As I know some people here are getting more into stones so I thought I would share an experience. There is always risk when buying rough and always quite a difference in price depending on supplier and level of risk. So step one for me was to find a Trusted supplier; they need to be close to the source that could get me the best deal (I knew I would have to go through a middle man or rough broker but for smaller lots its a lot cheaper and the risk is only money, not personal safety) Once I found a smaller supplier that seemed trust worthy I let them know that I was interested in a piece of Sapphire rough between 10-15cts preferably blue(ish). They sent me a few photos and I decided on a piece that looked good. The price for the rough was approximately $54US a ct. (Some better known rough dealers are upwards of $100US For the same) Shipping was another $90 us. There was a couple light fractures on either end so it looked like it would develop into a oval or a cushion however when preforming little inclusions kept popping up that weren't previously visible from the outside rough inspection. The stone just wanted to be round! My local cutter did an excellent job, It ended up a bit dark but depending on the light still has some nice blues. The stone is Natural with No treatments and a whopping 4.39cts African Sapphire! The whole process was able to be finished within a month (When i did overseas cutting it took close to 6 months just on the cutting part) So I was pretty happy overall!
So far $0 Profit lol I haven't attempted to sell it yet and due to its dark nature and although the stone is pretty much VS there is still a flaw on the pavilion. I'm not sure that I would even get $300 a ct. IF it had come out a bit lighter it would have easily sold quickly at a wholesale price of $600 a ct but it is what it is. It was a good learning experience to see what it looks like in the rough to what it looks like finished. I still really like how it came out and its the biggest sapphire by far in my collection so for now it just sits in my collection!
