So I bought a loose sapphire...

[Pieface]

 

[Sparkalicious]

You are naughty ...

What are you going to do with it? Fess up.

Love the new av pic.

 

[Pieface]

*EDIT* Note to self don''t press the enter button as you get an empty thread unexpectedly!
*EDIT2* and I can''t edit the first post..blast!

Hiya guys and Gals,

I bought a natural untreated sapphire to make a wedding gift for my girl. You can see the picture from the vendor as my avatar. Now I''ve received the stone and it is a lot darker in tone than I perceived over the monitor...admittedly I am aware that the stone is almost invariably going to be different in the flesh. I am a little thrown off by this clash of expectation and reality but I don''t not like the stone(to make a double negative

). It seems well cut (to a noob) and in the brief moments I''ve had to have a look at it, there has been plenty of chunky facet flashes. I will post a couple of shots I snagged with the camera.

The stone is 1.6ct parti-sapphire. I really like the symbolism of this parti sapphire as the stone is composed of yellow and blue sapphire that come together and present a single colour on the face up of the stone, kinda appropriate for a marriage don''t ya think?

I guess what I''m after is if anyone has any setting tips or tricks that may help to lighten the tone of the stone...or at least settings to avoid to not compound the problem. I am planning to set the stone into a ring, probably east-west with some small diamond accents on the shoulders, probably ~2pt round brilliants in a triangle shape.

 

[neatfreak]

Try to keep the setting as open as possible. The more metal you add (via a halo or bezel in particular) will darken the stone a few shades.

 

[Pieface]

My shot is closer to the true tone but is probably a little over dark after white balancing

 

[Pieface]

And one showing the cool blue flashes the stone throws out.
I''ll get some better photos with some more time as these were under a lamp. I didn''t manage to get any real good ones as yet. The stone seems like maybe it is too dark dfor static brilliance but it scintillates quite well if that makes any sense...

 

[Pieface]

Here''s one I haven''t white balanced to try and get a truer picture of the how the body colour works as a whole even if the actual colour is off.

 

[Pieface]

Oh yeah guys it was a cheap stone ($400AU) and I have 10 days to return it so don''t be afraid to be critical

I''m certainly open to being shown some other stones

I am going to send some time playing around with it. If it throws lots of blue flashes it may be worth the price I paid combined with the novelty value. If it doesn''t then it is a pretty dark stone and will be returned.

 

[Pieface]

Well I''m certainly finding it a lot harder to shoot a coloured stone than a diamond! Between the reflections off the facets and trying to figure out how to position a loose stone I''m in a spin.

I finally got one that shows a little of the blue...or maybe it''s just reflecting the sky

At the least it looks like it would be a mean stone for burning ants judging by the picture

PS. sorry for all the multi posting

 

[Pieface]

*edit* double post - whoops

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 1/29/2008 8:33:26 PM
Author: Pieface
The stone seems like maybe it is too dark dfor static brilliance but it scintillates quite well if that makes any sense...

yea that makes sence.
Also explains the price.
It comes down too do you like it? will she like it?

Me? Id return it in a heartbeat.

 

[movie zombie]

i''d return it too. seems there isn''t any color at all in a good part of the stone. at least that''s how it looks on my monitor.

movie zombie

 

[Missrocks]

Honestly, I think that it is way too dark. It will have no "life" in the setting.

Strmrdr made a good point. Will SHE like it?

 

[Pieface]

Thanks for the honest input there guys. I don''t know how my avatar and my pictures compare on your screens but there is a massive difference on mine!

I have contacted the vendor and they have some new stones arriving in the next few days. They now know I am after something considerably lighter in tone than how this stone presents. I knew it would be a gamble at this price bracket so I''m out a few bucks for postage. It''s a bit of a bugger because I really like the way the stone looks in my avatar but it is just so different in person. At least I still have plenty of time up my sleeve to find an alternative.

You are right about the colouring Movie Zombie the stone is a mix yellow and blue sapphire. Not everyones cup of tea but I quite like the effect.

 

[mugumbris]

Hi
being a long time parti and all sapphire cutter ask for a yellow and green they are much brighter and get a brilliant cut not a step-cut.brilliant will mix the colours and step will just show the patterns of colour(unless is a nice mixture of colour),thats why your 1st choice was so dull!I would have made the pavillion radiant to get the light back to the viewer.
Also being a gemmologist setting style as in open setting has no effect on light coming back from a stone. A closed setting is much better for Parti''s to get there mixture of colours back to you.
your 1st choice looks more like a blue-green parti and if you mix those colours it cuts dark so I avoid blue-green parti''s.
Mugumbris
P.S but if you like it who cares.

 

[movie zombie]

i even like the blue/green parti sapphires...... i don'' mind parti if the color is there. on my monitor, the what i now know is yellow looks clear.

mugumbris, do you have a picture you can post of a yellow/green parti that you''ve cut as described? my imagination has gone wild with delight!

movie zombie

 

[chrono]

The actual stone is way too dark, so dark that I can't even make out the bi-colour, so I'd return it ASAP. It isn't worth it trying to work so hard at angling the stone this way and that way just to eek out a flash of blue once a while. Ask for something medium toned and you should be able to get something more akin to what is pictured in your avatar.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yep, it is much too dark and does not have the appearance of two colors. It just looks like the blue is very uneven. I think I''d really go for solid blue for an e-ring. Take a look at Missrocks avatar for an example of a gorgeous color blue!

 

[Missrocks]

Awww...Thanks diamondseeker!

 

[Pieface]

Something tells me Missrocks'' is worth a bit more than 400 bucks

It is an awesome sapphire.

Mugumbris, Ive only seen one site offering the yellow/green parti and the site gives only very limited information.

http://www.qualitygemstones.com.au/sapphire_parti.htm

Can you recommend anywhere else to try?

The stone isn''t for an engagement ring DS. I just want a present to give to her on the wedding day with a little message and the wedding date engraved inside.

Cheers,

Pieface

 

[singingbell]

I think your ring idea sounds wonderful, especially the symbolism behind it! I have a parti sapphire ring that''s actually very similar to what you described, except no side stones. Here''s an old thread with some pictures of my ring, which may give you some ideas for the setting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-sapphire-has-found-a-home.61043/

Your sapphire does look too dark to me in the pictures you took, but the real test is how you (and your sweetie) like the stone in person. Look at the sapphire under different lighting conditions, especially in places where your future wife might be most often while wearing the ring. Trust your eyes -- does the stone exhibit the contrast of the two colors the way you''d want? Does it show off its uniqueness in such a way that would make you (and her) happy when you look at it? If so, find a setting that will allow as much light to reach the stone as possible. But if the answer is no, I suggest returning it.

 

[Missrocks]

Date: 1/30/2008 7:07:10 PM
Author: Pieface
Something tells me Missrocks' is worth a bit more than 400 bucks

It is an awesome sapphire.

Mugumbris, Ive only seen one site offering the yellow/green parti and the site gives only very limited information.

http://www.qualitygemstones.com.au/sapphire_parti.htm

Can you recommend anywhere else to try?

The stone isn't for an engagement ring DS. I just want a present to give to her on the wedding day with a little message and the wedding date engraved inside.

Cheers,

Pieface

Thanks Pieface

. Yes..just a tad bit more than 400.

But not to say I only love the bright blues. I think that (yours) would have been a super unique and special stone, had it truly looked like your avatar. I really do like the symbolism behind it. I'm sorry I'm not of any help suggesting where else to go.

 

[Pieface]

Maybe if I walk around shining an extra powerful torch on it all the time...

The vendor is going to send me through some information on some other stones in the next few days and also my jeweller is going to see what he can find with any luck too...and there is always the net.

 

[mugumbris]

Here is a 3.15ct cushion cut parti which was a colour change.It went emerald green in sunlight ,bright blue-green in the shade and blue-green and salmon pink in incandescent light and blue-green -yellow under flouro light.
The rough was a blue-yellow-green parti.The colours must be bright to get a good brilliance out of a stone plus the cut helps too.

 

[mugumbris]

a green-yellow parti

 

[mugumbris]

and a yellow-green parti sapphire but you have got to imagine the pale yellow in the photos is really canary yellow.
Sorry for the grainy photos and the dusty stones I need a new diamond cloth!!
Mugumbris

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That''s a really pretty green stone!

Pieface, sorry I missed where you said it is a wedding gift. That is very sweet of you! But I would say that after many years of experience, I would advise you to not buy any stone unless you can buy a really good one. My not-so-great pieces sit in a dark jewelry box all the time. I would buy the best blue that you can find and not try to get the two color look, because if I had seen that sapphire, I would have thought it was really poor quality because of the uneven color. You''d be better off getting a smaller sapphire to put in some kind of halo setting. Also, don''t worry about low heat treatment. That will allow you to get a little more for your money. I think I have read that 95% of sapphires have had some heat, and it is okay to look at those. I have talked to Jeff White about that, and he is a stone cutter. In fact, take a look at Jeff''s site. I know he is in Tuscon now, but he''ll be back in a week or so.

 

[Pieface]

Thanks for the pictures mugumbris. It sounds like you have some interesting stones!

Thanks to you also DS for your input. I have been looking at a few cutters sites and Jeff''s has been among them. You Americans are a bit spoiled with all your top end lapidarists (if that''s how you say it

) His work looks to be very fine.

I have had some preliminary talks with another vendor about a smaller spinel 0.82ct...
picture nicked from the vendor - hope he doesn''t mind

Any thoughts on how to jazz up this stone in an East-West whitegold setting?

 

[vivianv]

Oh! I like that spinel!

 

[rainydaze]

Date: 2/4/2008 2:33:45 AM
Author: vivianv
Oh! I like that spinel!

me too!!