Would you heat this 7.56ct Natural Montana Sapphire?

[gempeaks]

 

[valeria101]

HELL NO !

 

[gempeaks]

HELL NO !

Thanks Valeria101!

 

[valeria101]

I would not know what to expect from heating (ink-blue or shards ...), but I can say what I see in it as it is - WWW

 

[normanintheskywithsapphires]

Nope. Is it even possible to heat AFTER cutting?

 

[mastercutgems]

Different locations have different results in heating due to the elements in the sapphire per the geographical location and make-up due to iron and other element deposits in the area. I know I have had good luck from Rock Creek material whereby other material like Blue Jewel Mine/ Eldorado Bar deposits did not fare as well. I know when I cut the 32.02 ct. gem sapphire from the Blue Jewel mine which is the largest to date Montana gem sapphire found per GIA ( figure 11 ) it had been heated and was a little on the ' too deep blue " side for my taste; but gems I have had heated from Rock Creek were awesome intense blue.

So knowing where your Montana sapphire came from has merit as to what could happen when heated.
Yes you can heat after cutting; sometimes you will get a scale if there is oxygen present in the chamber but it is usually just re-cutting in a 1200 grit or as we say pre-polish with minimal loss; but heating after cutting it does allow you to see any healed fractures, or contaminants in the gem that could ' pop ' when it has that 2000+ C heat applied to the gem.

If it were mine I would have to see how it performed in different lighting conditions; the colors it showed, and also if any impurities were in the gem or fractures or veils that could pop when heated...

Just do a check list of pros and cons and see which one would win.

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified
Supreme Master gem Cutter
#96CGE42

 

[Alnitak]

Dana pretty much nailed in his reply. That size is pretty huge for Montana and quite rare, so the decision were it mine would be dependent on a close examination of the stone. If there are no significant existing inclusions besides silk, then it could heat to nice darker blue. So far all of the ones I have heated after cutting have required a re-polish because as Dana mentions they tend to get a slight "scale" on the surface that is visible with a loupe. That can be done with very minimal weight loss if the stone has good symmetry and cutting to start with.

My assessment is based on final value when I decide to heat, at least after assessing inclusions, etc. for the suitability for heating. The market is larger and will pay more for a good blue rather than a sleepy gray-blue. Finally, as Dana pointed out, the locality is important: The heating protocols for Missouri River sapphires vs. Rock Creek or Dry Cottonwood Creek are different. That looks a lot like a Missouri River sapphire based on the color and the nature of the silk I can see in the photo.

Regards,

Jeff Hapeman, Earth's Treasury

 

[digdeep]

Gempeaks........where is the origin of this sapphire? I'm assuming you know origin as these size gems usually stay within a radius of their original owner/mine. Is there a sapphire mine called Gem Peaks? For some reason "Gem Peaks" seems familiar to me..............

 

[gempeaks]

Different locations have different results in heating due to the elements in the sapphire per the geographical location and make-up due to iron and other element deposits in the area. I know I have had good luck from Rock Creek material whereby other material like Blue Jewel Mine/ Eldorado Bar deposits did not fare as well. I know when I cut the 32.02 ct. gem sapphire from the Blue Jewel mine which is the largest to date Montana gem sapphire found per GIA ( figure 11 ) it had been heated and was a little on the ' too deep blue " side for my taste; but gems I have had heated from Rock Creek were awesome intense blue.

So knowing where your Montana sapphire came from has merit as to what could happen when heated.
Yes you can heat after cutting; sometimes you will get a scale if there is oxygen present in the chamber but it is usually just re-cutting in a 1200 grit or as we say pre-polish with minimal loss; but heating after cutting it does allow you to see any healed fractures, or contaminants in the gem that could ' pop ' when it has that 2000+ C heat applied to the gem.

If it were mine I would have to see how it performed in different lighting conditions; the colors it showed, and also if any impurities were in the gem or fractures or veils that could pop when heated...

Just do a check list of pros and cons and see which one would win.

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified
Supreme Master gem Cutter
#96CGE42

Thanks Dana for your response. This Montana is from Eldorado Bar mined in the 1960's. Rough was 18.5cts. I spoke to John Emmett last week and we discussed his research on heating Montana Sapphires. He is an amazing wealth of knowledge! By the way a friend of mine has a 37ct Piece of rough from the same location that is facet grade. Thank you again for your input.

 

[gempeaks]

Gempeaks........where is the origin of this sapphire? I'm assuming you know origin as these size gems usually stay within a radius of their original owner/mine. Is there a sapphire mine called Gem Peaks? For some reason "Gem Peaks" seems familiar to me..............

Hi Digdeep! It is from Eldorado Bar. Rough was 18.5cts. There is a sapphire mine called Gem Mountain.

 

[gempeaks]

Dana pretty much nailed in his reply. That size is pretty huge for Montana and quite rare, so the decision were it mine would be dependent on a close examination of the stone. If there are no significant existing inclusions besides silk, then it could heat to nice darker blue. So far all of the ones I have heated after cutting have required a re-polish because as Dana mentions they tend to get a slight "scale" on the surface that is visible with a loupe. That can be done with very minimal weight loss if the stone has good symmetry and cutting to start with.

My assessment is based on final value when I decide to heat, at least after assessing inclusions, etc. for the suitability for heating. The market is larger and will pay more for a good blue rather than a sleepy gray-blue. Finally, as Dana pointed out, the locality is important: The heating protocols for Missouri River sapphires vs. Rock Creek or Dry Cottonwood Creek are different. That looks a lot like a Missouri River sapphire based on the color and the nature of the silk I can see in the photo.

Regards,

Jeff Hapeman, Earth's Treasury

Thanks Jeff! It is an Eldorado Bar Sapphire mined in the 1960's. There are minimal inclusions and it seems like the silk should take the heat.

 

[Alnitak]

Thanks Jeff! It is an Eldorado Bar Sapphire mined in the 1960's. There are minimal inclusions and it seems like the silk should take the heat.

I'd have Dale Siegford heat that one. The El Dorado Bar stones that look like that tend to heat to a very beautiful shade of blue. Emmet is a wealth of knowledge, although he's of the opinion he's the ONLY one that knows how to properly heat Montana sapphires. Meanwhile, Dale does excellent work. Let us know what you decide, and if you heat it I'd love to see the finished result here.

 

[gempeaks]

I'd have Dale Siegford heat that one. The El Dorado Bar stones that look like that tend to heat to a very beautiful shade of blue. Emmet is a wealth of knowledge, although he's of the opinion he's the ONLY one that knows how to properly heat Montana sapphires. Meanwhile, Dale does excellent work. Let us know what you decide, and if you heat it I'd love to see the finished result here.

Thanks Jeff! I will reach out to Dale. A friend recommended him to me as well. I will share the result of the heating on this thread.

 

[gempeaks]

Here is a picture of my 7.56ct Montana Sapphire before and after heating by Dale Siegford. Dale said it is a once in a lifetime gem. Usually don't find Montana Sapphires this big, clean, and in Dale's words, "Ideal Color." Enjoy!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Oh wow. Thank you for posting! That is amazing!!!!!

 

[gempeaks]

Oh wow. Thank you for posting! That is amazing!!!!!

Thank you! The gem had all the characteristics of a gem that would heat well.

 

[Crazie4Cuts]

I am sure Gempeaks that you are quite pleased with this outcome! How will you set this gorgeous sapphire?

 

[gempeaks]

I am sure Gempeaks that you are quite pleased with this outcome! How will you set this gorgeous sapphire?

I have not yet decided on a design. I will have to put pencil to paper and flesh it out and probably use computer aided design as well. I am leaning towards a ring design in 18K White Gold where the sapphire is suspended over a carpet of pave white diamonds. I will probably use 3-5cts of VVS G/H color white diamonds. On the other hand, I may never set it.

Best,

Gempeaks

 

[Bron357]

Well, that is a rare beauty indeed. Thank you for sharing.
It will deserve something amazing if you ever do set her / him.
And I’d call her / him “Blue Moon”.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Turned out gorgeous!

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

wow! What a huge gorgeous Montana! Seems the right thing to do was heat it!
Please do set it so it can be worn and enjoyed! Do you have any more pics in different lighting you could share?

 

[Sabrina31]

Oh my that sapphire is stunning!

Does anyone else think its so cool to see Dana and Jeff talk about what they do? Being still new to the precision gemstone world its my favorite part of having discovered price scope. So thank you @Alnitak and @mastercutgems

 

[gempeaks]

Well, that is a rare beauty indeed. Thank you for sharing.
It will deserve something amazing if you ever do set her / him.
And I’d call her / him “Blue Moon”.

I like your suggestion. Blue Moon is cool.

 

[gempeaks]

wow! What a huge gorgeous Montana! Seems the right thing to do was heat it!
Please do set it so it can be worn and enjoyed! Do you have any more pics in different lighting you could share?

I will post more pictures in different light. Interestingly, before heating the gem, it did exhibit a decent amount of color shift in different light. Not a full color change by any means, since Montana Sapphires lack enough Vanadium in the elemental structure to allow the sapphires to exhibit a full color change. It will be interesting to see if there is any color shift at all. You all can be the judge once the pictures are posted.

 

[theredspinel]

I like it, but I liked it before the heat as well. Knowing something came out of the ground one way, holds a certain type of beauty for me.

I also like "rough" unpolished gems so what do I know

The tone is very noticeably dark now, No? Having said that it must have the most gorgeous flashes. I appreciate that now, having been here for ages...

Not all gems can be 100% bright and open but nonetheless they sure can be beautiful. A shy twinkling beauty rather then I'm in your face all day everyday type of beauty.

 

[marionberry]

I love the unheated colour much better.

 

[gempeaks]

I like it, but I liked it before the heat as well. Knowing something came out of the ground one way, holds a certain type of beauty for me.

I also like "rough" unpolished gems so what do I know

The tone is very noticeably dark now, No? Having said that it must have the most gorgeous flashes. I appreciate that now, having been here for ages...

Not all gems can be 100% bright and open but nonetheless they sure can be beautiful. A shy twinkling beauty rather then I'm in your face all day everyday type of beauty.

Dear theredspinel, the tone is darker. I will post more pictures in different light. It does have some gorgeous flashes. Thank you for your post.

Best,
Gempeaks

 

[gempeaks]

I love the unheated colour much better.

Hi Marionberry, I appreciate your post. I like both versions. 99% of my Montana gems stay unheated and untreated in anyway. This particular gem was an experiment and I can't say that I am unhappy with the result. It still looks like a Montana Sapphire to me albeit a much brighter one.

Best,

Gempeaks

 

[marionberry]

The post-heated gem is absolutely breath-talking as well, I should have added this.

 

[kenny]

I think the decision whether to heat a gem should be made by pros with years of experience in the field, not by we unwashed masses of armchair-experts on an Internet forum.