sapphire ring

[livannie]

Hello! I am new here but love to read all the posts and comments. I bought this blue sapphire off eBay in March, it is the first one I have ever owned. I totally love it and bought it from my favorite seller for $300.00. I was told it is a natural .75 carat sapphire with .25 diamonds and 14k gold. I took it to my local jeweler when I was having something else fixed and he said that it looked to clear to be natural but he could do tests to see if it is real. I believe the seller on ebay because she sold me an emerald diamond ring for 400 and my jeweler was blown away by it. He couldn't believe what I bought it for. But I just want to know opinions on this sapphire. It is my favorite ring to wear lately because it sparkles alot. Like the sapphire has flecks of sparkle, I stare at it all day because it always looks different. Does it look like I got a good deal on it or does it look like a mall store sapphire?

 

[deskjockey]

Do you have a picture?

Is it the color, or the clarity, that your jeweler was talking about when he said it was "too clear?"

 

[livannie]

Hi I am trying to upload a picture but it keeps saying invalid, I don't know what I am doing wrong. The clarity. I only have a tablet but have taken lots of pictures with it.

 

[chrono]

Is the file too large? Remove any slashes, dashes, symbols and/or underscores from the filename.

So your jeweller louped it and found it to be clean? That isn't definitive enough to guess whether it is genuine or a synthetic. Also I would presume heat treatment, possibly beryllium diffusion. The same goes for the emerald; it is likely to be clarity enhanced based on the price. I am always extra cautious when it come to buying gems from eBay because there are far more dodgy sellers than honest sellers.

 

[livannie]

I think i did it now hopefully.

 

[livannie]

Another pic. I am by my window but the blinds are closed.

 

[chrono]

Very pretty indeed which makes it suspicious that it would only cost $300 for the entire ring. I would wait for your jeweller to do his testing. I am guessing BE diffused if it is a natural sapphire.

BTW, why do the diamonds look blue?

 

[livannie]

Yes, suspicious to me too but I love it. I didn't have the light on in my room when I took the picture, I will take another one. My jeweler tested the diamonds and said they were real but said it would cost 65 dollars to test the sapphire, so I haven't had it done yet.

 

[chrono]

Do you need to be mind clean about the stone? Considering the cost (ring cost versus testing), I would just accept that the stone may not be as stated and enjoy it as is. I would exercise further caution and do more homework on future purchases.

 

[livannie]

It was stated as an estate ring and it even has 2 sets of initials inside the band but I like knowing that someone loved it and wore it before me. Is BE diffused bad?

 

[chrono]

Depends on your definition of bad and whether you accept it. Diffusion is a permanent treatment that improves the look of sapphires and makes it affordable.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/corundum-sapphire-and-ruby-treatment.175354/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/corundum-sapphire-and-ruby-treatment.175354/[/URL]

 

[livannie]

I guess I should get it tested to know. I guess I wanted to know opinions because last week I went to a pawn shop with my cousin and even though I would never sell it, I asked what they would pay me for it if I sold it just out of curiosity and they told me $60. She said they just pay for diamonds and gold weight. So I guess that made me question if it looked like a good sapphire or not, even though she told me they don't care about gemstones.

 

[chrono]

What sort of testing is the jeweller conducting? Is he sending this to a lab or testing it on his own?

 

[livannie]

Well he is a gemologist/jeweler. He told me he would do the testing. We live in a small city. He is the only one in town but my aunt takes all her stuff up there and she thinks he is really good.

 

[chrono]

I would inquire as to what he will test for and how. It should be easy enough to verify whether if is genuine or synthetic. It should also be easy enough to spot signs of heat treatment. Diffusion, however, isn't as easy and requires very expensive equipment which only 2 labs in the USA owns (that I know of). There could be some tell-tale signs upon microscopic inspection which might clue one in as to whether the sapphire requires further testing or is sufficient to say that it is most likely to be plain heat.

 

[livannie]

Thank you for the great advice. This is the emerald I bought from the same seller.

 

[livannie]

Another pic.

 

[livannie]

Emerald ring

 

[distracts]

Do you need to be mind clean about the stone? Considering the cost (ring cost versus testing), I would just accept that the stone may not be as stated and enjoy it as is. I would exercise further caution and do more homework on future purchases.

Yeah, imo that ring is pretty enough so that no matter what at $300 you didn't get ripped off, just don't be shocked if the stone is diffused or synthetic.

 

[pregcurious]

For $60, why not send it to AGL for a GemBrief. They will be able to tell if it is synthetic or natural, and if it has been enhanced. They are the gold standard. Sometimes there may be an additional charge for determining if a stone is diffused. I have read that it is $100 for additional testing, but I am not sure.

 

[JewelPhenom]

Enjoy your sapphire and emerald rings and use the knowledge gained here as you add to your collection. Each of us has a different threshold, whether purchase price or importance / personal value, for when we would submit a gem for pedigree papers.

For instance, I purchased several pieces of jade while in East Asia. While they did come with papers, my source of enjoyment is intrinsic to each stone as I recall the memories of every trip. What matters to me, more than the dollar worth, is the smile on my face when I wear them after a long absence. May your rings bring a smile to your face each time you wear them!

 

[livannie]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I have become obsessed with reading and learning about gemstones, especially sapphires. I don't know much but it's fun to have a hobby and something to collect, even though I don't have much of a collection. It's like looking at your own treasure and getting excited all over again pulling things out of your jewelry box. I think it's fun to think about collecting jewelry( even though I don't have thousands to spend on it) and giving it to my daughters someday. So I am glad this place is here for me to read and learn more from. I will have to look more into that AGL place, thanks for telling me about that.