Sapphire reality check: is my appraiser smoking crack?

[ohforcryingoutloud]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

 

[LD]

LD, you are acting as though it's impossible for this sapphire to be anything but synthetic. Being the owner of a ring that retails for roughly $4k, and having bought it for $450, I can tell you first hand that sometimes people sell stuff for much less than it's worth.

So I'm saying that it's possible that some poor desperate soul went to this jewelry store, sold it to them for the cost of scrap (that's what a lot of places buy things at, unless it has a large diamond in it) and they didn't care enough to send it to a lab so they could get top dollar, instead listing it as an auction on ebay, figuring that they were making a profit over the price of scrap, and that was good enough.

Or there are items that have been left in safety deposit boxes, and the owner has died. Or it could have been someone just trying to get rid of jewelry that was gifted to them, or or or or or!! There is an unlimited number of explanations for a natural sapphire to end up on ebay and be bought for a bargain price!

It very well could be synthetic, but it may not be just as easily!!!!!

Freke - if you read my earlier posts you'll see that I'm rooting for the OP and really do hope this one works out. I was trying to demonstrate to Gene that you can't just walk in and ask for a comparison when you don't know what you've got! Actually I think this is more likely to be a treated sapphire than synthetic but who knows!?

Like you, I've had some brilliant finds on Ebay. There are the occasional ones to be had. At the end of the day, this ring is 7g (or 9g I can't recall) of Platinum so that is worth the $800 alone when buying!

 

[LD]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

I love that. Absolutely what jewellery is all about. Congratulations and wear it in good health.

 

[FrekeChild]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

I love that. Absolutely what jewellery is all about. Congratulations and wear it in good health.

What LD said!

(I have to admit though, this thread has made me wonder what my ering would appraise for!)

 

[LD]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

I love that. Absolutely what jewellery is all about. Congratulations and wear it in good health.

What LD said!

(I have to admit though, this thread has made me wonder what my ering would appraise for!)

I'm going to make you laugh! I belong to another forum where people make jewellery. A lady posted a photo of a cultured pearl necklace she had made, using sterling silver findings and chain AND in the middle was a sterling silver pendant with irradiated blue diamonds (that sold for £12 on a special deal). The pearl strand probably cost about £10 maximum - likely to be less. The sterling silver findings £10 at the most. So, the materials used were around £32 give or take. Don't get me wrong, it's a very pretty necklace BUT she's just had it appraised at £500!!!! Sorry, but that appraiser was using the same crack pipe that the OP's one was using

 

[LD]

Deleted - double post

 

[FrekeChild]

Wow. These appraisers need to chill out with their crack pipes!

The only appraisal I've gotten was on my mom's diamond ring, and it seems pretty accurate, considering I can just go to Whiteflash/BGD/where ever and price check a similar stone!

Colored stones though...so hard to find someone to do it, AND I don't want my jewelry to be gone for that long!

Tell me. What did she think of the appraisal?

 

[minousbijoux]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

I love that. Absolutely what jewellery is all about. Congratulations and wear it in good health.

What LD said!

(I have to admit though, this thread has made me wonder what my ering would appraise for!)

I'm going to make you laugh! I belong to another forum where people make jewellery. A lady posted a photo of a cultured pearl necklace she had made, using sterling silver findings and chain AND in the middle was a sterling silver pendant with irradiated blue diamonds (that sold for £12 on a special deal). The pearl strand probably cost about £10 maximum - likely to be less. The sterling silver findings £10 at the most. So, the materials used were around £32 give or take. Don't get me wrong, it's a very pretty necklace BUT she's just had it appraised at £500!!!! Sorry, but that appraiser was using the same crack pipe that the OP's one was using

I am really laughing now! OP, you have got the best attitude ever - I hope your marriage and life are as blessed as you appear to be.

 

[LD]

Oh Freke, that's the sad thing. She really thought that the "value" of the necklace was £500.

I totally agree about finding accurate coloured stone appraisals/valuations. Thankfully in the UK we have a small band of appraisers who are affiliated with the Birmingham Assay Office and they see coloured stones ALL the time. Having said that, with more unusual stones they are challenged (but then aren't we all)? They're not cheap though. It's £60 for a valuation but you get a photo and detailed description of each item. They also test the metal, test the stone and if in doubt won't write an appraisal. Interestingly, their valuations are some of the very few in the UK that insurance companies don't question much.

 

[deorwine]

I spoke with SweetMan last night and we decided to leave the stone's true nature a mystery and just not insure it. It felt like we were wearing off all the love and symbolism with all of the inspecting and insuring and proof and receipts and labs and uncertainty. We decided I'll wear it until the end of my days and let some future heir worry about whether it's worth spit or not. It's worth the world to me!

I suppose if I'd paid $13,500 and then an appraiser had said it might be only worth $800 my attitude would be quite different!

You're all so lovely and kind. Thank you for all your help.

I love this! I think this is a lovely attitude

 

[PrecisionGem]

LD, you are acting as though it's impossible for this sapphire to be anything but synthetic. Being the owner of a ring that retails for roughly $4k, and having bought it for $450, I can tell you first hand that sometimes people sell stuff for much less than it's worth.

So I'm saying that it's possible that some poor desperate soul went to this jewelry store, sold it to them for the cost of scrap (that's what a lot of places buy things at, unless it has a large diamond in it) and they didn't care enough to send it to a lab so they could get top dollar, instead listing it as an auction on ebay, figuring that they were making a profit over the price of scrap, and that was good enough.

Or there are items that have been left in safety deposit boxes, and the owner has died. Or it could have been someone just trying to get rid of jewelry that was gifted to them, or or or or or!! There is an unlimited number of explanations for a natural sapphire to end up on ebay and be bought for a bargain price!

It very well could be synthetic, but it may not be just as easily!!!!!

Very True Freke. When I lived in Buffalo I used to sell to quite a few jewelers, so I was in their shops often. People would come in with jewelry to trade in, or try to sell, and they would give them next to nothing for it. One time a lady came in to a store with a diamond she previously purchased from the same jeweler just one year ago. She paid $4000 for the stone. She wanted to upgrade, and trade it in. He said sure, and gave her $700 as a trade in towards a bigger stone. She was taken back with the offer of just $700 for the stone, he gave her some quick double talk, and she took it. If I had pulled out $1000 cash, he would then quickly flipped the stone to me, and made $300 in 5 minutes. Often a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.

The same could be quite true with this pretty blue sapphire ring. Who knows, and really what difference does it really make. It's a very pretty ring, and everyone is happy about it. With the money saved, put it toward a house.

 

[pregcurious]

If I remember correctly, USAA does not require that items totaling more than $1000 to be individually insured. I _think_ that if you keep the receipt for $800, and picture of the ring (to prove that you had it), that you can get something if it is lost. Please call them if you are curious. It as too long ago for me, and I don't remember anymore.