Sapphire help

[firefoxy]

Hi,

I am very new to the world of gems, so I'd like to get to know few things about sapphire..
I plan to buy a sapphire for an engagement ring here in Sydney, Australia.
However, I don't know where I can get an excellent quality coloured gemstones in Sydney from a reputable vendor.
If it's diamond, it seems much easier to find, esp. because GIA-certified diamonds are much easier to find (hard to find certified sapphires?).
Therefore, I'd like to know where I can get excellent quality sapphire from a reputable supplier.

Reading few threads in here leads me to Jeff White at whitesgem.com. I have sent him an email yesterday but still waiting for a reply.
Does anyone know if he can ship to Australia/overseas? Also, how long does it usually take from enquiry to receive the ordered sapphire?

I told him that ideally I want the following specs:
- Cushion Brilliant Cut (with step-cut for the pavilion?)
- Untreated/no enhancement
- Colour: Vivid/Royal Cornflower Blue
- Size around 1-1.5ct.
I'd like the sapphire to be the center stone of the ring. The design of the ring is likely to be halo-setting or something like in the picture attached (with white gold).
Can you recommend the best size for this kind of design?
- Clarity: Eye-Clean
- Crystal/Transparency: Excellent
- Origin: Kashmir, Burma, or Sri Lanka

With this spec, how much would the sapphire cost approx.?
Honestly, AGL certification will be great for peace of mind and a record, but he doesn't supplies any certification, does he?

If anyone from Australia reads this post, please do let me know if you have any good experience with reputable sapphire suppliers in Australia?
For anyone else, please do let me know where I can buy quality sapphire online and can be shipped to Australia.

Thank you so much in advance.

Cheers

 

[SB621]

No he doesn't offer certification.

What exactly does royal corn flower blue mean? You should send him pictures of sapphire colors you like. That would be more helpful as Royal Corn Flower blue doesn't mean much.

Yes he ships to Australia at least he used too.

He typyically responds within 4 days.

His lead time is around 6-8 weeks or it was not to long ago

For unheated/ untreated at 6.5-7.5mm range (gemstones don't do ctw as they weigh different then diamonds) I would say that would run you around 3-4k USD.

 

[chrono]

I don't know of any vendors in Australia who sells fine quality coloured gemstones. I am quite sure JW will ship overseas and depending on his workload, it could be a few weeks to get the stone completed.

He will usually send me the cut design diagram or a picture of a stone with the same cut for approval prior to beginning work. I would send inspiration pictures showing the colour that I want, rather than saying vivid or whatever. Just for your information, royal and cornflower blue are two different shades of blue. In terms of size, it is best to give a mm range such as 6 mm or 6.5 mm or 7 mm since measurements will vary depending on the cut.

Eye clean clarity is good and I doubt anyone will want a non-transparent stone for an e-ring (unless it is a cabochon). I would not be overly fussed on origin. You can bet that Kashmiri and Burmese sapphires are unlikely to be within budget. It also isn't a guarantee of fine quality. You'd be surprised that some Madagascar sapphires are extremely beautiful, on par with some fine Burmese sapphires.

I would opt for an AGL brief to confirm that the stone is untreated. He should be able to send the cut stone to AGL on your behalf. I would not want any vendor to print his own memo since it is a conflict of interest. I'm guessing you can expect to pay around $3K for such a stone, possibly a bit more as you edge closer to the 1.5 ct mark.