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Thinking of Buying Loose Sapphire...

L

Ladybugz

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
12
Hey Everyone,
I'm a bit clueless when it come to stones and wondered if I could have your advice?
I'm contemplating buying a loose sapphire stone as a future project. I was searching on ebay and came across a 1.26ct natural sapphire. I love the colour as it's a colour change, I've been looking at violet/purple stones for a while and find the colour of this stone perfect. The issue I'm having is that it's sold on ebay. The seller is based in Thailand which makes me a little suspicious. Also the price seems too cheap to me (however I never bought loose gems so this may be normal). The stone costs £115 for a 1.26ct, IF clarity stone.
Does this seem to good to be true? Should I take the gamble as I love the colour?
Thanks for reading!
 
Sounds suspicious - IF clarity makes me suspect synthetic until proved otherwise. Stone is possibly also cheap - would need to see pics to have an idea of that though.

Who's the vendor.
 
The IF clarity did seem a little off...would this be overpriced if it were synthetic? I really am hopeless when it comes to precious stones.
 
Okay, it comes with a report from Emil Gem Lab - if they say it's natural then that is more than enough for me.

Looking at the pictures, it appears that it is more of a bi-coloured stone than a colour change. The stone is also deep - the depth is almost as much as the width.

However it looks pretty in the picture and the cutting is okay - if it's like that IRL then that is a good price for an unheated stone. I'd be interested to see what Emil says about treatments... if they have confirmed unheated or not.

If it is bi-coloured then you need to appreciate how that may look in real life and be sure you'd be happy with that. Maybe ask for more photos.

Hope that helps!

ETA: having looked at his other listings, I am concerned by his claims of IF and unheated for the ruby and other sapphire. The BGL repor says that further testing is required to check for light elements - to me this means that they have reason to think that the stone may have been BE diffused not that it is unheated.

The ruby is also EXCEPTIONALLY cheap for the colour and size and unheated - should be over $10k at the very least.

These things make me a little concerned.
 
Thank you for your help! That helps alot! I have a soft spot for stones that are multi coloured ^.^
EDIT: If it's heated does it de-value the stone by alot or effect it in any way?
 
Unheated stones carry a premium - as much as 50% in cases of a very fine stone. In the case of this stone, I would say that the price is fine for a heated stone. I would expect an unheated stone to cost more than this.

Heating stones can improve the appearance in terms of clarity and colour. The Romans were heating gemstones so it's not a new treatment. There are different levels of heat used and different environmental conditions. Low heat is fine in my book but I have issues with high heat especially when combined with light element diffusion.

A heated stone will cost less than an unheated (all other things being equal) but if someone is looking for a sapphire, accepting heat will give a fair greater choice and the chance of buying a prettier looking stone for the budget. As long as it's disclosed, heat treatment is a great thing.

Diffusion is another ball game and most of us steer-clear. The only time I would recommend it is if someone wants a certain 'look' but doesn't want to spend the $$$ in which case a diffused stone can be ideal. The biggest issue is that it is often not disclosed and since it severely affects the price and is expensive and time-consuming to test for as well as requiring very expensive equipment beyond the reach of most gem labs - so basically it's a complete PITA!

Corundum treatments are a specialist subject all of their own.
 
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an eBay seller, so take this for what it is worth.

I have purchased hundreds if not thousands of gems on eBay the past 13 years, and my observation is that the sellers who charge a restocking fee for returns, exaggerate the quality of what they are selling.

Restocking fees of 10-20% or more are absurd. Gem dealers aren't maintaining warehouses and forklifts, employing laborers to restock their goods. They have a safe. Restocking involves a few minutes of time, including refunding your purchase price and entering the stone back into inventory. It is a simple cost of business any reputable seller should absorb.
 
Thank you both for your input! I hate to agree (as I love the stone!) but I think you both might be right, the seller does look suspicious. I sent a question yesterday asking whether the stone had had any treatments such as diffusion and I haven't had a reply since.

I've been looking at some other stones on ebay from sellers that seem legit.
There's this stone, which is the most expensive I'm looking at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270933644620?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

This one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270933644667?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

This one: [url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270...eName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649[/url]

Or this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370407703395?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I'm hoping to set the stone in a rose gold setting in the future (when my Fiance and I have our first child). Which stone would you personally buy and why?
Thank you for all your help
 
None of them - the blue is the nicest but is VERY deep.

Oilpearl is a seller I have dealt with in the past and what I bought was what I expected, I consider them reputable.
 
I just wanted to say that I've dealt with Oilpearl and they are great! Dunno about THAT stone..but, the vendor, yes.

Ive contacted them looking for a blue Spinel and they had a bunch, and they steered me away from the one I almost bought (it had a blemish I didn't see) and picked out one for me that I hadn't considered..and its fantastic!

Also, I've dealt with beau-wy before too on Ebay, he is a great vendor with some really well-cut gemstones, but I don't know if he has Sapphires. I did see Spinels though.
 
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