Sapphire Engagement Ring

[Da Moose]

I''m looking into buying a sapphire engagement ring for my girlfriend. We''re thinking of a ring along the lines of the ring attached at the bottom of this post.

Probably going to go with a sapphire from the Natural Sapphire Company. My budget dictates something in the 2.5 to 3.0 range or thereabouts. I''m trying to figure out how exactly to use the board so hopefully I''ll be able to do another post with some of the images. I''d love to get comments on the stones. Anything you have is useful.

I''m planning on going to look at them in person. Ideas of what to look for when looking at them as well as questions to ask would also be great.

Thanks for any help you can offer. Just reading the forum has been quite useful. Hopefully this thread will be even more useful.

 

[Da Moose]

Item ID : B473
Image

Certificate
Weight : 2.48 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 6.95 X 6.93 X 5.87

*************************

Item ID : B168
Image

Certificate
Weight : 2.52 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 7.42 X 7.06 X 5.07

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Item ID : B241
Image

Certificate
Weight : 2.53 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 7.58 X 7.52 X 5.14

***************************

Item ID : B455
Image

Certificate
Weight : 2.81 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 7.71 X 7.50 X 5.18

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Item ID : B215
Image

Certificate
Weight : 3.25 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 8.05 X 7.36 X 5.45

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Item ID : B522
Image

Certificate
Weight : 3.84 Ct.
Color : Blue
Dimension (mm) : 8.78 X 8.74 X 6.05

Again, thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Da Moose]

Hmm, putting the links in directly didn''t seem to work. Let''s try this way:

 

[gemnut]

Going by personal taste only, I like B522. The cut is dazzling, and the color is very mellow.

Good luck on your choice!

 

[flutterby]

I like B 215, the cushion cut and the color are what did it for me.

 

[bar01]

Fun ! All great choices from a good company.

I am partial to rounds - so let me focus there. I am relying on the descriptions provided on the natural sapphire site.

b473 - based on description on site - this has the best color intensity "vivid" of the rounds. However it is cut some what deep at 84% so much of the ct weight is below the face. $5456. this is probably going to to be best looking (of the rounds) and has an AGTA cert.

B609 - (not listed in your post) for comparison this 2ct sapphire is a wee bit less intense in color - but it has the same face up size as B473 but only costs $3000. Big savings compared to b473.

B241 - This is a really nice choice - It has a larger face up at 7.58mm, good intensity and costs only $5060. AGTA cert too.

B522 - nice if you like lighter blue.

 

[Da Moose]

Thanks for the feedback so far. Glad to see that gemnut and msflutter have similar tastes to my girlfriend and picked out the two largest...

I like the cut and look of b522 a lot. I'm just a little worried it's a bit too light. I actually like ones a little bit lighter than the ideal. I'm just a little worried it's too much lighter than ideal. I'm going to have to see it in person to make the decision I think.

b215 looks quite nice too. I'm just a little worried it's a bit too far from square. I greatly prefer the look of square or almost square ones to more rectangular. Same reason I've excluded oval despite there being a lot of nice oval stones out there.

Bertrand, I think you're right that b241 is a better stone than b473, bigger and given my preferences the little bit lighter is a good thing.

Thanks for the feedback so far. Any thoughts on things to look for in person would be great. As would anyone who has experience getting the settings made by NSC. The positive feedback on the boards about them in general is a big factor in me probably going there over somewhere else.

 

[bar01]

Are you going to be seeing stones in person in NYC ? There is also Cherrypicked. Here is one of their choices

 

[Da Moose]

Date: 9/8/2005 6:02:14 PM
Author: Bertrand


Are you going to be seeing stones in person in NYC ? There is also Cherrypicked. Here is one of their choices

Yup. I''m going to go down there to take a look in person.

The cherrypicked is also a nice stone. Though I don''t know how you made it through their site as I''ve tried looking there in the past and never been able to find much that isn''t listed as "sold."

One of the reasons for NSC is having talked to Michael Arnstein it looks as if they can make the setting that I want for quite a reasonable price. In addition, I went down and looked once before and the workmanship on the bands looks quite good which is also important to me.

 

[widget]

Hi Da Moose...

How thrilling that you''ll be able to see these beauties all together in real life! I suspect your heart will tell you right away which one "speaks to you".

You might want to see them in different types of lighting, if possible.

I''d have absolutely no problem having NSC mount my stone for me.

Good luck, let us know what you decide, and of course, post pictures when the ring is done!

widget

 

[LittleRock]

B241......to me, is not to light and not to dark.......just right.

 

[Da Moose]

Widget, not so concerned about one that stands out to me, but one that I think she will like. Really that''s what''s going to matter. Also great to hear that you''ve had good luck with NSC mounting the rings. Any pictures of their mountings you can share? Was it an easier or a more complicated mouting?

Littlerock, I do like the color on b241. I''m just a little worried that it''s on the smaller side for the ring style I''m thinking about.

Thanks again for the opinions and help.

 

[widget]

Author: Da Moose
...... great to hear that you''ve had good luck with NSC mounting the rings.

Hi, Da Moose..

Sorry, I quess I wasn''t clear in my post. What I meant to say was that because of their reputation, and the great things I''ve heard about Michael Arnstein, I wouldn''t worry a bit about having them mount my stone for me.

I''ve personally never purchased anything from NSC.

I did have a gem dealer mount a stone for me (CherryPicked), and I was very pleased. I got the impression that these gem guys are so proud of and protective of their stones, that they are more picky and demanding than I would be when it comes to having them mounted!

And their pricing was very reasonable...

widget

 

[Cave Keeper]

Date: 9/8/2005 5:55:31 PM
Author: Da Moose
Thanks for the feedback so far. Glad to see that gemnut and msflutter have similar tastes to my girlfriend and picked out the two largest...
:
I like the cute and look of b522 a lot. I''m just a little worried it''s a bit too light. I actually like ones a little bit lighter than the ideal. I''m just a little worried it''s too much lighter than ideal. I''m going to have to see it in person to make the decision I think.

Better listen to the lady! I can understand why she chose the two largest. Might as well go for the largest, B522.

Not only is it the heaviest in weight (the only one above 3 carats - don''t forget the bragging rights), it seems the most sparkling. My mom takes a look at a stone, no matter what kind, and pronounces disinterest if there''s no sparkle: To her, a stone without sparkle is a fake.
Well, that''s only my Mom''s opinion, and it''s only a digital image we''re seeing.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 9/8/2005 5:21:10 PM
Author: Bertrand

B241 - This is a really nice choice - It has a larger face up at 7.58mm, good intensity and costs only $5060. AGTA cert too.

B522 - nice if you like lighter blue.

I quoted Bernard to take a shortcut

These are the two I'd look at anyway, in this order.

The light blue is my color, but I also know that these stones do not look as great in most light as the darker 'medium' blue. If B241 is such a thing it is up to you to decide - it is a matter of personal taste, of course. If it was more saturated and perhaps helped by texture, there would be no doubt. Unless the end user expresses prefference directly, a sapphire that looks like the finest aquamarine may be at fault

Hope this one passes the test.

It would be nice to have these two side by side to compare. Is it feasible at all ?

 

[valeria101]

One think I love about this shop''s web, is their 3D presentation of sapphires. It is nice and usefull to see them from the side and back... I think. As much as I can tell, setting would slightly darken the stones relative to what they look like loose, and so would low light. Without enough flash to make these stone sparkle, the aparent color changes ot something darker - IMO, the set of pictures showing the side of the stones also shows what their potential color in less bright light. The face up pictures obviously use bright lighting (showing all that glitter).

I wish you will find the largest ''blue enough'' - it seems to have the nicest cut too.

 

[MINE!!]

Hands down on cut and color would be the B522. I think the color and cut look wonderful. But that is through a screen. Even if the color is lighter than the others, any setting is going to darken a stone somewhat. So I would be afraid that the darker stones would be almost too dark. And Val is right on about the carat size as well. My stone is well under 3 carats, but it does not look so (At least this is in my opinion.

Good luck and be sure to look at them in all different types of lighting. Keep us updated!

 

[decodelighted]

Based on your "inspiration ring" pix ... I''d go with the 522 crowd. In its pix, there is something special about that stone.

Also, I tried on a bezel set 2ct dark blue sapphire and it looked *smallish* to me, I think deep, darker colors tend to make things look smaller?? Lighter color and bigger size of 522 might work to make that one a spellbinding WHOPPER.

 

[Da Moose]

About to head over there to go and look at the rings.

Ones I think I''m going to be focusing on most: b241 b522 and b168.

I think you''re all right about them probably darkening a little once set. Though it''s a fairly open setting so they might not darken as much as most. Why these ones? Well as many of you have said b522 has great sparkle and looks like it''s very well cut. If it was just a liiittttllleee darker... b241 looks like an all around very solid stone. b168 because it looks like a very nicely cut and colored cushion and I do quite like cushion

I get the impression that the surface size of sapphires can vary a lot based on cut. If it''s deep, like b473, it can look a bit on the dark side and be a little on the small side being presented.

Thanks again for all the help. I''ll post in person reports later.

 

[glitterata]

I can''t wait to hear what you find out when you see them in person. From my recent experiences buying inexpensive colored stones online, I would guess that they will all look darker in person than onscreen, but I would like to know if I''m right.

 

[icekid]

ooh I can''t wait to see what you choose! All of those sapphires are amazing. and I love the ring you''ve chosen too.

I think I like b522 also, and I bet when you see it, it will be darker than you thought. Plus those sparkles! Who could turn them down?

 

[makemepretty]

I too loved the picture of that ring and saved it- It was in a magazine and I actually tore out the page to keep. It''s so glamorous.

 

[widget]

Oh, I do hope Da Moose comes back and tells us about his visit....what fun to have been to NSC in person, and played with a pile of sapphires!

widget

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I also saved this picture from a Vogue mag--that is a honey of a ring and can''t wait to see how yours turns out!

cheers--Sharon

 

[LittleRock]

C''mon Da Moose......... where''d ya go?????

We''re anxiously, yet patiently waiting

 

[Da Moose]

Sorry to keep you all waiting. Unfortunately for you, but not for me, part of the trip down to NY is hanging out with the girlfriend which makes it, well, slightly, harder to post on here.

Right now I''m leaning toward b168 the cushion in the upper left of all of them.

Some about seeing the stones in person:

b473 - A nice stone but a little too deep and dark. It has quite a small surface area for the carat weight. The blue is nice but darker than I prefer and a bit too dark for the ring I think.

b241 - A very nice round. The color is very nice. Stone was clear with only a couple of tiny inclusions with a loupe. Still a contender.

b215 - Also still an outside contender. Big in carat weight but a bit smaller in relative face size than the carat size might indicate. Color very nice. Some very small inclusions but not that significan. The blue was probably a little tiny bit darker than I would love. Not cut quite as well. That''s probably the biggest strike against it. Also a little bit too rectuangular.

b522 - Know many of you loved it, but it''s just a little too light. It''s a little to close to aquamarine or topaz. Very very clean. Very well cut. I really wish this stone was just a bit darker. Very very pretty, yet the blueness just didn''t come through enough.

b455 - Nice but a little thin. If you look closely at the pictuer you can see quite a large inclusion at the bottom right. This killed this one.

b168 - Very close to a perfect stone. Completely clear except for a little bit of feathering on the top. The blue was probably the most vibrant of any. At the same time not too dark. Not the most sparkly, but it is a sapphire not a diamond after all. A large surface area for the carat weight. Cut is very very nice. Probably second best relative to b455. My only possible hesitation is that it''s a bit on the small side, but the cut and color probably trump that.

Glad to hear that others had seen the ring in the past and liked it. I''m hoping it works out in reality as well as the picture. Going to necessarily be a little different since that one has a 7 carat of so sapphire. Can''t quite pull that one off.

Any other thoughts are welcome.

On a side note, all the sapphires actually look better in person than they do on the site.

 

[valeria101]

Out of curiousity... would you consider a heated one ? Thinking of fine enough color to make the piece rare and desirable regardless

 

[Da Moose]

Consider but probably not get one. The girlfriend likes natural For the right one I would consider it though. Plus I''d also have to figure out getting the ring made elsewhere. Why, you got the perfect one for me?

 

[bar01]

Any other thoughts are welcome.

On a side note, all the sapphires actually look better in person than they do on the site.

That is an important side note! It is so hard to capture how wonderful many colored stones are with a photograph. Also how much they differ depending on light sources.

Kind of on this issue - one thing I have noticed about my gal having a ring using both a sapphire and diamonds is how the two different gems seem to "help out" to show off the ring depending on lighting. Under candle light or halogens - the ideal cut diamonds just flash like crazy and the sapphire is more subdued. Under natural sun light the sapphire just glows and oozes color and the diamonds are more subdued. Under fluorescents they both have nice balance.

I think you are making some excellent choices and observations - and won't go wrong with any of the final candidates. I am still partial to B241.

Remember to get a good independent appraisal.

 

[Da Moose]

Bertrand,

Thanks for you comments. All very true I think. I certainly hope the ring ends up having the same effects you''re describing.

b241 is a really nice stone. Still a part of me that''s considering it but leaning toward the cushion. I think I like the fact that it is even more (than just sapphire) non-traditional for the engagement ring. But it''s probably my second favorite stone out of these.

When you suggest an appraisal from an independant, do you mean for the stone itself or for the ring as a whole? And how would one go about finding one? Thanks.