What to do with Dark Sapphires

[mintbark]

I have a pendant and two earrings with dark blue sapphires (earrings are 7x9mm). The sapphires are very dark but the settings are high quality with bright white diamonds. I’ve been thinking of resetting them with lab rubies. What do you think? What are dark sapphires worth? I know there’s a low opinion of them on this forum but are they also worthless to the rest of the world?

 

[Bron357]

There are people who love dark sapphires but because they aren’t popular their price is low.
If you don’t like the look, I think putting a different gem, one which you love, would be a great idea. The benefit with “lab” material is that you can get the right mm dimensions.
If you want to spend more, aquamarine would look great too.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I have a pendant and two earrings with dark blue sapphires (earrings are 7x9mm). The sapphires are very dark but the settings are high quality with bright white diamonds. I’ve been thinking of resetting them with lab rubies. What do you think? What are dark sapphires worth? I know there’s a low opinion of them on this forum but are they also worthless to the rest of the world?

i feel your pain
but my settings arnt as nice
was just thinking about my earings yesterday

just started thinking about lab

so i am looking forward to seeing what you do
good luck

 

[mintbark]

I'm in love with rubies but I'm not willing to spend the time and energy to get nice ones in a large size and I find the mediocre ones uninspiring. Is it even worth trying to sell lower grade gems or should I keep them?

 

[pokerface]

I struggle to answer this question. Without lab reports, there isn't much way to set a fair price, because the sapphires could be synthetic. And it's definitely not worth it to get multiple lab reports for dark stones you're unsetting. A jeweler could at least confirm for you whether or not they test as sapphires. Then you could honestly advertise them as sapphires, and buyer beware. You're not going to get any bites from PS, but it sure seems like there are plenty of gems being purchased by the general public, and you could get lucky on FB marketplace or something.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Different strokes for different folks. There's a certain princess that comes to mind which never would have gotten PS's blessing on her sapphire either...

 

[LilAlex]

Looks like '80s Thai material, to me. I suspect they are genuine since what would be the point of synthetic material that is this dark?

To your question about what to do: are they dark and very (over-) saturated blue? Or mostly dark in tone and not super-blue? If the former, you could cut smaller, thinner (calibre) stones like they did for Pailin material. If the latter, which is probably the case, then I would just enjoy them. Even if they were onyx, they are still pretty. You can get a sense by transilluminating them with an LED light, etc.

 

[theredspinel]

Reselling depends on a lot of things, but being “PS quality” is not one of them

Selling or reselling any gemstone is never an easy feat, just ask one of hundreds of professional vendors sitting on decades worth of stock they’d rather exchange for money.

My point is if you want to sell, then try to sell, but bear in mind it’s time consuming. PS does not represent the world market by any stretch, it probably doesn’t even represent 1% of the buying market. Perspective.

Edited to add: I’m inferring from your post that you think the sapphires are low quality due to being dark (because you said they’re dark *but* the settings are high quality) hope you’re aware of the difference between high/low quality and *desired*

They are not mainstream desired because they’re dark, that doesn’t make them low quality.

 

[peacechick]

What I’ve done with my too dark sapphires in the past is set them in inexpensive settings e.g silver or 14k gold, and gifted them to family members. If you know people with sapphire birthstones or even ladies who loved Princess Di, they would be delighted.

 

[Gloria27]

They're only "bad" when judged for their blueness (lack of visible blueness in this case), just consider them black sapphire and they will stop being "bad".
There's plenty of black stones set in gold, are they less cool? Nope.

 

[autumngems]

I think emeralds would look amazing in those settings

 

[VeryUndecided]

Well, I personally think both the settings and sapphires are just fine. The sparkle of the diamonds offsets the darkness of sapphires very nicely. They do look a bit dark in your picture. It looks like the light in th background is yellowish...Probably not the best light for your stones.

Take a look at Kate Middleton's ring (formerly Pincess D ring...). Do you think it is any lighter?

It also depends on your colouring. I see a lot of French women with very light skin and jet black hair who look simply stunning wearing their dark sapphires and a simple white shit. Very discrete and elegant, of course But if those jewels don't looks good on you? Of course, you should get something that makes you happy instead!

 

[mintbark]

My mom loved Princess D and loved her ring (the earrings were hers originally).

I've always love rubies and would love some fabulous lab rubies so I was thinking that these would be a good setting to use. I'm wondering if it makes sense to replace the most likely real sapphires with lab rubies.

 

[VeryUndecided]

My mom loved Princess D and loved her ring (the earrings were hers originally).

I've always love rubies and would love some fabulous lab rubies so I was thinking that these would be a good setting to use. I'm wondering if it makes sense to replace the most likely real sapphires with lab rubies.

Do whatever makes you happy! I am sure your mom would just want to see you smile and be happy! Go for those lab rubbies and enjoy them in good health!
In the end these are all just rocks to which we attach way too much meaning!

P.S. Don't throw out the sapphires though. Keep them in a pocket and check again in 10 years. I know that my tastes have changed over the years. Maybe yours will too? Or maybe you'll have a daughter who loves the dark sapphires just as much as you like rubies? Please don't sell them for nothing and don't throw them out. Let's re-visit in 10 years.

 

[VeryUndecided]

Well, I personally think both the settings and sapphires are just fine. The sparkle of the diamonds offsets the darkness of sapphires very nicely. They do look a bit dark in your picture. It looks like the light in th background is yellowish...Probably not the best light for your stones.

Take a look at Kate Middleton's ring (formerly Pincess D ring...). Do you think it is any lighter?

It also depends on your colouring. I see a lot of French women with very light skin and jet black hair who look simply stunning wearing their dark sapphires and a simple white shit. Very discrete and elegant, of course But if those jewels don't looks good on you? Of course, you should get something that makes you happy instead!

OH MY GOd. Just saw it. Too late to edit. So sorry!
I meant: simple white SHIRT! ...(not what it says above!)

 

[Bron357]

There is no reason to “throw them out” heavens forbid or even sell them, unless you have the need, time and inclination.
If they are not to your taste, of course it’s better to replace the sapphires with a gem that you prefer if it means the jewellery will be worn.
nothing sadder than lovely pieces sitting unworn in a jewelery box.
What would be a lovely transformation, if you wanted to keep the sapphires in the settings, would be to convert the three pieces to a cuff bangle. The 3 pieces in a line across the top. Very luxurious. That would be a stunning transformation and an easier to wear piece, if you love bangles.

 

[Arcadian]

As said, Pricescope doesn't represent the world at large and some people really do love dark sapphires.

They aren't my personal cup of tea but my favorites are also no where near trade (or most people's) ideals either!

Sell them if you don't like them, and replace them with something you do like. The settings look very nice indeed, and there's no shame in doing so.

 

[prs]

If you look at modern faceting guides the recommended "ideal" crown and pavilion angles for sapphire are 35° and 42°. Native cut sapphires are often cut for carat weight rather than color with angles greater than "ideal" for this reason. However, if you look at the AGL certs for some of the very expensive blue sapphires on auction sites, you will find the certs often include cut diagrams with dimensions. The cut diagrams will sometimes show these gorgeous blue sapphires have been cut much shallower than "ideal", particularly in the crown. I think this is done when the cutter knows a shallower stone will give him much superior color and far outweigh the value of the lost carat weight.

I don't know if your sapphires can be made less dark with a recut. If there is good blue hiding inside those sapphires, you should be able to catch glimpses of it as you rotate the stones in strong, direct light. If that's the case you could then take the dimensions of the stones to see how much depth a skilled lapidary might have to play with in a recut.

 

[nutellakitty]

You may use a caliber and take measurements of them. Length/Width/Depth. If they are very similar in size (less than 0.5mm difference) they are more likely to be synthetic. For each of the gems in my eye is at least 9*7mm in measurement, which is likely 3-4ct in sapphire sizes.
It is very unlikely for natural sapphires of this size to have a perfect match.