Specifically only sapphires, if possible. I'm looking for something that looks a bit elegant, but it can't have diamonds. If anyone can recommend me anything, I'd appreciate it.
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Anyone know a place that sells gemstone only jewelry?
- Thread starter RandomEvent
- Start date
Jewelry stores. Seriously, you should be able to find a piece that doens't have diamonds.
But, a question, why can't there be diamonds?
But, a question, why can't there be diamonds?
You wouldn't believe how many pieces don't have diamonds. I have literally been to over 50 stores in Jacksonville, and all of the pieces I've seen carry diamonds. As to why it can't have diamonds, my girlfriend doesn't care for them. I'm not going to argue with that. I just want to find something she'll appreciate, that's all.
Well, now that I think about it, I did find one pink sapphire ring, that was lab created. I'm looking for something natural, with a high quality band. I'm willing to pay the higher price that is fetched on high quality, natural sapphire jewelry. I just need to find it.
Brand name stuff is going to be very expensive. A decent, loose sapphire is going to be anywhere from a few hundred, to a few thousand dollars on its own.
Out of curiosity, what exactly are you looking for in a sapphire? Do you want a cornflower blue Ceylon? Or pink, yellow, something else? Also, what kind of cut are you looking for? Brilliant, emerald, heart (awful lol), etc.?
My mom is very into gem trading. Most of her stuff she got off Ebay, or from Ebay vendors. The guy she used to buy from is now under the name of Jewelsafari. His stuff is all very high quality, and is very affordable considering what you get. If you don't see what you want in his ebay store, contact him - he has the connections to get whatever gem you want. It isn't knockoff stuff either - a lot of his auctions in the past were things that he made, that didn't sell at Tiffany's. The list price he includes in every auction actually does reflect what a high end store would charge (though truth be told, that is not the actual 'street' value of the gem).
You can buy a ring that already has diamonds, and simply take the sapphire out. A while ago I got a great deal on a women's ruby ring from this guy (I think $400!), and I put the ruby in another setting. Those little diamonds aren't worth much. Most of the rings will have diamonds already, because people find that they go well with sapphires. However you can contact him and ask to see if he has any loose sapphires, and all you would need to do is take it to a jeweler, have it put into a ring from ALA casting (or whoever), and so on.
If you have any questions, or want me to check out something you want to buy, send me a PM. It's not something I'm very into myself, but my family has been in gem trading for ages.
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What does you guys think of that? Is it worth it? Overpriced? Help.
What does you guys think of that? Is it worth it? Overpriced? Help.
http://www.mysapphiresource.com
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http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com
having some experince in this market i can attest to the fact that most big box jewelry stores have roughly a 300% + mark-up
buy direct when you can and cut out the middleman will save you approx 1/3 or more....good luck
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http://www.TheNaturalSapphireCompany.com
having some experince in this market i can attest to the fact that most big box jewelry stores have roughly a 300% + mark-up
buy direct when you can and cut out the middleman will save you approx 1/3 or more....good luck
Generally speaking, anything from the natural sapphire company is going to be 'overpriced.' It is going to be high quality, but as you can see, you're only getting three very tiny sapphires and a 14K ring. Those sapphires are worth about $100 altogether, and the ring another $100. You can add in value for workmanship, but the actual value isn't $500, and it definitely isn't over $1000.
For about $600ish shipped, you can get two 1 carat Ceylon sapphire earrings from Jewelsafari. This may not be what you're looking for, but I'm just letting you know that the Sapphire company charges a huge premium over what the gems are actually worth in India, Taiwan, etc. (where they're cut). All the saphhire company does is buy gems in bulk for cheap, and sell them with their brand name.
For example, for a similar price Jewel Safari will hook you up with this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/6700-NATURAL-BL...215732QQihZ011QQcategoryZ164343QQcmdZViewItem
Perhaps not what you are looking for, but much more sapphire for the dollar. And he's not the only dude selling jewelry like that. If you want other names/stores, I can get them. You could make the argument that the sapphire company's rating scale is more accurate than my guys totally arbitrary 'AAAAAAAA++++++ THE BEST' thing that he says for everything he sells, but you can always contact him to get the scoop. His stuff ranges from midgrade to very upscale.
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I found another ring on that site that I like that is 700 dollars.
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I think I might go with that. My question now is, are there any vendors where I can get a good gem? If I can find a good vendor to buy the jewel direct, via eBay or otherwise, then that's great too. If so, I would buy a gem online, and then find a way to get it mounted to a ring locally. I don't mind just buying the gem, and then figuring out how to mount it on a ring later. I just have no idea where to look, so I appreciate any help. I just want to find a reputable jeweler who can sell me a loose stone, without getting ripped off.
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I think I might go with that. My question now is, are there any vendors where I can get a good gem? If I can find a good vendor to buy the jewel direct, via eBay or otherwise, then that's great too. If so, I would buy a gem online, and then find a way to get it mounted to a ring locally. I don't mind just buying the gem, and then figuring out how to mount it on a ring later. I just have no idea where to look, so I appreciate any help. I just want to find a reputable jeweler who can sell me a loose stone, without getting ripped off.
Are you looking for a colorless sapphire? I'm just curious, so we can try narrowing things down. Because it will look like an engagement ring. I'll ask mom, but off the top of my head I don't have a connection for colorless sapphires. As far as I know we've only dealt in cornflower, padparadscha, star, rubies, and the occasional yellow/pink/whatever. You really need to look at a long of rings/gems first and decide what kind of sapphire you want... in terms of cut, and color especially. Because it seems to me like you're still not sure of what you want. If you know you want a specific type of sapphire then that will be easier to find, you just need to contact the right people and they will get it for you.
I don't want to steer you away from the Sapphire Co. because they do have good stuff, I just think it would be cheaper elsewhere. But of course you have to factor in the cost of buying a ring, and having it set (altogether I don't think this shouldn't be more than $200ish depending on the size of the ring, extras, etc).
To give an example (and don't take this as an endorsement for the site because I don't know anything about it), for roughly the same price as that ring, you could make your own with this sapphire:
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(Item #: g4254)
Similar clarity, but this rock is much larger, and is not heat treated.
Also, something I find funny:
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For some reason every gem dealer tries to advertiser their pink sapphires as rubies. They're even from Ceylon (sapphire country)! Whereas good rubies are from Burma...
After some research, it seems like I'm better off just buying the ring. Honestly, I don't mind if the sapphire is white, pink, or blue. If you can recommend me somewhere that sells loose gems like The Natural Sapphire Company, that'd be great. Or another retailer that has a good selection of sapphire rings like The Natural Sapphire Company. Either one works.
