What do you think of this sapphire?

[hopeniks]

Hi everyone,

I would love to hear input on this sapphire from Gemfix.

http://www.gemfix.com/newest_gems.html

It's the 6.9 mm Portuguese cut on the very right, 5th row from the bottom.

This will be for my engagement ring. I'm fine with heat treatment. On my monitor, the color of this sapphire looks very close to what I would consider my ideal color, but I am worried that it will be too dark in certain lighting. I have asked Andrew for more pictures, but he says there are none. My boyfriend will probably be going in on Friday to look at the stone, but I would love to hear your input! Do you think it will be too dark? Should I be worried about the black spots?

Thank you!

 

[chrono]

You are correct that it seems the sapphire might be too dark under some lighting, in particular, when indoors at home. It's good that your BF will be going to see it in person later this week.

 

[stargurl78]

I agree with Chrono, there is a chance that it might darken up in some lighting. Also, I've ordered several stones from Gemfix and I don't feel that their photos are always representative of the true color of the stones, so its good your bf will have a chance to see it.

 

[Upgradable]

The background of the picture doesn't seem excessively light/bright, so I don't think they blasted the stone with light in order to photograph. That gives me better hope that the color will appear truer blue than dark. I happen to love Madagascar stones. I like how the royal blue flashes surprise me. Price is good. Heat only. Size is very nice. Cut is gorgeous!! I'd seriously consider this one as long as it isn't inky dark!! You may have a difficult time finding another stone with these criteria. Crossing my fingers that it looks good inperson!!!

 

[Pandora II]

I think it looks lovely. I also don't think it will darken down that much.

 

[chrono]

The "dark spots" you mentioned are nothing to be concerned about. That is what is termed "contrast scintillation" which is part of what gives the stone its liveliness. It will darken and lighten as the stone is moved around, giving it "life" and interest to the eye.

 

[JewelFreak]

The hue of the stone is nice but I'd be concerned it might be dark in some situations too. Great that your BF will have a peek at it. Let us know what he says!

--- Laurie

 

[hopeniks]

Thank you all so much for your input!! I really appreciate it, and you all have made me even more anxious for Friday to come! I am so excited for my BF to go and see the stone. I wish I could be there too, but oh well. I will update when I have more news! Crossing my fingers that this will be the one!

 

[minousbijoux]

Umm, its Friday!

 

[hopeniks]

Just wanted to update and say that my bf bought the stone. I still need to see it in sunlight and other forms of lighting. So far I have only seen it in the lighting in his room, and it's very dim. In the room, the stone does get pretty dark, but as I said, it's pretty dim in here. I'm going to reserve my judgment until I see it in other lighting. I will take some pictures tomorrow and try to post them. Am I allowed to post a picture of the AGL report?

 

[minousbijoux]

Yes, people post reports all the time. Can't wait to see it!

 

[hopeniks]

Here are some pictures of the stone!

Here's the AGL report:


Pictures of it in my bf's room. Pardon the lighting! The stone looks a little violet here, but it's not like that IRL.



And some pictures of it in natural light:

 

[hopeniks]

Some more pictures of it in natural light:


I've also seen the stone in fluorescent lighting, and it looks very nice, but I wasn't able to get any pictures. In direct sunlight, the stone gets kind of dark/gray. Is that normal?

The stone is very clean. Andrew told my bf there are almost no inclusions.

I have a question about the AGL report. If it says "None" next to additional enhancement, does that mean there's no BE diffusion? Andrew said that it was not tested for BE diffusion, but that he's sure it does not have it. Should I still get it tested for BE diffusion since the stone will have sentimental value?

I would love to hear your input! Thank you!

 

[minousbijoux]

So do you love it? There are so many types of sapphires and different ones react differently in direct sun (in different lighting sources for that matter) so it is fine for it to turn dark in direct sun as long as it doesn't bother you. Size wise, it looks great on your hand.

As to Be treatment, I'd wait for Pandora and other gemologists to stop by, but there is a color I typically associate with Be treatment, and your stone does not exhibit it. Really, if a stone is heat treated, then without specialized and costly equipment, one cannot know with certainty that it has not also been Be treated. Whereas if a stone has not been heated, which can be more easily determined, then for sure it has not been treated in any way because high heat is necessary to do so.

 

[hopeniks]

I'm not sure if I love it or not, and so my bf has returned the stone. I like how it looks in fluorescent light and in the shade, but other than that, it goes gray-ish more often that I'd like.

About testing for Be treatment: Yes, that's what I thought. Thank you for the information!

I guess the search continues...

 

[chrono]

Sapphires will colour shift depending on the lighting; some remain beautiful, if just a tad darker or violet and some will gray out unattractively. You did the right thing in returning it since it bothers you. As for the diffusion, AGL noted that it is heat only with no other notation. If AGL suspects diffusion, they will contact whoever sent the stone to inform him/her that they suspect diffusion and will ask if the owner/vendor would like further testing for BE diffusion. It is possible to detect some signs of diffusion without using the super expensive testing equipment.

 

[T L]

I have a question about the AGL report. If it says "None" next to additional enhancement, does that mean there's no BE diffusion? Andrew said that it was not tested for BE diffusion, but that he's sure it does not have it. Should I still get it tested for BE diffusion since the stone will have sentimental value?

I would love to hear your input! Thank you!

Yes, it means there is no additional enhancement, or be-diffusion. They were probably able to diagnostically check for be-diffusion, and yours has none. Some sapphires need heavy duty lab work, like an expensive LA-ICP-MS or LIBS machine, to check for be-diffusion. It depends on the stone. They would not issue the heat only comment if it had be-diffusion. Therefore, you can sleep well tonight.

ETA: I just saw you returned the stone, sorry! I guess we can't trust Gemfix's descriptions, because he described the stone as
"Fabulous royal blue. Intense color, deeply saturated, fiery." You had stated it was just too grey, which doesn't mesh with his description.

 

[minousbijoux]

If the pics you took were accurate, then I'm relieved you sent it back.

 

[Aoife]

Hopeniks, you aren't the first person to see a difference in what a stone looks like on a vendor's website vs. IRL. If you have time, it would be helpful if you could post these comparison photos in the sticky thread at the top of the forum. It's a helpful resource for those of us who buy gemstones online because it gives us an idea of how accurate a given vendor is regarding photos.

 

[hopeniks]

Thank you all for the input about Be diffusion. It helps a lot!

Chrono: Yes, I feel this sapphire grays out fairly often. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't.

TL: Yes, when I first saw the stone, I was very disappointed.

Aoife: I am definitely planning on posting pictures to that sticky!

I have some more pictures of the sapphire in fluorescent light, which is where it looks it's best, IMO. I will post them tomorrow or Thursday just for fun.

 

[hopeniks]

Here are some more pictures of the 6.9mm sapphire in fluorescent lighting and low natural light.

Fluorescent:

 

[hopeniks]

Low natural light:

 

[hopeniks]

I also went back to Gemfix today, and there is another stone I am considering. The color is much closer to what I am looking for, but it's 6.4 mm, which I think is too small. Even though we were looking in the 6.5-7mm range, we would preferably like something in the 6.7 mm and up range, so a 6.4 is significantly smaller.

So I am now deciding between the 6.9 and the 6.4 mm. They are both heated, but the 6.9 comes with the AGL cert already. The 6.4 is a little bit more expensive (about $100).

I like the 6.9 mm in fluorescent light and natural, shaded daylight, which are the types of lighting I am most often in. I also really like the size.

The 6.4 mm does have a nicer color than the 6.9 overall and is closer to the ideal color I am looking for. I think the size might be a little too small for my hand though.

Here are some pictures of the 6.4 by itself and together with the 6.9 mm. I apologize for the quality of some of the pictures. It was very difficult to take good pictures, and they were mostly taken with the camera on my boyfriend's phone.

Both in low fluorescent light:


6.4 mm in fluorescent light on my right hand:


6.9 mm (middle) and 6.4 mm (right) in halogen light:


Both on my left hand in halogen light:


What do you think??

 

[distracts]

1. What kind of setting will it be in?

2. Really, REALLY think about whether color or size matters most. I definitely don't think the 6.4mm one is too small - with that bright blue, EVERYONE will see it from far away and it'll seem bigger because of how visible it is. In that last picture, the 6.9mm stone is so far off from the color you seem to prefer - are you as entranced by that color as you are by the other (or at least very close)? If not, it is probably not the stone for you. I think they are both beautiful stones - I'm not bothered by the darkness/greyness in the larger one and find it quite lovely, but I also love the bright blueness of the smaller one.

3. From my experience, I think you'll know the right stone when you see it. When I was looking for sapphires for my engagement ring, I looked through a lot that I thought I was considering, until I saw the one I couldn't bear to hand back to the jeweler because I had such a very intense "omg mine get your hands off it!" feeling about it.

 

[hopeniks]

distracts,

1. It will be in a three stone setting with round diamonds. The metal will be platinum, which is why I placed it against my ring.

2. This is the part I am struggling with. Great size and okay color? Or great color and okay size? I am liking the color of the 6.9 mm more after I've had a couple of weeks to think about it and after seeing it again today, but you're right, it is further from the color I prefer. I am also thinking the size of the 6.4mm is okay too, since I will be adding a diamond on each side. But this means I'm still stuck between the two! Hahaha

3. I hope I'll get this feeling! My boyfriend and I are also going to the Brilliant Earth store in San Francisco in January to look at their stuff, but I'm not sure what their inventory is like. I didn't find much on PS about them, especially in the CS forum.

Thank you for your input! You've given me some really good points to think about!

 

[hopeniks]

Bumping this thread to ask if anyone else has input on the two stones! Also, does anyone here have any experience with Brilliant Earth?

Thank you so much!

 

[0-0-0]

From the pictures I prefer the 6.4 mm between the two, but to be honest I wasn't too impressed with the sapphire selection available at Gemfix when I visited.

I don't have any experience with Brilliant Earth, but if you have a good idea of what you are looking for, I suggest contacting some of the cutters often mentioned on PS. They may have better luck sourcing the right color vs doing it on your own. In my experience working with Jeff and Gene, the prices are very competitive vs Gemfix, and the color in their descriptions and photos are pretty much spot on.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have a 6.4mm sapphire at home right now that I am looking at, and it is a little too small for what I need. I really think aiming for the 6.7-6.9 range will be worth it for you in the long run. I honestly would keep looking.

 

[chrono]

The 6.4 mm stone is the better choice of the two but is that what YOU want? Don't settle if you feel it's too small for you in the long run.

 

[LD]

Don't forget, whatever stone you go for will darken a little once set. So with that in mind, how do you feel about the new stone?

You've got to absolutely LOVE it not just like it! Believe me, when you see the right one for you, you'll know!