Loose sapphires
One of the best ways to buy sapphires is as loose sapphires.
Sapphire is the name for transparent conundrum which is the mineral name for aluminum oxide. Sapphires come in a range of colors including blue, black, brown, orange, yellow, green, indigo, violet, pink, or red. The red sapphire is called ruby and the white one pink sapphire. The most popular color for sapphires remains blue however.
The price of sapphires is affected by the color, weight in carats, and clarity. Some larger sapphires of a particularly good quality can fetch more than a diamond of the same weight.
But why buy loose sapphires when you can buy sapphires already made up into jewelery?
One example is when you want to find two sapphires with matching hues, dimensions, cuts and weights for earrings. Another is when you want to have a custom made sapphire necklace or bracelet.
Loose sapphires will be cheaper also than preset sapphires as there is no setting and arranging costs with loose stones. That cost would come of course when you have the stones arranged and mounted in a jewelery piece.
Loose sapphires are ideal for custom jewelery. You can buy loose stones from various suppliers and jewelers online and take them to a jeweler to be made into a design that is unique to you.
A few important points. When buying loose sapphires make sure the seller is established and bona fide. Are they a member of a reputable gemological association? Do they have a fixed address and are they contactable? If you call them by phone does a person answer and are they willing to talk to you? These, among others, are all indicators of the genuineness of the dealer.
Importantly, is there a returns policy? When you get the stones home you want to be able to return them if, in the light of day, they are not as described or quite what you wanted.
Buying loose sapphires can be an excellent way to get some sapphires for that necklace you have always wanted provided you spend some time doing research and some due diligence.