[Jewelry making - Article 00027] - Re: [Orchid] White sapphire value

[bill]

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dear leonid,

    um...i'm not sure where to start in response to your post. i do not
    wish to insult you or disparage your opinion but...i have to say,
    based on my experience, you may be incorrect in some of your
    statements. 

    the majority of "white" sapphires are actually somewhat tinted when
    found--usually kind of a vanilla flavor or a very, very light blue.
    sometimes just the faintest tint of green or pink. not enough color
    to be termed fancy; just enough color to be "off-white". somewhat
    similar to "white" diamonds that are tinted enough to be off-color
    but not tinted enough to be canary yellow. 

    "white" sapphires that show some off-color don't have a lot of
    buyers in that slightly tinted state. (except for me; i like them
    and usually pick them up whenever i can.) so, if most people don't
    want "off-color" white sapphires, where do they all go? well, there
    aren't that many to begin with--when you look at mine-run gravel,
    whites are often the least common. 

    but, according to the miners, cutters and dealers i work with in
    ratnapura and colombo, these tinted whites can be burned to remove
    the tint, yielding really white "white" sapphires...and that's what
    happens...they all get burned. not to enhance color but to remove
    these very, very faint tints and produce "color" equivalent to d or
    e or f color diamonds. 

    so when someone offers a white sapphire that is actually white and
    not slightly tinted and that stone has a gia lab report stating "no
    indications of thermal enhancement", i have to think it's a stone
    with some value. 

    even burned whites aren't cheap in sri lanka. so, i'm not sure how
    you've formed your opinions about value of white sapphires. if you
    know of a source that will supply natural white sapphires ("natural"
    meaning a stone that comes out of the earth, as opposed to one that's
    made in a lab or factory), burned or unburned, at the cost of labour,
    you might want to pick up a few kilos and take them to sri
    lanka...you'll make a fortune selling them to the miners there. 

best wishes,
bill
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