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These 2 sapphires? Need advice!

K8tlynS

K8tlynS

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
48
Hello all-

I am really hoping that those with more knowledge than I will be able to help shed some light on the two sapphires below. I am trying to find at minimum a 7x6mm stone for a custom ring I am having made for my 30th birthday. The setting will be a simple octagonal bezel (see picture below). The max budget for the stone is 3k and I don't really care if it's been heat treated or not. I am worried that the first stone might be too deep? Is it normal for the depth measurement to be basically the same as the width on sapphires? Is this first sapphire cut "too deep"? Which stone do you guys find more pleasing color and saturation wise?

1) Gemrite: Barion Emerald cut, 8.25x 5.63x 5.56mm, 2.64 carat, unheated with original cert - https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-colored-gemstone/dont-miss-sale-unheated-ceylon-blue-sapphire-2-dot-64-cts-3200-dollars-was-3800-dollars;12441 (see the two hand shots of this stone below)


2) Jeff Davies: Cushion cut, 9.65x 7.70x 5.09mm, 3.42 carat, heated with GIA cert - http://jefferydavies.com/gemstones/sapphire/mj5575-sapphire-gia-3-42ct/

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Of those three, the mastercut one is probably my favorite.

The gemrite stone has some zoning, and the JD shows lots of darkness.

I know this is a little smaller than your target size, but its in budget and oh the color!
http://www.finewatergems.com/store/p49/1.60_ct_Blue_Sapphire.html

Would a round stone work in the ring design you are thinking of?
 
For whatever reason, I like the cushions more for an octagonal bezel. I know that wasn't your question.
 
Thanks chroman! I actually did see that stone! I agree, I love the color, but I think personally it's a little small especially for the price. I am shooting for 7x6mm at a minimum.

And no, no round stones for me. I am ideally looking for a cushion or an oval, but that Barion emerald cut did catch my eye...

I'm sad because Mastercut Gems said they won't send a video, so is it a good idea just to gamble and order the stone...??
 
I know distracts, I was originally looking for an oval. Then expanded the search to cushions, but that Barion emerald cut did catch my eye and it's a bonus I guess that it's unheated! I'm just worried that the l/w ratio on the Barion emerald stone is 1.46 and will look kind of "skinny" as a result. My inspiration ring definitely was a more rounded look...
 
This is vendor pic of the Mastercut sapphire. Is this stone eyeclean? The AGL cert they have posted does not mention clarity nor transparency. How do I feel confident in the specs without seeing a video before purchasing?

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I like the one from Mastercut the best too. The have a great return policy. Ask Dana if you have more questions - he is great to work with.
 
ilovegemstones|1475180753|4082138 said:
I like the one from Mastercut the best too. The have a great return policy. Ask Dana if you have more questions - he is great to work with.
Click to expand...

Yup, agree with this. I 100% trust Dana, his descriptions are always honest and fair. And that is my favorite out of the three. I think the JD stone will likely be dark IRL. I would order the mastercut one, and if it doenst "speak to you" when it comes then return it.
 
If you like the mastercut gems stone, reach out to Dana and ask if the stone is eye clean. No he doesn't do video. I have talked to him at length via telephone. Funny and knows his stuff! If you have questions he will honestly answer them. But send emails and talk first, see where he stands with that particular one and if you can get a bit more info about it.
 
This was Rachelle's reply when I asked about the clarity of the stone:
"I can say that it is eye clean above the crown. No eye visible inclusions without 10x magnification above the crown.
The sapphire has very good saturation and it is not dark."

Since I am such a newbie, I am not entirely sure how to interpret that. Does that mean the stone does have eye visible inclusions below the crown? Why do some of his stones get a VS or VSS clarity grade but they seem hesitant to assign any grade to this stone?
 
Why do some of his stones get a VS or VSS clarity grade but they seem hesitant to assign any grade to this stone?
Click to expand...

It does appear to be listed as "vvs2 eye clean" in the listing, fwiw
 
Thanks chroman! I am such a noob I somehow missed that... :wall:
 
You're doing great!!

Their web site is a little funny, in that when you start clicking around on photos you don't get all the details.
 
Okay I got some hand shot photos from Dana today and I think the stone looks really pretty! Apparently there is one very small, eye visible, pit inclusion (the size of the tip of a pin - pin prick inclusion ) within the table. I can not see this in any of the photos he sent, but maybe someone else could point it out to me. Do you guys think the color looks good? Too much violet? I'm not seeing extinction in this stone am I? I'm really new to colored stones so all opinions are welcome!

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NKOTB - omg, I've been drooling over that stone for months - Thanks for adding it!

This might be another option; its an oval, and another slightly silky stone:
http://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-blue-1083-oval-portuguese-cut-2-54-cts

If a little bit of silk is a turn off, these probably arn't going to make the list. But personally I'm drawn to stones with a little glow..
 
I really like the MC stone, but definitely think that some might find it too "violet" in tone. I just happen to like that :) Definitely something to keep in mind though and make sure you are ok with.

I totally forgot about the stone that NKOTB posted! That is one of my favorites and I've admired it for a long while. If you want a more "pure blue" rather than violet then I'd DEFINITELY consider that one.
 
I also am just confused why the pictures on Dana's website differ so much from the hand shots they sent me. I would say the images on his website are like the perfect shade of blue I have in my head... But the stone does seem to photograph a lot more violet...

I also like that Gemstone Project stone, but don't understand a lot of things about it. It doesn't appear to be precision cut, is that a worry? She mentions a window... Also, I am okay with the stone not being loupe clean and also heated, but I don't understand how silk will affect the stone. Won't it be more cloudy and less translucent? I do want a sparkly stone with a lot of life to it.
 
I don't find sapphires particularly sparkly in general, but you definitely want to steer clear of the silk if that's what you're looking for. Did you ask John B for a video of his?
 
Ok, so nix the silky stones.

The violet in the MC photos *could* be due to the lighting. It sounds like there is some "color change" going on with that stone, being more violet in sun than it is indoors. So if these latest photos are outside, and the previos ones were taken inside, that might account fornwhat you're seeing. Though the first photo the skin tones look a little wierd, so there could be some overall color casts happening to skew things.

But since it looks a bit violet, and the discrption says its violet, if you want something thats a perfect shade of blue that stone might be a let down. This is where it can get tricky to judge things via photos.

Heres another oval that might be worth asking about. They don't list prices online, and I cant tell from the photo how much violet (or gray, for that matter) there is. Probably worth asking about its color and for more oics, if this appeals. Its also not quite 6mm wide

http://www.spectralgems.net/sapphire/sapphireblueoval2_25ct_2509/
 
Now, I know this is a bit beyond your budget, so I'm kicking mysef for not seeing it earlier - the vendor had a sept sale on sapphires.

This is at the bottom of your size range (another 5.5, so not quite 6), but looks like it had great color and cut. If this isn't really an option because of price, I totally get that, but I though it might be interesting to see something a bit higher on the $/ct range.
http://www.africagems.com/cushion-blue-sapphire-gemstone-60747964.html

What sort of timeline are you thinking of? If *the* stone isn't floating at the moment, do you have some time to hunt? Sometimes the perfect stone can take time to show up.
 
Thanks chroman - 3k is really my max budget for the stone. I could maybe stretch it to $3200-3300, but that would be absolutely it. So, yes unfortunately that Africa Gems stone is out of budget. But I do love the saturation of that color! Also, I really do want the minimum width to be 6mm... (7x6mm cushion or oval)

Jeff Davies just sent me some hand shots of the cushion sapphire he currently has that's in my budget. What do you guys think?? I noticed he does not use the term "vivid" for this listing, like he does in some of the other listings. Could you guys please help me with phrasing for the questions I should be asking him? i.e. no violet, royal blue color, saturation, etc. The fact that I would have to return it to Thailand if I'm not happy with the stone is a huge turnoff for me...

Here is a link to a youtube video he has posted for that stone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP1g_Bo_qz0&feature=youtu.be

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Thanks qubitasaurus for posting that link to those other pictures of the MC stone! So helpful!! To me, I am seeing a lot of violet in those pictures, too... I am really looking for a royal blue (Kashmir blue?) color stone, so I guess a true blue with no violet or green undertones. I know...$$$

I am attaching a pic of basically my perfect color inspiration. (I know this stone has a window.)

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Gosh quitasaurus, maybe I'm a little bit purple color blind...

What do you think about the Jeff Davies stone? Is there violet in there? Does anyone have any experience receiving a stone from him they've been unhappy with and had to deal with sending it back?
 
To me, the JD stone looks lighter in tone and lower in saturation than the MC stone. It also has bit of purple/violet in it to my eye. It feels like its moving away from your inspiration photo.

Does he have some other stones in stock that might be more like the color you want, even if they dont fit your size/budget? Sometimes a "lineup" photo can be useful, then you can judge things with a bit more context.

It might be tough to find something with good size, in budget, and *no* purple. It might be more of "how little" purple it has..
 
I literally just found this stone! Thoughts? Do you expect there'll be too much violet in it for me. Does the cutting look okay or too much darkness? I asked for a video and/or hand shots...

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