Star Sapphire E-Ring

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 6/19/2009 7:53:59 AM
Author: Kismet
How about this one from Multicolour.com?

Does that one have a scratch/inclusion going across it or is it just me?
Multicolour has a big selection at pretty low prices, but returns are a huge hassle I hear (which is what prevents me from buying pricier items from them.) Also, I wish I knew what standards they were using for "translucent" since they seem to only have 2 grades for the clarity of their sapphires: opaque and translucent.
If I went with multicolour, I''d definitely ask for many more pictures.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 6/19/2009 4:35:36 AM
Author: NeonPeon

Author: VRBeauty


But since diamonds are the norm for engagement rings these days, it might be worth your while to slyly prod to see whether that might be her preference in spite of her bohemian taste in other things...

I'm 27 now, and have known I was going to marry my girlfriend for about 3 years now. If I gave her a diamond, she'd be happy because she's nice, she loves me, and she's got a sense of perspective, but once the glow wore off from the proposal, I think she'd think it quite thoughtless. She prefers cabs, and she is thoroughly uninterested in diamonds, that I'm certain of. She finds 99% of engagement rings terribly dull, which is nice, because so do I.


I'm also absolutely positive she'd LOVE a JM setting, so that's non negotiable. It's not just from looking at her jewelry, I'm just certain of it from knowing her.


I'm also quite sure she'd like a star sapphire, and I think she'd love a purple one, though other colours could work.


What I'm all of a sudden feeling less confident about, is picking this stone. I'm feeling like despite my efforts to have a crash course in star sapphires, after scouring many websites and making several trips to that sleazy sales sanctuary - the LA jewelry district, I'm no closer than when I started. The whole universe of gem sales is foreign to me, I'm discouraged and a little untrusting of many vendors.


That'd be fine if it was a gift. I'm sure I'd appreciate the hunt more if it was for me, I could wait forever to figure this thing out. I've waited a few years to get the logistics in my life sorted, but I've wanted to get married for a while now. Now that I'm this close, I am running low on patience. I won't compromise my standards, but I'm feeling like finding these less in demand stones is very difficult and only slowly achieved on the internet. Perhaps I should rely on JM's eye, because my trying to source the stone has me going in circles.


I do have one stone I'm looking at from the NSC that I quite like, and I may have sent on approval. It is a lovely saturated purple/magenta. My only concern with them is that their stuff in general seems highly priced, and when doing a bit of research around here people seemed to think likewise. That said, they seem to have a much more refined selection that what I have seen elsewhere.


Any recommendations as to sites I may have overlooked are most welcome, sorry for the wordiness.

Do you mean this stone (see pic below)? The color seems very nice. One thing I realized when reviewing stones from the NSC in person is that those stones tend to look one-dimensional and kind of dull in the website pictures but, in reality, they're much more "alive" and translucent [especially if their clarity is either "Perfection (IF, VVS1)" or "Insignificant Inclusions (VVS2")]. For example, the +4 carats purplish blue stone from the NSC (which I posted at the very beginning) has "Insignificant Inclusions" (and the gem looked a lot nicer in real life). I'm mentioning this, since the magenta star sapphire has "Insignificant Inclusions."

As far as FINE STAR SAPPHIRES/RUBIES are concerned, I don't think The NSC is overpriced. You might *think* you're getting a better deal somewhere else (e.g., Intagems), but probably two things are at play: (1) The quality of the gem is inferior, or (2) The gem is being misrepresented (trust me, a fine star sapphire weighing over 5 carats, with a great body color, decent clarity, and a perfect star is highly valued and you won't find any "bargains" so to speak). The posts that you have read here on PS about The NSC being overpriced, were most likely referring to some cases of poorly cut FACETED STONES. That's a different story.

Now, if you live in the L.A. area, you could consider going on a trip to Pala International (Palagems).

http://www.palagems.com/home.htm

My star ruby is actually from Palagems. However, my FI purchased it through The NSC, since their price was more competitive (Palagems can sell you gems directly at their retail prices, or you can buy them through your own dealer/jeweler. Now, that I think about it, even James Meyer could source you a gem from Palagems!). Pala is also a reputable dealer. Not all of their inventory is posted on their website, so if you could go there in person, you would see a lot of gems that are not online yet.

 

[RubyCharm]

Magenta Star Sapphire...

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Oooo that''s pretty rubycharm!

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/19/2009 8:01:29 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 6/19/2009 7:53:59 AM
Author: Kismet
How about this one from Multicolour.com?

Does that one have a scratch/inclusion going across it or is it just me?
Multicolour has a big selection at pretty low prices, but returns are a huge hassle I hear (which is what prevents me from buying pricier items from them.) Also, I wish I knew what standards they were using for ''translucent'' since they seem to only have 2 grades for the clarity of their sapphires: opaque and translucent.
If I went with multicolour, I''d definitely ask for many more pictures.

I also wonder about that huge line going across the sapphire.

Another thing to note is the apparent flatness of the stone. While it means it will face up larger, the downside is that the star will not move as well (appear to roll across the surface stone) when the gem is rotated.

 

[chrono]

Ruby,
That''s a pretty purple star sapphire.

 

[PinkTower]

Ruby,
Thanks for posting all this interesting material. You seem to know about every gorgeous star in the USA! I have learned a lot from what you posted.
If you don''t mind me asking, how long did you research before you made a decision on a stone?

 

[NeonPeon]

That is indeed the stone I was looking at. I am going to have it sent, perhaps with one other for comparison of a weaker whitish/babyblue hue, stronger star.

The ONLY thing the stone has against it is that the star is quite light according to their report. According to what I had read, especially on wildfish, the asterism is generally hoped to be stronger. The ruby you showed has it all, but its also accordingly twice as expensive.

I looked at every star sapphire in the coloured gem vendor list. I''m beginning to understand how few stones I''m actually selecting from especially given I''m looking for blue/purple, as I''m looking for a subset of a subset. At the price I could get a 3-5carat gem that''s alive and translucent AND has a strong star, but not with any deep rich colour.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 6/19/2009 12:29:07 PM
Author: Pink Tower
Ruby,

Thanks for posting all this interesting material. You seem to know about every gorgeous star in the USA! I have learned a lot from what you posted.

If you don't mind me asking, how long did you research before you made a decision on a stone?

The overall search took about four months (first in B&M stores, then on the Internet). I must confess I changed my mind a few times (my choices were: faceted sapphires, faceted rubies, star rubies, and star sapphires) before I found THE ONE. My FI had a certain budget in mind, but I insisted that he spend only half of that budget on my e-ring (there were other things I wanted to spend the rest of the money on). However, after I saw my star ruby, I had to have it. The whole ring turned out to be a little bit more expensive than my FI's original budget (so, there was no money left for other things

). So, yeah, we went over budget, but it was worth it.

 

[innerkitten]

I love that magenta star sapphire!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I love that "i need to have that" feeling, that''s how I felt when I saw my pad sapphire.
4 months huh? Hmm...I''ll keep that in mind when I start thinking about my graduation project. Thanks!

 

[T L]

Date: 6/19/2009 8:01:29 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 6/19/2009 7:53:59 AM
Author: Kismet
How about this one from Multicolour.com?

Does that one have a scratch/inclusion going across it or is it just me?
Multicolour has a big selection at pretty low prices, but returns are a huge hassle I hear (which is what prevents me from buying pricier items from them.) Also, I wish I knew what standards they were using for 'translucent' since they seem to only have 2 grades for the clarity of their sapphires: opaque and translucent.
If I went with multicolour, I'd definitely ask for many more pictures.

OMG - YESSS!!! I not only had to contact David Weinberg and get a return authorization from him, but ship the items back UNINSURED in a flat padded envelope global priority mail with nothing inside (kind of scary) except the stones in some bubble wrap. And then I had to email the tracking number to David Weinberg, hold my breath that it got there safely, and then he issued a refund, which took several day to show up on my account. In the meantime, no S&H to me or him is reimbursed, and S&H to him from the States is at least $25. He also has told me that he would charge a 3% restocking fee on all future refunds because I return so much.

As a result, I'm pretty much done with MC.com and I don't like their grades. I don't think they're always correct, although some people love MC.com and swear by them. Returns are a nightmare!! I wish they had a U.S. office like some other Thai based vendors like AJSgems.com.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 6/19/2009 3:09:51 PM
Author: MakingTheGrade
I love that ''i need to have that'' feeling, that''s how I felt when I saw my pad sapphire.

4 months huh? Hmm...I''ll keep that in mind when I start thinking about my graduation project. Thanks!

Hehe, it''s a great feeling (especially after you start wondering whether you''ll ever find what you''re looking for), but I stopped being a rational person at that point! I wouldn''t have gone over budget if I hadn''t experienced that feeling. In retrospect, it wasn''t such a long hunt, but I''m sure I would have continued my search for up to year if necessary (I think somebody here on PS--Timmy, if I recall well--spend about a year looking for the perfect ruby for his fiancee

).

 

[NeonPeon]

Author: RubyCharm
Timmy, if I recall well--spend about a year looking for the perfect ruby for his fiancee

Wow, he''s a better man than I!

I''m very excited to see the NSC stuff next week, my girlfriend''s sister loved the magenta stone.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 6/19/2009 7:06:39 PM
Author: NeonPeon

Author: RubyCharm

Timmy, if I recall well--spend about a year looking for the perfect ruby for his fiancee

Wow, he''s a better man than I!


I''m very excited to see the NSC stuff next week, my girlfriend''s sister loved the magenta stone.

NeonPeon, I think you''re doing great!!!

I''m also very excited for you that you''ll get to see in person such a beautiful magenta star sapphire (I''m almost a little jealous! I''ve never seen a star sapphire in that color). As for the star effect, I can tell you that I didn''t notice that much of a difference between the "strong star appearance" and "medium star appearance" classifications. I still needed strong direct light to see either type of star clearly. One is a little bit sharper/intense than the other (I think I would have been happy with either one). In the same way, I imagine a "light star appearance" will be a little less sharp/intense than a "medium star appearance," but as long as the star has all 6 legs, I''d still expect it to look quite amazing in strong direct light. Keep us posted!

 

[RubyCharm]

NeonPeon, any news?

I saw that the status of the magenta star ruby changed to "on hold"... did you get it delivered?

 

[chrono]

Another inquiring mind would love to know here too.

 

[NeonPeon]

Date: 6/23/2009 11:01:24 PM
Author: RubyCharm
NeonPeon, any news?


I saw that the status of the magenta star ruby changed to ''on hold''... did you get it delivered?

Yes, it is being delivered to my friends house in Minneapolis. They offered a much more reasonable price. I am going canoe camping in the Boundary Waters up there for 5 days. I will be receiving it a week from today after I''m done canoeing, along with a different stone that my girlfriend''s sister liked, which is a much paler blue (it is not listed as it is a new stone). This is mostly for a comparison and curiosity, as the magenta stone is the one that I''m most into.

I hope to be really captured by the magenta gem.

If not have one other gem under consideration which James Meyer found and spoke highly of.



He is having it re cut. Much more irregular star, and a very interesting mottled blue/purple color. Based on impressions I think its between the magenta stone and this one. Both are roughly the same size. If I really like the magenta star I''m not sure if I''ll wait for this other stone, but I do want to be patient.

 

[mariedtiger]

Date: 6/24/2009 2:45:06 AM
Author: NeonPeon

Date: 6/23/2009 11:01:24 PM

Author: RubyCharm

NeonPeon, any news?



I saw that the status of the magenta star ruby changed to ''on hold''... did you get it delivered?

Yes, it is being delivered to my friends house in Minneapolis. They offered a much more reasonable price. I am going canoe camping in the Boundary Waters up there for 5 days. I will be receiving it a week from today after I''m done canoeing, along with a different stone that my girlfriend''s sister liked, which is a much paler blue (it is not listed as it is a new stone). This is mostly for a comparison and curiosity, as the magenta stone is the one that I''m most into.


I hope to be really captured by the magenta gem.


If not have one other gem under consideration which James Meyer found and spoke highly of.




He is having it re cut. Much more irregular star, and a very interesting mottled blue/purple color. Based on impressions I think its between the magenta stone and this one. Both are roughly the same size. If I really like the magenta star I''m not sure if I''ll wait for this other stone, but I do want to be patient.

Hi NeonPeon,

I''ve been following this thread with interest and I really love this stone (the James Meyer). I love how interesting it looks in even without the star!!! Star gems are so lovely, you have the gorgeous cabochon, and then the star that appears in the most surprising lighting conditions. I think this is such a good choice for an engagement ring

 

[chrono]

You should be getting a discount for the mottled effect because most people do not go for such a pattern. However, I find the colour and pattern interesting as well.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 6/24/2009 2:45:06 AM
Author: NeonPeon

Date: 6/23/2009 11:01:24 PM

Author: RubyCharm

NeonPeon, any news?



I saw that the status of the magenta star ruby changed to 'on hold'... did you get it delivered?

Yes, it is being delivered to my friends house in Minneapolis. They offered a much more reasonable price. I am going canoe camping in the Boundary Waters up there for 5 days. I will be receiving it a week from today after I'm done canoeing, along with a different stone that my girlfriend's sister liked, which is a much paler blue (it is not listed as it is a new stone). This is mostly for a comparison and curiosity, as the magenta stone is the one that I'm most into.


I hope to be really captured by the magenta gem.


If not have one other gem under consideration which James Meyer found and spoke highly of.




He is having it re cut. Much more irregular star, and a very interesting mottled blue/purple color. Based on impressions I think its between the magenta stone and this one. Both are roughly the same size. If I really like the magenta star I'm not sure if I'll wait for this other stone, but I do want to be patient.

I'm looking forward to your reaction when you receive the NSC gems.

This JM gem is very unique! I've never seen anything like it. If the re-cut will improve the star, it would be great alternative (I agree with mariedtiger that it looks very interesting even without the star!).

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I really like the mottled color of the JM Looking forward to reviews of the NSC one a well!

 

[RubyCharm]

Any updates???

 

[blingergrrrl]

gaaaahhh! Where''s the rest of this story? Pls post updates!!!

I wanted a star sapphire for an ering for awhile...now I am wanting a antique faceted sapphire...lol.

I hope we get to see what BOTH stones look like...? They both look so interesting and pretty!

 

[NeonPeon]

Ok, so I just returned from a very arduous canoeing trip. 8 miles of portaging a canoe. 50 in total, cold Minnesota rain. Exhausted.

I received the NSC gems today. I was hoping to be blown away. I wasn't, which isn't to say they are very nice gems, and actually, the "magenta" gem is growing on me.

The reason for my initial surprise is that the pictures of the gems I'd seen don't really give anywhere near an accurate picture of what they look like. The magenta gem isn't really magenta at all as far as I'm concerned, it is a much darker colour than pictured. The other stone, which looks a gorgeous baby blue in the picture, while nice, has much more gray in it that would appear. The pictures look most accurate if I hold the stones an inch away from a light bulb, which obviously isn't a particularly representative situation.

I will have to look at the gems more once I have got over my initial expectations based on the pictures.

The magenta stone is the only one I'd consider of the two, as it has a lot of character, with flashes of pink/lavender dancing amongst a deep purple colour.

It has a couple faults despite it being quite nice:

1) It is very uniformly transparent except for a single cloudy band that goes across the centre of its face. It almost looks smudged.
2) The star is very weak, and would not be observable even indoors a significant amount of time. It is well formed, but is not well traveling.
3) I'm not sure if it would be observable when bezel set, but despite being marked as transparent, the stone has an inclusion which looks almost like a vein of glass. At certain angles it is quite apparent, but it also flashes a nice pink colour.

It seems I have a lot more to think about. First I think I'll try to sleep on it - I think I'd have had a better reaction to this stone, which again, is very nice, had I not seen the much different looking pictures first.

 

[Gailey]

Neon

By strange co-incidence I''ve just read through your thread and quite by chance come across this dark blue (purplish) star sapphire.

It''s towards the bottom of the page. Now what I know about sapphires or ATG Gems you can scribe on my thumbnail and still have room for the Lord''s Prayer, but I thought you might want to take a look.

Good luck in your search!

 

[chrono]

NP,
Have you had a chance to look at JM’s star sapphire in person yet? I would lean very strongly towards it; it has an interesting colour.

On an unrelated topic, sounds like you have a great canoeing trip, even though it rained quite a bit.

 

[PinkTower]

I agree with Chrono.
That ring is so interesting.
Since you know you love his work, it would follow that he chose a winner for a stone. He would have access to a wide selection. Why not get him on the phone and ask him his opinion, and then take it from there?

 

[NeonPeon]

I have had time to think about the stones more, I''ll continue doing so, so I haven''t come to a definite opinion.

The sapphire is purplish pink, but it isn''t magenta, its far too deep for that unless exposed to intense light. It is growing on me, and is a fine stone, but I talked to Jim and will be looking at the mottled stone above. I will be talking to NSC about keeping this on hold while I investigate this other option. As you have mentioned, I really like all his finished work, and he was going to use this stone for that purpose if I don''t buy it, so I can have good confidence with his eye.

Unless something leaps out, I think I will choose between the two.

I am frustrated at the discrepancy between the pics and real life though. Not even close.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 7/1/2009 10:54:36 PM
Author: NeonPeon
Ok, so I just returned from a very arduous canoeing trip. 8 miles of portaging a canoe. 50 in total, cold Minnesota rain. Exhausted.


I received the NSC gems today. I was hoping to be blown away. I wasn't, which isn't to say they are very nice gems, and actually, the 'magenta' gem is growing on me.


The reason for my initial surprise is that the pictures of the gems I'd seen don't really give anywhere near an accurate picture of what they look like. The magenta gem isn't really magenta at all as far as I'm concerned, it is a much darker colour than pictured. The other stone, which looks a gorgeous baby blue in the picture, while nice, has much more gray in it that would appear. The pictures look most accurate if I hold the stones an inch away from a light bulb, which obviously isn't a particularly representative situation.


I will have to look at the gems more once I have got over my initial expectations based on the pictures.


The magenta stone is the only one I'd consider of the two, as it has a lot of character, with flashes of pink/lavender dancing amongst a deep purple colour.


It has a couple faults despite it being quite nice:


1) It is very uniformly transparent except for a single cloudy band that goes across the centre of its face. It almost looks smudged.

2) The star is very weak, and would not be observable even indoors a significant amount of time. It is well formed, but is not well traveling.

3) I'm not sure if it would be observable when bezel set, but despite being marked as transparent, the stone has an inclusion which looks almost like a vein of glass. At certain angles it is quite apparent, but it also flashes a nice pink colour.


It seems I have a lot more to think about. First I think I'll try to sleep on it - I think I'd have had a better reaction to this stone, which again, is very nice, had I not seen the much different looking pictures first.

Yup, those professional pictures are not the most realistic ones (that's why it's important to ask for additional pictures in different light settings), but fortunately in my case, the stones turned out to look nicer in real life (maybe it's more difficult for vivid/intense red and blue stones--such as the ones I looked at---to photograph nicer than they really are. My star ruby, for example, looks much better in real life than in The NSC pictures or even my own pictures). Since you were not blown away by either stone, I think you should definitely wait and take a look at the JM stone, which looks very interesting (you might want to ask JM for more photos so that you have a more realistic mental picture of the stone before you see it in person).

Another thing that I wanted to mention (in case The NSC didn't tell you about it) is that The NSC has a payment plan in which you'll be able to pay half of the cost of the stone as a down payment and then pay the rest in installments (I guess it's like a layaway plan). This is just a suggestion, in case you'd be willing to wait a little longer to propose and spend a little bit more

to get a different stone such as the purplish blue star sapphire that is slightly over four carats (which I suggested at the beginning of this thread). That stone is truly gorgeous (it would be worth a shot to find out how much it would be unmounted).