need some sapphire advice/reccomendations please!

ok guys up in Sapphire QLD fossicking and visiting mum...found a few small cutters nothing special....till today

today I pulled out a 50.6 ct blue/green/yellow parti very clear might have a small crack but doesn't look deep from what I can see.
now I would love some advice on where to get someone to look at/possibly cut get more details etc...I won't be posting it away so needs to be either in the sapphire/rubyvale area this week otherwise I'll be back on the sunshine coast next week.

never had such a big stone the smalls I just send to Lamberts but this could be something very special so I need someone fairly local to inspect it and give me some details on best way to go ie quality best cut etc...thanks guys...so excited

I wil put pics up when I can unfortunately only have my phone at the moment so can't upload

Sounds like a beauty blayke , check out your nearest Lapidary club & I am sure you will find some experts who could evaluate you stone. From what I hear, faceting here costs between $15 - $80 per CT.

Remembering that the value is in the final product, so for a sapphire that big you want the best cut possible to maximise the value

Cheers Paul

nice blayke ull have to show me when u get back to the coast bro

Thanks head but..yeh honestly if it can be cut to a full stone anywhere from 10-20 carats I would gladly pay $80 a car at for a perfect cut....If anyone has got big stones cut aswell any reccomendations.....

blayke said:

Thanks head but..yeh honestly if it can be cut to a full stone anywhere from 10-20 carats I would gladly pay $80 a car at for a perfect cut....If anyone has got big stones cut aswell any reccomendations.....

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Guys I meet that have stones that size are very hesitant to give to just anybody, cutters are notorious for giving back a small cut from a large stone ( could have gone through a saw first, one for you, one for me) . Saying there was an inclusion in it ... Which there probably was. Hence the small size .
Have seen stones cut . Very nice at 5.5 k ... Asked the size from the stone found ..? 60 k . Had a crack or two in it , good results . Don't expect too much if cracked . Might as well be a few smaller stones.
I've got a job on a sapphire to do , but not ready for that yet ( beautiful almost one off blue with white pipe) that'll be a month or so off. The trust people put in you!
There is good cutters out there , just take your time... A guy up there ... Russell shawmarsh ( think so ) is renowned as the sapphire cutter , would be well worth looking him up.
How clear is the stone ? What do you think is the percent visually you could cutt?
Would love to be able to help you , even as my progress is doing well . It will be a little time before I can put my hand up to help.
All the best

Barney

Pm me if you can't find someone to help, can give you more cutter names , just might not want them posted here...

Oh .. And remember 30% return is optimistic ... Expect 20-25% return and shouldn't be too disappointed ... Painfull to see a sapphire on a lap while preforming the stone ! So much dissapear....Could make you cry!

Agree totally king
They disappear very fast,very fast indeed
And my experience with facetn an unheat treated rock is tiny flaws appear ,maybe the size of a pin prick and some times only on one facet,
Do you just wear this to increase the total ct.
Or
Do you chase it out then cut all your facets again ,try for the perfect gem

Beware ,re facet ,downsize for perfection .almost perfect,f@ck is that another one I see,no oh f--- no............

A perfect untreated saphire is very hard to find,
I thought I had a few nice cutters
Sat down with with a beer, a loop, and a gem cutter for a few hours and ,what can I say

A perfect untreated saph is very hard to find!!

Any way blayke all the best with your nice find mate
If it is "perfect" be careful getting it cut

Like Wal says if it is cut right( all facets line up ,the right angles etc ) it could be worth a good dollar

Varts.......

I think it's best to go for clarity over size ... But that's up to the client/ owner.. Of the stone . It's amazing to hear what the original size of the stone can be to ratio of what is the results . Larger stones can have a lot of problems , ones not too obvious even with a loupe , need to cut window and have a better look see..

I found with the garnet I cut first there was 1 facet that just did not want to shine
You really don't no until you are there
When you say window,you facet and polish a small area to get a better look yeah

As Barney said, I'd be in no rush to cut that one until I found someone I could trust to cut it. Would love to see a pic.

Well done on the find.

I'm anxiously waiting on this pic too. Great find mate!

haha no probs guys thanks king and varts and yes it will be a big trust thing....especially up here people swap stones all the time.....
There is a 2-3 mm layer of crap like part of a star on the bottom. mum has an old mate who used to be a cutter but to old now to cut but he said he will remove the crap he called it (making a Window) to see the stone better as this little section casts a shadow on the stone and stops the light so ya can't see the colour properly....then we are taking it to a couple local cutters and a friend that's a valuer to get a better idea of what should come out of it but won't know till the crap comes off and shows the colour better...The

another question, in the part that is see through, the colour is not cloudy in the slightest very bright, I've been told different stories regarding heat treatment and that it's only worth cooking if it's cloudy...The stone does have growth lines and again different stories some say they increase the value in a cut stone because they show its a genuine sapphire others saying cooking might take out the growth lines...anyone experience with cooking stones?

Hi Blayke,

Go to the coffee shop at Rubyvale and ask for Mary, she has lived out there all her life, is a cutter and could put you onto some of the good ones, she did a 90ct stone, a mid-blue, no cracks for me as an anniversary gift for my wife it cost $660 to cut including the setting.

Bob.

got most of the crap ground off lost just under 3ct still a small amount of crap but not much the shape on the stone should be a nice emerald cut around 10-15ct

Best of luck with it, hope it turns out great.

Thankyou gentlemen we are learning heaps...

Good luck mate nice find don't rush the cut

Col

Varts said:

I found with the garnet I cut first there was 1 facet that just did not want to shine
You really don't no until you are there
When you say window,you facet and polish a small area to get a better look yeah

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Exactly...and stones usually ( especially sapphire) will have a hard and opposite soft side . That might be your problem. If you see one side not following the rules , leave it a bit higher so can spend more time on polishing it back into place.