Rarer than most faceted sapphires, a high quality star sapphire is highly valuable. How do you know you're not getting a fake one? Let's find out. To explore more about investing in gemstones and gemology head over to: GemShepherd.com
My stepfather was an amateur self gemologist. He passed before he could finish the wedding ring he was making me. He knew everything I loved and was devastated when the setting was too big and he wasn't able to keep working as the cancer advanced. Typically he got synthetics and as he got older he started getting natural stones. Thanks for helping me see he got me a natural star sapphire (my favorite stone) I am now taking over as the amiture gemologist and I hope to wear that ring compleated someday.
I saw someone wearing a star sapphire ring and it was so beautiful. I asked permission to touch it and she let me roll the stone around to see the star move around. AMAZING!!!! The stone was fully round)
I have a small lab grown saphire and it's really obvious because the star is so sharp, it just isn't as pretty as a softer looking earth mined one. It also is easy to see the curved bands. Great video!
I learned a few things! Thank you! Im a gem hoarder, a jtv junkie,... I have a little bit of star sapphire, cut and beads too! Love gems and need to find a gem cutter for a 17+ ct salon sapphire I have. Ive got lots of goodies to play with and make jewelry but thats my money maker! Dad was a GIA graduate.
Welcome to the channel. There's lots of excellent cutters in Thailand and elsewhere that can definitely serve your stone. If you'd like some options, send me an email. You can contact me through gemshepherd.com
Thanks a bunch! Was doubting if my research may have led me astray when I purchased a white star sapphire, but this video confirms the stone is indeed the real deal!
I like to look for tubing that may exist stacked along the depth/sides of the stone. Light can shine straight through lab created stones. Also the tiny indentation in the center of the back of many fakes which I could even see in this video, a clear indicator. I loved the details you shared. I have quite a few natural catseye and star gemstones. One I got on my own while I was polishing up a rough stone I had in my possession for decades! What a surprise to me! It was just given to me and listed as Onyx back then.
@@Infamous41 the colour of the rays will be dependent on the inclusions that create the rays. Some mineral needles can form silver, and others golden. In rare cases there are multiple stars overlaying (famously, though rarely, in black star sapphire), and they can be two different colours.
Hi Peter, just discovered your channel and subscribed right away. Thank you for making these very informative videos. Love your videos and your personality.❤❤❤Too bad I just found out from this video that the star sapphire ring I bought from a famous high-end jewellery store "B**ks" using the savings from my very first job has a synthetic stone! 😭 Guess I don't need to feel bad about selling the ring to recoup the cost of the gold, at least. Can you do a video on 12-ray star sapphires too. I have 3 and I hope they are not synthetics too 😅 (I think they are natural as I can see the partial hexagonal banding in one of them, the visible iridescent silk/needles in all, the 12-ray stars look like one golden 6-ray star superimposed on a fainter white coloured 6-ray star)
Hi Austin ~ knowledge comes from such experiences, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, though i'm sure it will also help you to not make the same decision twice. On the 12 ray stars, if they are indeed natural (which has a fairly high likelihood) those are a very cool item and have a market with collectors of rare specimens. I don't have any specimens of this myself, so i'll have to wait on doing any kind of video on the topic. Congrats on the cool find~!
I have a star sapphire that may be synthetic. Best case scenario it is treated. No banding is visible anywhere front or back. Its opaque black to dark blue around the perimiter with a slight silvery blue sheen in the center and a faint star under normal indoor lighting but with a spot light or direct sunlight it is bright blue with a white 6 point star that is almost perfectly centered.
Peter- here's an idea for a future video, maybe. I'm a "craft jeweler", meaning I'm mostly self-taught, but I love using NATURAL stones. I'd love to hear your opinion on what stones offer the best "bang for your buck," in other words, which stones are more-or-less affordable, but can still be really pretty. Zircon, maybe? Spessartite? (I've bought a few after watching your video, and I like them a lot, but not many have that bright Fanta orange color... overimaginative seller descriptions, I think) What do you think about Maderia citrine? Thanks for all you've taught me- best, BG
A fantastic suggestion Brian, and thanks for mentioning it. This is exactly the road I am wanting to go - so keep an eye out for more in the near future ^_^
This is a similar path to what I'm taking, as well. I see a big market for natural only stones in jewelry, especially the phenomenal ones. A lot of people just don't know about them, and when you show them, it sparks interest.
Thanks Peter; This was another Pearl of Wisdom! I have a request - can you touch upon teal blue sapphires at sometime? Their popularity is growing with each passing day (and so are the Salt and Pepper diamonds!)
Glad you enjoyed, Nikhil. Yah, i've been seeing a growing interest in teal in general, whether in sapphire, spinel or other stones. Thanks for the suggestion.
@@nikhdes For bluish-green you're most likely going to want a basaltic source (Australia and many of the mainland African sources) for 5mm size you're probably looking a bit heavier than 0.5 ct. A round 6mm with ideal proportions is about 1ct, and ovals will be heavier with a 5mm wide. We have less of that material in Bangkok. I'll keep an eye out for you though~
@@GemologyforSchmucks Thanks Peter! I mixed up the carat weight, sorry about that. And yes, we are indeed looking for Basaltic source to meet his vision though availability of such stone has been very limited. Is there an email address where I can reach you and make myself less of a schmuck on RU-vid?
Hey Peter, I was wondering if the ‘Star Sapphire’ was going to do the rounds. Now, it seems there is a lot more to these than meets the eye. I’ve seen some obvious fakes where the Star doesn’t even move over the surface, but it seems now to be more complicated. I own one; I’ve not studied it closely but it’s a cabochon with a really rough back. Surface wise is perfect with a sharp star. I’ll have to get it out and give it a close inspection now. I hope you are well. Thanks for another great share. Rog from Wales 🏴.
I do LOVE stars. The major trick that everyone needs to be careful of (and i'm looking for a good stone example for... that isnt expensive XD) is a glass filled star. I've seen one in a lab context, but not in the market where I could buy it (... for cheap...)
I have a black star fire ring and wonder if you can tell me more about what to look for. I am not able to see the back because of the setting. What are the inclusions of a black star fire stone and mine only have 4 rays not six
In this situation you'd want to take it through the standard gem identification process. If it has 4 rays, that is an indicator that it is likely something other than a sapphire, so starting with an R.I. would be my first suggestion.
I have question , could the sapphires that are fractured be heated up enough to state of molton rock and then cooled to get rid of fracture or would it cost too much ?
Hi Pepsi - In some high-heat treating processes, this is exactly what happens, particularly when they use borax to encase the stone. That said, its important to know that remelted crystal material is then considered synthetic, so the price of the final gemstone drops considerably if there has been much of this human aided "repair." After all, gemstones get a large part of their value from rarity.
Those look beautiful. It’s so fascinating how God managed too make rocks for this planet like star sapphires. And then us the humans can cut and polish them
thank you for sharing this information. are star sapphire cabochon for ring settings really cheap? many cabochons from indonesia and bangkok are now coming out only for 10-20$
While there can definitely be some natural stars that are "affordable", I would be immensely skeptical with those prices you've mentioned. As they say - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I'd assume (dangerously) that the piece is either aquarium gravel, synthetic, or a simulant.
To my understanding, at this stage in history yes. The liklihood of them figuring out a process with two different minerals is statistically very low, and I'd expect the research gem labs to cover it quite heavily. Natural stars are quite distinctive BECAUSE of their inclusions, not in spite of them. The evidence is there to show us what is to the left or to the right.
Request: how do i know if the star sapphire is high in value or how do we put a price on it? Is the more crystal clear the better or the more perfect the star the more value,give us a tips and trick on it. Thankyou great and help full video btw
I believe this is all mentioned in the video, but to recap - a star that is sharp and extends to all parts of the stone is factor #1 or #2. The other factor that might likely be first is the quality of the colour. Blue, Red and Purple are going to be your top value colours in most situations (of course if there is a screaming colour that has not been seen before naturally... why not?) And Transparency is going to magnify the value from there as factor #3.
@@GemologyforSchmucks wow that make sense,so its kind a the same like a sapphire without star but this one littlebit tricky because of the sharper the star will add more rarity and value right? Well thanks for the recap,keep it up👌
So...i only owned 2 rings in my life (purchased about 45 years ago as a teen)...a tiger eye and a star sapphire...I think it is a "linde" synthetic...My question is...why is it all scratched/roughened on top? If it is a synthetic, it should still be hardness 9 and therefore unlikely to do this under "normal wear" environment. My tiger eye is also scratched, but i can see why ( hardness of 7)...is it possible that the star sapph is not even synthetic?
Does the star move independently of the stone? like if you take the stone which is still on a surface (or your hand steady on a table etc) and take a light source above the stone, does the star move with the direction of light? There are a number of simulants for stars (aka not natural or synthetic corundum), but not super common. The synthetic stars are quite plentiful (and therefore comparatively inexpensive and with less simulants). As to why it's scratched up, a 9 on the mohs scale is still soft compared to some other objects in the world, just harder than most other GEMS. If you were wearing the stone while messing around with carbide tools or something like that, or if you stored it at any time near any diamond jewelry then that could rough it up really quickly.
@@GemologyforSchmucks Wow thanks, i will have to think about the environments that i have suffered my poor little star through... I assume my work (for 27 years) at a nuclear powered plant and the radioactivity is NOT the cause of the roughened areas...
@@superfluity-of-naughtiness777 I expect not the textural roughness no. Perhaps it might be the cause of your supernatural powers, but that would require additional investigation, of course. (Dials Black Mesa) Hi, is Gordon back from coffee break yet?
Hey Do you know if these gemstones with asterism stars can be cut and turned into glittering jewels or should they only be used in their natural form? if you could choose half a kilo of stone, would you prefer a half kilo ruta ruby gem or a half kilo star ruby?? which one is worth more?
HI Marceli ~ asterated stones can definitely be cut into faceted stones as well, but the inclusions that create the asterism effect pull down the clarity of the stone compared to a cleaner stone. Because of that, these stones are worth more if they are cut as a star (cabochon) compared to if they were cut as a faceted stone. To answer your second question - it really depends on what quality the stones are. I don't really want kilos of anything unless its nice. Kilos of opaque ruby, even if it has a nice star, is still opaque. What I want is whichever is most beautiful, assuming it's natural, because those are the better pleasure to own and to sell. Top quality star rubies are exceedingly rare, and rarer even than faceted rubies. The most expensive stone sold to date was a pigeon's blood faceted ruby. That said.. I don't know that anyone has ever FOUND a star ruby in competitive quality, so we can't really make a comparison on which is truly more valuable.
@@GemologyforSchmucks thanks for the answer if these stones with asterism cannot be cut, why are they worth so much? I saw a vintage blue superstar called Adao's star sold for approximately $200 million. what will this stone yield? what motivation to be worth so much? the question about your preference I made it wrong, I wanted to know if you could choose to find a ruby, would you prefer a half kilo star ruby or a half kilo pigeon blood ruby stone. What's your preference?
@gemologyforschmucks could you please do a video on the differences in translucency in star ruby and star sapphire and the differences in value? I ask because I'm not sure of what they look like in comparison.
HI ~ the short answer is: yes there is synthetic quartz. It's a super interesting story (for nerds like me) because the technology was one of the latest to develop, but it's also one of the most common gem materials on the planet. Fortunately, natural and synthetic quartz rough are not so expensive to buy typically. For identification, there are some inclusions that can show natural growth, but otherwise its something you'll need to send to an advanced lab if you have a very clean piece.
@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you for your time,well i am a nerd too🤭🤭.is there a way that i send u a picture?its important for me i need to know this amethyst is natural or not.
@@daykangemcutting8679 You will need a gemologist to test the stone in person. If they're unable to see natural inclusions then you'll need to send it to an advanced lab.
Could anyone tell me if Asteriated (asterism) it makes the gemstones more expensive and valuable? or not. For example ..sapphire starr and ruby starr is most expensive than sapphire and ruby stone gem?
High quality natural stones are rare and valuable, yes. If we compare two stones of the same colour weight and clarity, then yes, a stone with a sharp and well oriented star will be more valuable than one that has a weak or no star.
@@GemologyforSchmucks you was very kindle thank you. But i didnt question about quality of star. I questioned if a ruby gem stone is less valuable than ruby star... or sapphire starr e most valuable than normal sapphire. the asterism let stone always most expensive and valuable?
@@marceligastaldi9752 right, and i hear the question, but it still goes back to the same fundamental problem. Stones have to be compared based on the same qualities. A cloudy faceted ruby (which if shaped like a cabochon MIGHT be a star ruby) will not be as valuable as a star ruby with the same qualities, and same goes for a sapphire etc. However, if you're asking about world records in prices etc etc. The Sunrise Ruby is the world's record breaker for most expensive stone by weight as of 2016. Totally a different animal. Record breaking anomalies aside, i'll gladly take a star sapphire with a sharp star and clear body over a mediocre faceted sapphire any day~
L is typical with "Lindy" synthetic star sapphires. There are a few other companies that use another mark, and some companies that use no mark on their synthetics~
Hi Walter, In general, identifying gems from a photo isn't reliable, as there are too many variables in what stones are versus how they look. If you don't test them with instruments and examine inclusions under magnification and in varied lighting conditions, it's easy for even professionals to make dangerous mistakes. With star sapphires its often more straight forward to see if they're synthetic, and there are several examples in this video you're commenting on. I would look for those features I described if you have that ring in your possession. Best of luck to you. -Peter
@@GemologyforSchmucks thank you for your response. I will identify with all your tips and make an intuitive decision. Thank you and I enjoy your video’s.
A loupe will be useful with star sapphires if you know what sort of inclusion scenes you are looking for. A black light provides very limited info with a handful of gems.
Boa tarde ! Amigo muito show essas safiras . Eu sou do Brasil .eu tenho safiras bleck star .vc pode me ajudar como eu posso dá um polimento na minha safira . tem como vc me passar um passo a passo por favor
@@GemologyforSchmucks Honestly would love to know more because I have had the stone tested and comes out star ruby I do have some like on your video with the mark but this stone is clean and I purchased it from a GIA certified geologist that is retired selling some of his collection I purchased the one star ruby along with a andalusite some kunzite and a few Australian opals oh and I can't forget some small color changing shapphires.
I found a big red one that looks like a heart that I can look inside of and see constellations or stars it looks big inside what is it it is redish brown can I send a pic
Hi Kimberly, attached below is a video that dives into some of the complexities of identifying gems from a picture/video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4RxN6GXizsY.htmlsi=AeYzXuGTbI-4dkhO
Black square cut sapphire?, or black star sapphire? If you'd like, you're welcome to send me an email at thegemshepherd@gmail.com and we can discuss the details.
Hi Jimmy~ I have some stars that are available for purchase, yes. Send me an email and we can talk about the details of what you're looking for exactly. thegemshepherd@gmail.com
On a philosophical level, perhaps yes, as the foundation of learning is based on an acceptance that we have more to learn~ otherwise, nah, not really XD
Thanks for the great animation! It was very interesting. I also have a star sapphire ring. The star sapphire was originally set on a ring of my great aunt who passed away 46 years ago. Then is it possible for you to see its photos and give me some comment about this? If Ok, could you let me know your email address?
Hi ~ From photos we cannot guarantee anything, but I might be able to direct you further. You can send me an email at thegemshepherd@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do.
No body could fool you since there is an app for stones! Technology has gone far my friend! I buy at least 2 stones per a week from Sri Lanka! I just spot the scammers right away!
Technology has gone too far indeed. I've yet to see any of the dealers in our building trusting an app when they buy high valued gemstones however. Buyer beware as they say.
