Natural Purple Sapphires
- Thread starter Klosblue
- Start date
Help Support ShoppingTelly:
Phill
VIP Shopper since 2004
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2008
- Messages
- 453
Meeshoo
Registered Shopper
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 946
I bought that ............ and returned it. It looks nothing like the picture. I was also told it was natural and untreated but unfortunately the Certificate said something else! :sad:
Just something else ......... I queried with TJC if their sapphires were "natural" and NOT diffused. They are still investigating - some 6 months later and I haven't had a reply. Are they natural? Well, you'd need to send yours to a lab outside the UK that could verify.
Last edited:
That's not very good Meeshoo! I notice it doesn't actually say 'natural' whereas the bracelet did specify it was natural so if it isn't it would land them in all sorts of trouble. I remember when you contacted them about their sapphires but would have expected them to reply to you long before now - not good either!
Meeshoo
Registered Shopper
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 946
Well I had feedback that it had been taken out of the hands of those in the UK to investigate further. Apparently they were thinking about sending some items for testing to a lab abroad.
Sooooooo, if their sapphires were natural and just heated (or not) wouldn't TJC have melted the phonelines to report back? Months later and no further forward.
You know I buy many gemstones and I know the prices of natural sapphires. The chances of getting natural purple sapphires of the same colour for multiple pieces of jewellery? Not a chance.
I know what you mean - their silence certainly sounds like an admission of guilt!
Re the bracelet, because it said Natural I took their word for it (on screen graphics said it too) and that's why I posted about the excellent price!
Just as a matter of interest, the gemstone you bought and returned because it wasn't natural - I take it the IGI certificate would have the treatments on it but purely because I'm nosey, can you remember what their valuation was? I always wonder how much higher they are compared to the selling price as they aren't allowed to show the valuation on screen.
Meeshoo
Registered Shopper
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2010
- Messages
- 946
It was actually natural KB but it was heated when I had specifically asked the question and was told it was unheated (by two different people). When it arrived the cert clearly said heat treated. That affects the price and made the gem actually then quite expensive compared to other gemstones I was considering (not to mention the colour on this one didn't match their gorgeous photo AND it had a massive window). In the end I bought a bigger, certified as natural and unheated sapphire elsewhere for much less *cheesey grin*!
I don't recall the cert having a valuation on it. In fact I'm positive it didn't. It was a coloured gemstone report from the IGI (if I remember correctly).
The thing is that natural sapphires will always have variances in colour - you consider how much rough you'd have to have to cut all these stones to have the same colour. A good lapidarist will typically get about 30% yield from rough. Then add in that purple sapphires are indeed very very very difficult to come by and you've got an (almost) definitive answer that these are BE treated (which is why you get a uniform colour). Just to satisfy curiosity, do a search and look for Purple Sapphires - what you'll find are pink/purple, blue/purple, purple/red, purple/blue, purple/pink etc. To get a pure purple sapphire you really have to search long and hard. Then try to find another ................. you'll be searching for a very long time!
I don't recall the cert having a valuation on it. In fact I'm positive it didn't. It was a coloured gemstone report from the IGI (if I remember correctly).
The thing is that natural sapphires will always have variances in colour - you consider how much rough you'd have to have to cut all these stones to have the same colour. A good lapidarist will typically get about 30% yield from rough. Then add in that purple sapphires are indeed very very very difficult to come by and you've got an (almost) definitive answer that these are BE treated (which is why you get a uniform colour). Just to satisfy curiosity, do a search and look for Purple Sapphires - what you'll find are pink/purple, blue/purple, purple/red, purple/blue, purple/pink etc. To get a pure purple sapphire you really have to search long and hard. Then try to find another ................. you'll be searching for a very long time!
P
Pinkpussycat
Guest Shopper
Dead right Meesh. I have 2 vintage items that contain natural sapphires and there is a world of difference compared to the 'perfect' heated stones that I have in my modern pieces.
