Spectacular sapphires - how to find them

[sapphiredream]

I am starting a new thread as I did not want to highjack another poster's who made a sapphire inquiry.

As I mentioned there, the vast majority of sapphires I have seen IRL have been less than impressive.
In stores or on people's hands - I usually see some dark, opaque, flat stone with very few flashes of blue. If any, maybe you get some navy.
Yet the PRINCELY sapphire - right up there, right below its "better", the kingly diamond - is supposed to be "all that".
But IRL you usually just see "meh".

Then you turn to the Internet and get these mind-blowing blues in sapphires that send you dreaming.
And you start wondering whether it's just computer tricks.

As some posters already answered in the aforemnetioned thread - apparently, those are not "just tricks" - but the trouble is such dreamy sapphires are rare.

Question becomes how to get to the good ones and how you recognize one if the search happens on the Net (computer tricks or the real deal)? What sapphire vendors are recommended?

For example - how would you qualify the sapphires on this site?

http://www.thegemtrader.com/Gems SR Page 1.htm

If the images I see there held IRL, I would be content.

But if I see the above on the computer...and then I get this IRL:



or in fact much worse (this one is not too bad)...especially under regular day light instead of 1 million electric bleeppers - then we have a problem.

So how would you evaluate the sapphires above? How about no 5 specifically (the pear?)
Great, Good, meh?
How would you expect those to look IRL?

Thank you so much!

 

[qubitasaurus]

The 2.1 ct trillion reminds me of makingthegrade's trillion

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-sapphire-need-setting-help.173077/

I think you would have to buy it and see. But the rest I am afraid they look pretty meh to me. Concavegems has a couple that I feel are vivid. But they are not cheap.

Ultimately there will be no substitute for seeing the stone in hand as photography is so hard to read and there is so much variation in style between differnt vendors, so I think that is the only way you will know. But I also don't think there are any shortcuts -- the vendor knows far more about what his stone is worth than I do. So I expect that in the best case scenario I can get it at a fair price. A vividly saturated Sapphire is rare, and (even at a fair price) it will be expensive. I can also remember several posts where the price seemed to good to be true -- and the stone turned out to have a feather inclusion that made it potentially unstable or some other severe issue. Of course I can remember some other advalentures which ended better too... So you never know. But by the time you put in a few hundred hours looking for a needle in a hay stack-- it is difficult to say you 'got it cheaply', so I still think it is worthwhile being circumspect about the fact that they are rare and consequently command a premium.

 

[sapphiredream]

Makingthegrade's trillion has a GORGEOUS color! I'd be happy with that.

Even the pear-shaped on that list looks very nice to me - IF it looked like this IRL too.
But the price..hmmm..isn't that a bit too good to be true for over 2 cts?

What's with THAT pretty thing??

And then you see things like this:



Based on what you said...well before you get so lucky that you find a truly beautiful one at a price NOT reserved for non-mortals...you give up on the sapphire and move onto another stone.

Sapphires are harder than it looks.

 

[qubitasaurus]

You might like to see if she still has it for sale.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mass-listings.222790/

It is a long shot. But I seem to remember the price was very good.

 

[qubitasaurus]

The pear is too silky for me. I would really advise going to see some sapphires at jewlers and trade shows. To learn what you like and what your personal preferences are. Be aware sapphires also shift colour a lot depending on lighting. So they can look very different from their photos.

Sorry I missed the end of your post. I guess my 2c would be 'don't torture yourself about it'. If you really end up wanting it then eventually precisiongems will list something, or something will come up on loupetroop or through a tradeshow and it will just happen. But I would concentrate on enjoying learning about stones, and maybe enjoy learning about other types of stones as well. You never know what you'll fall in love with. And not embark on a several year long quest for the holy grail stone, as life/time is too valuable to spend limitless amounts of it on a stone. And your holy grail is going to change anyway as you learn more about what you do and don't like....

 

[Frost]

How about no 5 specifically (the pear?)

Good base color, vivid saturation, but silky. Now, photos can make the stones look more silky than they do to the naked eye (on account of the macro lens doing its thing), but the stones should still be able to light up even then.

How would you expect those to look IRL?

Nicely blue, but slightly dull.

Ideally, either you could get the stone and see whether it lights up properly in daylight, or you could keep looking for something pretty much the same but without so much silk. Which you already pretty much have on the link you posted - both the 2.10 trillion and the 2.57 emerald cuts look a lot better than the pear. Neither will have any trouble lighting up, and both have an excellent color (the trillion a bit more so).


EDIT: Also, very much what qubitasaurus said above - enjoy the journey since your destination will change as you travel.

 

[Seaglow]

Internet photos tend to have professional lighting most of the time. The seller may not purposely deceive clients but strong light can bring up color.

Also it is true that individual stones react to different types of lighting so the best way is to really see the stone in different lighting conditions. Here are sample photos (btw, the cushion in the ring is a kyanite, just throwing it in for fun.

The reason many like darker stones is the there are darker stones that can appear "crisp" in some lighting. Also, the supply of medium colored stones are fewer as I've observed in the market and there are stones that may appear a bit washed out in some lighting. I've also seen some dark stones classified by major labs as royal blue. True they are dark, but the flashes of blue they give can be mesmerizing so I won't personally set aside a dark stone when the bright blue flashes that give a nice contrast to the darker body color.

Here are sample, unfiltered, unaltered photos.

The 2 stones in the danglers are heated, the baguette and 2 loose rounds are unheated, for reference.

Photo under LED lamp:



Photo in natural light, indoors.



Photo in direct sunlight.



Photo in indirect sunlight, outdoors.



Note that the baguette and the cab ring and the oval ring looks dark in the photos. But if I focus the LED lamp on them without flash, the color shows.



This is a heated royal blue with GRS report from a dealer. Dark but very pleasant IRL.

 

[Nosean]

Excellent post - esp. how LED works on blue stones!

Blue spinel for example look often much better ( less gray).

And love your collection..

 

[arkieb1]

Most blue sapphires colour change in different lighting situations and are difficult to get accurate photos of as well.

 

[sapphiredream]

Amazing colors above...I'd be happy with most of those.

How can you go to a gem show as a member of the public?
Everything I've seen in my area seems to be reserved to members of the trade only.
If anyone has a recommendation for such a show in the Atlanta area I would appreciate it.

 

[sapphiredream]

Finally...I was wondering whether going the estate/pre-owned jewelry route might be a better way to get a truly beautiful sapphire at a price that is not a killer.
I LOVE estate pieces with some history/character behind them - provided they are genuinely beautiful pieces. Some have superb designs that I I couldn't come up with by going new and custom - to save my life.

But I suppose the very beautiful sapphires would keep their value even pre-ownned.
But being "used", one would hope you could get a better deal this way.

The "champagne taste on a beer budget" syndrome is always a serious problem.

 

[digdeep]

The only way you can get the champagne and KNOW it's the Dom Perrignon et al, is with someone knowingly selling a valuable gem at a discount--and that would include valid documentation on the gem. Otherwise, you are hoping to find a hidden treasure...... Not impossible, but you take the risk by not knowing what you are buying until you can verify as Niel did with her CL find.

 

[sapphiredream]

The only way you can get the champagne and KNOW it's the Dom Perrignon et al, is with someone knowingly selling a valuable gem at a discount--and that would include valid documentation on the gem. Otherwise, you are hoping to find a hidden treasure...... Not impossible, but you take the risk by not knowing what you are buying until you can verify as Niel did with her CL find.

I think I saw that one- it has an awesome blue!
Nothing in MY CL area.

 

[digdeep]

To clarify I was not suggesting you use CL............

 

[costarricenze]

Hi everybody, again it's me perturbing your peaceful and probably frozen day. This is a video of the second one from the first post.

https://www.facebook.com/mastercutgems/posts/1536464979783347

I think that is like a turquoise tone, is that good or bad?
My gf likes that color but I'm pretty sure she prefers a more blue one, but I'm not where to search. As i see, montana sapphires always look like turquoise. Personally, I love that color, but i know her favorite color is plain blue. I think I'm sinking on my confussion.

 

[sapphiredream]

Generally speaking, if we were to consider two sapphires of the same carat weight, same color and equivalent cut quality - with the only difference that one is round or oval and the other is pear-shaped.

All else being equal, would the pear-shape be expected to go for less because it is less popular?

 

[sapphiredream]

I received more images for a sapphire stone I am looking at. I do love pear-shapes and I hope that their lower popularity can help with the price.
On a scale from 1-10...where would you place this sapphire? Price is 1384, 2.31 ct, 9.3 x 7.4.
I have a video too but don't know how to post video files here.

 

[costarricenze]

Hi everybody, again it's me perturbing your peaceful and probably frozen day. This is a video of the second one from the first post...
.

Wrong post, ignore that

 

[Frost]

I received more images for a sapphire stone I am looking at. I do love pear-shapes and I hope that their lower popularity can help with the price.
On a scale from 1-10...where would you place this sapphire? Price is 1384, 2.31 ct, 9.3 x 7.4.
I have a video too but don't know how to post video files here.

To me the stone looks very, very silky and dim.
Sapphires can be 'sleepy' and still be considered very high quality if the silk helps them light up (which to a certain point/amount of silk, it does) - but past that finely balanced point the more silk, the dimmer the stone.
What I'm trying to say is a little bit of silk in a color like the above can be a plus over none, but the stone seems to have too much of it. The price seems to take this into account though.
I'd be concerned over it looking dark and having trouble lighting up in some scenarios (like indoors, on dark days, etc.), but maybe it looks different in the video you have.

 

[sapphiredream]

To me the stone looks very, very silky and dim.
Sapphires can be 'sleepy' and still be considered very high quality if the silk helps them light up (which to a certain point/amount of silk, it does) - but past that finely balanced point the more silk, the dimmer the stone.
What I'm trying to say is a little bit of silk in a color like the above can be a plus over none, but the stone seems to have too much of it.

Yeah...I agree.
"Dim" was the word I was looking for. They should light up...in a crystaline kind of way.

 

[MTHealthyLiving]

I think most of those “brilliant” blue sapphires you are seeing are lab created.
If you want the best sapphires in the world, come to Montana! Our yogos are only found right here.

 

[sapphiredream]

I think most of those “brilliant” blue sapphires you are seeing are lab created.
If you want the best sapphires in the world, come to Montana! Our yogos are only found right here.

The one seaglow posted are not lab-created as far as I know - an d they are gorgeous.

But I have seen some Montana sapphires too and I am starting to fall for that teal-blue, "historic" color. Something so mellow and romantic about it - more so than the sharp bright cobalt.

So where do I find the nicest Montana sapphires? Atre they less than the regular Sapphires?

 

[MTHealthyLiving]

The thing about yogos is they vary in color. Mine is a pretty rich blue, while others can be that teal you mentioned, and some even purple.

Are you looking for loose yogo sapphires or yogo sapphire jewelry?

As where to find them...

Lewistown, MT...
They are mined just 40 miles from Lewistown, then sold to various jewelers across the state. We have a store here in Lewistown that has a really nice selection. If you are on Instagram, use the hashtag #yogosapphire and you will be able to see the accounts of the jewelers that carry them, as well as the people that mine them.

As for price, no, they are not less than regular sapphires. They are very expensive (more than diamonds) because they are so rare.
My yogo/diamond ring is very small (but beautiful) and it was $1,000k, with the yogo being the reason. The yogo in it is only .14 carats.

 

[MTHealthyLiving]

I lied!

The yogo in my ring is only .11 carats, and the diamonds are only .18 carats. Very small ring, but kind of pricy.

Well worth it though!

 

[chroman]

This could be a contender:
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p362/2.55_ct_Blue_Sapphire.html

 

[minousbijoux]

This could be a contender:
https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p362/2.55_ct_Blue_Sapphire.html

LOVE the color in the hand shot, though its interesting how different it looks in the other photos...

 

[sapphiredream]

LOVE the color in the hand shot, though its interesting how different it looks in the other photos...

The color is very convincing...but at that price, it'd better be. sad
I have seen other sapphires of this carat weight at a much, much lower price but not necessarily at a much, much worse color.

 

[Frost]

I think most of those “brilliant” blue sapphires you are seeing are lab created.

Not really, in fact I'd go as far as to say that practically none offered on any reputable websites are. Naturals are incredibly easy to tell apart from synthetics even at a glance - the natural stones, even the loupe clean ones, almost always contain some giveaway or another.
Besides, top of the line cornflower/royal blue sapphires can be had by the dozen (particularly if heated). The market is massive.

The color is very convincing...but at that price, it'd better be. sad
I have seen other sapphires of this carat weight at a much, much lower price but not necessarily at a much, much worse color.

There is a HUGE difference in price between how the stone looks in the lamplight pics (first three) and the one on the hand (last) - they should have edited it to reflect the actual color. The stone in the first three images is a strongly saturated medium blue, but no more than that. The last photo (which seems to be correct according to the description) is a very high quality vivid royal blue. And the price difference between that and medium is very large.

But I have seen some Montana sapphires too and I am starting to fall for that teal-blue, "historic" color.

For teal, greenish-blue and similar colors, I think Montana wins over any other source. Australia can compete with Montana where green is concerned, but not when it comes to teal-turquoise.

That's how it is though. You have different sources and different colors which the sources tend to represent particularly well. For vivid/glowing pure blue, Kashmir/Burma/Sri Lanka/Madagascar. For darker/dimmer blue, Nigeria, Cameroon, Thailand, Cambodia, Australia. For good green, Australia. For good teal, turquoise and green, Montana. That's generally speaking - of course there are some exceptions once in a while.

 

[chroman]

LOVE the color in the hand shot, though its interesting how different it looks in the other photos...

Right! It's not clear how much of that is color shift due to lighting vs the camera. The price and discription seem to reflect the hand shot, so more info would be needed.

 

[sapphiredream]

Any opinion on this sapphire?

http://www.thegemtrader.com/Jun13BSapphirePage.htm

I need opinion in terms of overall quality as well as price. Could one do better?