Should I buy this Padparadscha sapphire?

[CSpan]

I get where you're coming from but this isn't the first IG seller I have talked to, a few have been quite helpful and the last one I talked to warned me he had another interested buyer, sent me plenty of pics and also said he would let me know when he had another stone that was what I was looking for. I do understand they have multiple people messaging them but I don't see why they can't still provide good customer service if they want return customers.

Also, I don't know many people who have thousands of dollars to just throw at stones and hope it's nice? If it was $100 sure, but this is much more than that. I would always want pics in different light and some kind of return policy. I don't expect the same level of benefits as a corporate seller, but I don't think it's fair to not expect any kind of reassurance about a stone I'm purchasing. In saying that, every time I post about stones, people always advise me to get multiple pics and proper certs etc so it's conflicting information at times I guess.

Anyway, know I need to make quicker decisions which will probably come with time and confidence when I learn what to look out for in a good stone and good pricing so that when I see a stone that has potential, I won't need to ask for advice. Thanks for the tips so far!

Totally off topic as well, but how do you haggle the price lower?

I can commiserate. But not all IG vendors are the same. I think there are great threads about "local" IG sellers, stylogems and something else that @Polyhex has bought from and had great luck. But there is a huge difference between a local at the mines seller, this guy is in Sri Lanka I believe, and someone running an IG account from an office in HK or the US. Many countries with mines also wouldn't allow for returns, or it would be a hassle so that is why that's rarely mentioned
So, yes the advice for photos and certs is excellent advice, if you want a super bargain you have to forgo that. Which is fine, it just isn't for everyone. I can stomach it on tourmalines, less so when we start over 4 figures. But that is my risk tolerance. Pads are tricky and almost always have to be seen in person, some folks get super lucky or are flexible in their color mix. I totally understand the desire for exactly what you want in an ER and you should have it. best of luck in your search.

 

[JackTrick]

I have a gorgeous certified pad that's with CvB right now. It's on the lighter side, and Caysie said it was the perfect pad color. I prefer the subtle colors. I had DesertRose_Gems on Insta source it for me last year. Her prices are excellent and she's super easy to work with! I have about 20 stones from her, most recently an emerald/diamond combo. She's going to her vendor this weekend, if you want to ask her to look for you. Can't hurt.

ooooh, I do hope you share when done. I've also got a pad with her right now, but I lean more saturated

+1 to DesertRose_Gems being great too!

 

[T L]

Ive uploaded the videos on YouTube, hopefully these work

I think it’s beautiful and reasonably priced.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

I also just want to commiserate that IG is a bit too fast paced for me as well. On the other hand, if I see something hasn't sold after a few days, I start to think, well what's wrong with it??

Such a catch-22. Ugh.

 

[sydneyatl]

Yeah, I feel like the gem buying scene/protocol/etiquette has changed significantly with the advent of Instagram sellers.

 

[Ionysis]

IG sellers like this are one step away from the mine.

They aren’t going to give you that kind of service.

They are used to dealing with wholesalers or collectors who will buy multiple stones frequently. Not retail clients looking for an engagement ring stone.

To haggle just ask “Is there any room to negotiate on price”. Or offer 20% less and see what they say. The more often you buy from a seller like that the better the price will likely be.

The rules in Sri Lanka, and the descriptions are not the same as the US, U.K. or EU.

“Eye clean” means a few inclusions
“100% eye clean” means actually eye clean
“Loupe clean” you almost never hear
“Too clean” means the stone didn’t have enough inclusions even under v high magnification for the lab to be able to confirm it’s natural and / or unheated so they won’t certify it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t natural, just that they won’t give a report saying so.

“Padparadscha” will be applied to any stone with pink and orange in it even when there are other modifiers and it wouldn’t get a GRS cert saying that. This isn’t dishonest - it’s a locally accepted description - and it doesn’t necessarily mean a whacked up price.

“Peach” will often be applied to a stone that I’ve seen US vendors call pad. It just means it’s very pale / lacks saturation.

If you want to deal with these guys you need to act fast and take a chance. Maybe you won’t like the stone in hand. Flip it on loupetroup. Try again. For under $1500 it’s worth it.

 

[Rfisher]

IG sellers like this are one step away from the mine.

They aren’t going to give you that kind of service.

They are used to dealing with wholesalers or collectors who will buy multiple stones frequently. Not retail clients looking for an engagement ring stone.

To haggle just ask “Is there any room to negotiate on price”. Or offer 20% less and see what they say. The more often you buy from a seller like that the better the price will likely be.

The rules in Sri Lanka, and the descriptions are not the same as the US, U.K. or EU.

“Eye clean” means a few inclusions
“100% eye clean” means actually eye clean
“Loupe clean” you almost never hear
“Too clean” means the stone didn’t have enough inclusions even under v high magnification for the lab to be able to confirm it’s natural and / or unheated so they won’t certify it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t natural, just that they won’t give a report saying so.

“Padparadscha” will be applied to any stone with pink and orange in it even when there are other modifiers and it wouldn’t get a GRS cert saying that. This isn’t dishonest - it’s a locally accepted description - and it doesn’t necessarily mean a whacked up price.

“Peach” will often be applied to a stone that I’ve seen US vendors call pad. It just means it’s very pale / lacks saturation.

If you want to deal with these guys you need to act fast and take a chance. Maybe you won’t like the stone in hand. Flip it on loupetroup. Try again. For under $1500 it’s worth it.

You’ve made some great points that one should be ok with in their mind before they go this route.

but I will add that your use of the term ‘flip it on LT’ might be understood in different ways here on PS.
Flipping generally means you are in for making a profit and frowned upon in posting about it on PS.

 

[Ionysis]

Ah no I didn’t mean that. What I meant was that at the prices you get from a local vendor it should be possible to sell on for what you paid ONO.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Can anyone tell me who this IG vendor is from the original post? I promise I'm not in the market for a pad for a long, long while! I just love my feed to be filled with pretties!

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

Ah no I didn’t mean that. What I meant was that at the prices you get from a local vendor it should be possible to sell on for what you paid ONO.

I understood what you were trying to say, @Ionysis! Funny how in just a few years, my attitude towards buying shinies have gone from, "OMG I love it and I'll treasure it forever" to "Welp at least if I need to sell it later, I don't think I'll take too huge a loss."

 

[ShinyPink]

Can anyone tell me who this IG vendor is from the original post? I promise I'm not in the market for a pad for a long, long while! I just love my feed to be filled with pretties!

This vendor is leenagemslk. I've bought a few stones and all were as described. Vendor is very nice, too. Some of his photos you can tell have "extra lighting" on them, like one recently with a tsavorite. The vendor will happily send more pics.

Another one I love, thanks to @Ionysis is Ceylonsapphiregems. He is also very friendly and nice. Super pretty stones. I have one arriving any day now!

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

@MrsKMB thanks for responding! I just looked and saw I'm already following both, lol. But it is great to hear the positive reviews on PS. I hope you share when yours arrives!

 

[Ionysis]

This vendor is leenagemslk. I've bought a few stones and all were as described. Vendor is very nice, too. Some of his photos you can tell have "extra lighting" on them, like one recently with a tsavorite. The vendor will happily send more pics.

Another one I love, thanks to @Ionysis is Ceylonsapphiregems. He is also very friendly and nice. Super pretty stones. I have one arriving any day now!

Ooh which one did you buy?! I’ve got two little ones in the post from him for my sapphire bracelet and have just agreed on a cornflower blue which is going to be my final sapphire purchase this year until I finish all my projects.

 

[yaygems]

I can commiserate. But not all IG vendors are the same. I think there are great threads about "local" IG sellers, stylogems and something else that @Polyhex has bought from and had great luck. But there is a huge difference between a local at the mines seller, this guy is in Sri Lanka I believe, and someone running an IG account from an office in HK or the US. Many countries with mines also wouldn't allow for returns, or it would be a hassle so that is why that's rarely mentioned
So, yes the advice for photos and certs is excellent advice, if you want a super bargain you have to forgo that. Which is fine, it just isn't for everyone. I can stomach it on tourmalines, less so when we start over 4 figures. But that is my risk tolerance. Pads are tricky and almost always have to be seen in person, some folks get super lucky or are flexible in their color mix. I totally understand the desire for exactly what you want in an ER and you should have it. best of luck in your search.

Yes pads are definitely tricky, I have looked at a lot of "safer" retail sellers but honestly their pads were not that impressive and extremely expensive. A lot of them also just came with local lab certs so I figured I may as well buy from local sellers so at least it will be a lot cheaper. Thanks I will update the thread when I find another one!

 

[yaygems]

IG sellers like this are one step away from the mine.

They aren’t going to give you that kind of service.

They are used to dealing with wholesalers or collectors who will buy multiple stones frequently. Not retail clients looking for an engagement ring stone.

To haggle just ask “Is there any room to negotiate on price”. Or offer 20% less and see what they say. The more often you buy from a seller like that the better the price will likely be.

The rules in Sri Lanka, and the descriptions are not the same as the US, U.K. or EU.

“Eye clean” means a few inclusions
“100% eye clean” means actually eye clean
“Loupe clean” you almost never hear
“Too clean” means the stone didn’t have enough inclusions even under v high magnification for the lab to be able to confirm it’s natural and / or unheated so they won’t certify it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t natural, just that they won’t give a report saying so.

“Padparadscha” will be applied to any stone with pink and orange in it even when there are other modifiers and it wouldn’t get a GRS cert saying that. This isn’t dishonest - it’s a locally accepted description - and it doesn’t necessarily mean a whacked up price.

“Peach” will often be applied to a stone that I’ve seen US vendors call pad. It just means it’s very pale / lacks saturation.

If you want to deal with these guys you need to act fast and take a chance. Maybe you won’t like the stone in hand. Flip it on loupetroup. Try again. For under $1500 it’s worth it.

Thanks, that's a lot of helpful advice, I think I feel a lot more at ease now as a lot of people have the idea that local sellers are untrustworthy but it's probably just different cultures and different standards.

Btw, since you seem to have a lot of experience, what vendors do you use that you can recommend? Eventually I'll find another one and I'll be ready to take the jump lol!

 

[yaygems]

This vendor is leenagemslk. I've bought a few stones and all were as described. Vendor is very nice, too. Some of his photos you can tell have "extra lighting" on them, like one recently with a tsavorite. The vendor will happily send more pics.

Another one I love, thanks to @Ionysis is Ceylonsapphiregems. He is also very friendly and nice. Super pretty stones. I have one arriving any day now!

I'm glad you mentioned ceylonsapphiregems as I was also looking at his stones! Does he also have good prices? Let us know how it goes!

 

[Ionysis]

I'm glad you mentioned ceylonsapphiregems as I was also looking at his stones! Does he also have good prices? Let us know how it goes!

I’ve bought quite a few stones from him. Very nice quality and reasonable cost. He is an honest person.

 

[ShinyPink]

Ooh which one did you buy?!

This baby! 3.65ct unheated. It's beautiful! I tried to take a decent pic, but I'm horrible. I was too scared I'd drop it to wiggle my hand and get a true picture. It does not have that dark zone you see in my pic.

 

[Ionysis]

Love it! I almost went for that one. I took the 5ct instead. Although my bank balance isn’t supporting me!

 

[ean]

This baby! 3.65ct unheated. It's beautiful! I tried to take a decent pic, but I'm horrible. I was too scared I'd drop it to wiggle my hand and get a true picture. It does not have that dark zone you see in my pic.

Ohhh this is beautiful!!!