more-clear gems, they seem to sparkle more.

Here''s the ones that caught my eye today:

Violet:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Violet/Oval/stoneid=U152

Blue:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Oval/stoneid=B2304
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Blue/Cushion/stoneid=B2494

I''m going to go out on Saturday to take a look at some IRL so I can get a better idea of sizes.

Also I''m looking at mountings. I like the two below, but they''re a bit $$$...

Do I want to get a wedding band right away or wait? Would a normal solitaire be too plain? I don''t mind the look of a regular tiffany or the tulip design, which might be more practical and easier to keep clean, but is that ok for an engagement ring? I saw someone today with a huge ring, with a bunch of diamonds...

Mountings:
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS567W14

(wedding set)
http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Mountings/Rings/Pave/stoneid=JS53W14
Click to expand...
Undercover, it sounds like you are making some progress! That is great! Have you looked at any other sites for stones? There are a few other sources that are commonly recommended around here. As a person with a budget (as was I when my DH bought my sapphire e-ring), you may wish to pruchase a heat treated sapphire instead of a natural one... the price difference is phenomenal and heat treating is not considered "cheating" my most gem enthusiasts! Though most also suggest you stay away from Be treatments, which can lead to an unstable colour in the stone (or something like that, there is a thread about this topic not too far down in the colored gemstones list). Most sapphires are heat treated, the natural sapphire company sells only natural stones so they are much more expensive. For example, the highlighted stone above, which I like best of the ones you chose, is $369 from NSC, but the stone pictures below is a little bigger and only $148, and it is a better cut from Dan Stair, a gem cutten in the US who many people here on PS use and recommend (http://www.customgemstones.com/ ). Another cutter that people seem to like (and I have talked to him and thought he was great) is Jeff White (www.whitesgems.com ). Both of these people will find/cut yo ua stone exactly like you want for a very reasonable price. Then you can have the stone set at a local jeweler if you wanted. People around here also really recommend Wink JOnes (www.winkjones.com ) as someone who you can call and he will find yo uthe stone and make you the ring, also at a great price! So those are some options to try. However, the natural sapphire company is also highly praised on PS, and you can''t really go wrong, though I personally think that the price hike for natural stones is really steep and uneccesary... just my 2cents.

As for the setting, the one you posted is gorgeous, but you can also get a beautiful, simple solitaire! Many people prefer them and many people here on PS have them too! Check out the "eye candy" folder in the Show Me the Ring thread, or the eye-candy folder here and you will see lots of women with gorgeous simple solitairs that let the stone be the star of the show! There are no rules, but it is a good idea to try to get hints from your gf so that you get something she likes. You can also buy the matching band now, or get one later, that is also up to you!

Can''t wait to see how your search turns out!

DD
35.gif
 
The sapphire from Dan Stair I mentioned... Very nice for $148 in my estimation!

dreamerssapphirepic.jpg
 
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