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Sapphires from Madagascar

T

Tajikrajik

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
23
IMG_1291.JPG IMG_1292.JPG IMG_1293.JPG IMG_1294.JPG IMG_1295.JPG Hello- I have an opportunity to purchase this Unheated blue sapphire 6.11crt Vvs clean unheated sapphire from Madagascar.

The seller says he can get it certified by either EGL or GMC.

Can someone tell me if they think this looks like a good quality stone? Thanks! Looking for a nice stone for an engagement ring.
 
That's a very good size! Appears to be clean too. My concern would be the tone. It appears to be a very dark blue, so much so that it may look dead in many lighting situations. Sapphires look their best in natural light, and that one looks extremely dark even there. That said, you may be looking for a very dark blue, so if that is the case, then all that should matter is whether the price is reasonable for the color.
 
Would be too dark for me, but as shinyrocks said, if its what you seek, then get it!
 
Yes- I don't actually mind dark sapphires. What I would like to know is how do sapphires from Madagascar compare to those from Ceylon? And the seller wants $9000- is that a good price for such a stone? Thanks!
 
My favorite thing about it is the cut. The tone is so dark, it looks almost opaque.

The size is nice, but I've seen Madagascar sapphires that take your breath away. Unfortunately, this is not a high quality Madagascar sapphire. It's $1472/carat, so it's a fair price for the size, if it's only heated, but the color is really lacking.

I rather have a Madagascar sapphire this color, in a one carat stone, than a huge blackish gem.

IMG_7582.jpg
 
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Considering how dark it is, 9 k is more than I would be willing to pay.
 
Oh sorry if I wasn't clear in my initial post, but the stone is actually unheated. Does that make a big difference in price? And should I buy a lighter colored stone? I actually like dark sapphires but I didn't initially think that this was too dark. But on the other hand I don't have to buy this one...
 
I rather have a heated only stone with great color than unheated stone with that color. Sometimes heating a sapphire can make it look much better. The color is so lacking that heated or unheated, doesn't make much difference.

When a stone is so dark, it lacks attractive saturation of color.
 
IMG_1300.JPG IMG_1301.JPG IMG_1302.JPG
OK, looks like I will pass on that stone then! Thank you for letting me know.
Also, I just spoke to the seller and he said he could offer me the following stones at about a quarter of the price of the one I just posted. Do any of these stones look better in color? Also, just to note, they are unheated as well but only 2 carats in size. I am willing to go down to 2 but I don't want to go any smaller. Thank you again for all of your help!
 
That stone isn't cut as well, but the tone is lighter, and the saturation is on the grayish side. If you like denim blue sapphires, you can get them for less money in that size, like Montana or Umba sapphires, which are often cut better.
 
Oh sorry, he says they are actually three different stones! Which confused me a bit because I thought they were all the same stone! Should I stay away from all of them? And is grayish saturation bad? Sorry to ask these questions but I feel so overwhelmed with everything I need to know about sapphires!
 
Honestly, I would just like to see some images of the kinds of sapphires I can get for under 10 thousand dollars. I don't understand half of what was written in that article! I just want to buy a nice stone for an engagement ring.
 
I don't think there are any shortcuts in buying something as important as an engagement ring. It should be the color you, and especially your intended, love. There are trade ideal colors and TL gave you an example of what that is. You seem to want a darker stone - nothing wrong with that and in fact, it will save you $ as they are considerably cheaper than the trade ideal color. If you want to get a sense of what something is worth, look at comparables on the vendor sites outlined in the pinned thread on vendors at the top of this page. No one is going to show you THE under $10K sapphire you should choose, as it is a matter of personal preference and we don't know what you and your intended like.

You might want to step back and provide a list of things that are important to you - for example, size, shape, treatment, clarity and color. Have you thought about what the ring will be like? Does she like super large? Simple solitaires? Halos? What color metal? These things really help if the community here can know them.

Another way to go about it is to do a search of some of the old threads where people were looking for blue sapphires for engagement rings. You see in these threads the kind of questions posed by PS members and the stones recommended. At the end of the day, the only two people who need to love the stone/ring are you and your GF.
 
Oh gosh, I simply have no idea. When I go to local jewellery stores so many of the sapphires look exactly the same to me! They all look dark. I honestly have no idea what to do...
 
Like Minous said, I would research this forum for sapphires that people own. I really can't tell you what you should like. Although we can give our opinion on specific stones, sapphires are a minefield of variables including a myriad of invasive potentially undetectable treatment, convincing synthetics, that you need to educate yourself about before purchasing.

I did tons of research and shopping around before I bought a car, and if spending potentially thousands on a sapphire, I would do the same.
 
Ok will do. Thanks everyone!!!!!
 
Tajikrajik said:
Also, I just spoke to the seller and he said he could offer me the following stones at about a quarter of the price of the one I just posted.
Click to expand...

I would have called the first a midnight blue & the other a sky blue, thought the prices fair & ... these are not for me, are they !

Neither shade is responsible for the enormous FAME of Madagascar sapphire - just the colours of heavens as seen from the ground. [I am not joking - despite the 'colourful' ... ]

IHMO, you have passed several good possibilities.
 
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It never hurts to gather as much information as you can.......especially if you are learning about sapphires at the same time as making a purchase. This is what I'd do:
1) Reach out to some of the vendors on the preferred list......especially those who do their own faceting to see what stones are available--often they are not on websites.
2.) Check return policies to be sure you have that option should you choose a stone that doesn't look the
way you expect when you receive it.
3.) Condition the purchase on validation from a neutral lab.......esp. good is AGL!
4.) Lastly, go look at gems at a gem show........this is not to buy, but rather to see the color's for choices. And with that comment......some of the stones above looked to be photographed with intense light..........you will want to know how the gem looks in various lighting conditions so be sure to see it under conditions such as outdoors, direct sun, indirect sun, etc.
5.) Ultimately......you will know when a gem speaks to you and price doesn't dictate that part of the equation. Do not assume that if you pay more............you get better!!
 
valeria101 said:
I would have called the first a midnight blue & the other a sky blue, thought the prices fair & ... these are not for me, are they !

Neither shade is responsible for the enormous FAME of Madagascar sapphire - just the colours of heavens as seen from the ground. [I am not joking - despite the 'colourful' ... ]

IHMO, you have passed several good possibilities.
Click to expand...

Oh sorry, I neglected to say that the three sapphires I posted in the second photo were of Ceylon origin. Only the first sapphire is from Madagascar. Does origin make a lot of difference?
 
.

It does matter - to whom ever cares about those particular myths. Obviously, I have my ownª.

The light blue is the kind of sapphire that happens to be my pleasure ! RH calls the breed 'Pastel'


____
ª see 'Cyanomter' [attempted humour !]
 
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valeria101 said:
.

It does matter - to whom ever cares about those particular myths. Obviously, I have my ownª.

The light blue is the kind of sapphire that happens to be my pleasure ! RH calls the breed 'Pastel'


____
ª see 'Cyanomter' [attempted humour !]
Click to expand...

Oh ok thanks! So which of the three sapphires that I posted would you say is the nicest?
 
There are amazing stones that come from both areas, and there is fishtank gravel that comes from both areas.

Nicest can be a very subjective choice and subject to personal prefernces as mentioned before - often color leads the choice. Have you seen examples of your ideal blue sapphire?

If you're hunting for something blue on a sizable budget, personally I'd keep looking.
 
Even for half the price you should get a much nicer full blue in half the size. Who need 6 carat, unless you have a ringsize 12 or so?
 
Tajikrajik said:
Oh ok thanks! So which of the three sapphires that I posted would you say is the nicest?
Click to expand...

I am only seeing two sapphires in your posts: the 6.11 cts & a light blue said to be around 2 cts.

Between these two, I vote 6.11 - the dark tone is tollerable because there seems to be decent saturation (that is to say, I expect the stone to be obviously bluw in strong ight), all else is fine. I would not buy without a laboratory report (GIA, AGL, GRS, Lotus - whichever is closest) stating treatments - prefereably none.

My asumption that the 6.11 is a saturated blue - dark, but not Dam' Dark, is hopeful & optimistic ! The pictures are not great proof of this. AGL, GRS & the Lotus lab (from where I got the above-mentioned chart of sapphire colours) would grade the colour.

The one unabiguous great thing about the stone is its serious spead - this is large among six carat sapphires ! [the shallow cut certainly fits the colour, elegant classic face etc. ]

I would not mind this being merely 4 carats & somewhat less dark - not necessarily because I mind the tone, because this is to be a showy e-ring rather than a strictly personal pleasure ...

-

The other stone is a shade of blue I prefer, however it is small & the cut needs explaining, so to speak. If it were also above 5 cts, it would have been much harder for me to choose !

-

What else might yet be there ...

Try this, perhaps ? WWW (I do not know the shop as well as I might wish !)

E.g. - this is the look I have in mind when writing of nice-dark saphire showing colour in strong light: WWW (dark tone, high saturation ...). The objects hardly show colour without such strong lighting (equivalent to direct sunlight) - except to their owner, who is in the right position to see nuance ... and this is delightful, I think: the impression I know to expect is of a coloured black (not an oximoron !) - that almost does not exist in anything else ['midnight' sky ? - certainly not anywhere close to a city]

This WWW - I expect to be very comparable with the 6.11, your sapphire seems more transparent. (I am no good at guessing size from photos!)

This WWW - I do not expect sapphires to look like this ... picture, yet, Luck exists.
 
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T L said:
I rather have a Madagascar sapphire this color, in a one carat stone
Click to expand...

Do they go 9K/ct ? [perhaps the question should be 'where' rather than 'if']

The token Madagascar picture is forced & this may well be too - WWW ; what might have gotten GIA to write such things !
 
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valeria101 said:
Do they go 9K/ct ? [perhaps the question should be 'where' rather than 'if']

The token Madagascar picture is forced & this may well be too - WWW ; what might have gotten GIA to write such things !
Click to expand...

There are some Madagascar sapphires reminiscent of Kashmir sapphires. That's why it's so important to get an origin report from a highly reputable lab on top color if you're paying the Kashmir origin premium.

Madagascar sapphires are more affordable per carat.

Btw, I recently posted an origin report from two famous labs on the same sapphire, and they both show different origins, so buyer beware when paying for a premium origin.
 
Like other people commenting, there are good, and not so good stones coming from all locales. What you need to focus on is what you (or more importantly your intended) would LOVE in a stone.
Myself I am not a fan of overly dark stones, and would rather have a pastel over a too dark stone. What I love about colored stones are their color, and their clarity. If a stone is over dark you can't really see the color except in daylight conditions, and depending on how dark it is can even impair the ability to see through the stone. I wouldn't pick the top stone. You also don't want to over pay. The more stones you look at, and the prices, will give you an idea of how much different sizes and color saturations should be priced. I worry that the stones you were shown may be over priced. I haven't done an exhaustive search but I looked at Linton and they have a couple stones in your preferred size.
https://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=10563
https://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=10364

This one is out of your price range, but an example of a fine looking sapphire!
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p332/5.30_ct_Unheated_Ceylon_Sapphire.html
another.
https://www.africagems.com/sapphire-blue-emerald-gemstone-39886857.html
 
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T L said:
I recently posted an origin report from two famous labs on the same sapphire, and they both show different origins, so buyer beware when paying for a premium origin.
Click to expand...

May I ask what are the two localities proposed by the reports ? Just curious ...

I have always asumed the question of origin is technically too hard.
 
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