Article: Know how much you can afford to spend before falling in love with a sapphire out of your price range. Sapphires can range in price from $50 per carat to more than $10,000 per carat, with the most expensive sapphire sold on record costing $135,000 per carat. The price of a sapphire is determined mostly by quality, and a large, low-quality sapphire can be a lot cheaper than a small yet very high-quality sapphire. For sapphires, color is king.  Cut has the biggest impact on a stone's brilliance (how much light comes to the eye). Transparency and clarity (the number of inclusions) are also important in determining value. Settings made of cool tones metals like silver and white gold usually complements blue sapphires best. Padparadscha sapphires can look great in yellow gold settings, though, and pink sapphires look good in both silver and gold settings. Less reputable sellers may try to sell unwitting buyers a cheaper stone that looks like sapphire instead of a sapphire. Tanzanite, blue spinel, and blue tourmaline are among the stones that some may try to pass off as being true sapphires. National chains are often a good place to start because their business practices are more closely scrutinized than those of individual stores. If you do look at the selection offered by local jewelers and individual sellers, make sure that you ask to see the official certification of any sapphire you consider buying. A legitimate jeweler will be able to present you with certification from the GIA or independent, official gemstone societies. Retailers drive the price of sapphires up, since they need to charge beyond the price they paid for the stones to make a profit. Retail wholesalers, however, can sell you loose stones at close to wholesale prices. Buying loose stones and having them set separately can also cost less than buying pre-set stones, and loose stones allow you more chance to customize the piece of jewelry. Both settings have pros and cons. Shopping for sapphires online often proves cheaper than buying sapphire jewelry in store. On the other hand, shopping for sapphires in person allows you to examine the quality of the stone and the validity of the certificate with your own eyes before making a purchase. Each jeweler will have a slightly different stock of sapphires. As a result, you may be able to find two similar designs at different prices. As with anything else, shopping at multiple stores—both online and in person—improves your odds of finding the best quality sapphire for your budget.
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Set a budget. Choose a metal setting that complements the stone. Be aware of potential fakes. Only work with reputable dealers. Save by buying loose, wholesale sapphires. Shop online and in stores. Shop around at various jewelers.