The Natural Sapphire Company

sites and gem companies (including a high-end jewelry shop in Bangkok recommended by a friend), and I found NSC offered the most in terms of information, transparency, quality, and variety. Other sites were not so transparent (e.g., not being upfront about a gem’s “treatment/heated” status). NSC has the biggest selection of high-quality sapphires with certified reports from a variety of well-regarded institutions including those that are most reputable in distinguishing a stone’s color and origin. Not all these third-party reports available on NSC’s site included origin assessment and “origin” might be a debatable issue. However, I found NSC offered more reports that certified a gem’s origin than other companies. I eventually phoned NSC and Amrita took my call. She was cordial, informative, and didn’t seem to mind that I was merely collecting information about sapphires. The thought of calling back wasn’t on my mind at the time, but I did call Amrita about a week later. Amrita was naturally stellar throughout the process. She patiently answered my questions and addressed my concerns with credible reassurance, and she was highly knowledgeable about gems (she’s not a mere sales rep). After a couple weeks of searching various sites, I narrowed my choice to 6 stones from NSC, and then to two stones in a week’s time. I printed out 2-D cut-outs (on Word using size units in mm) of these two finalist sapphires and placed them on my finger to get a better feel for how they would look on my ring finger. At that point I asked Amrita which one she would choose, and she replied by giving me more information that helped me make my own decision; she neither chose for me nor pressured me whatsoever. I learned some of NSC’s gems (like mine) are situated in various parts of the world (e.g., for trade shows), and my gem took less than a week to arrive at NSC. The idea of shipping a gem is a little unsettling, but NSC assured me that they covered shipping insurance to/from (in case of a return) the buyer. This and the 14-day return policy made it easier to go forward. I initially planned on using my cc for the purchase (for better protection in case of any dispute) but I changed my mind (and avoided the cc processing fee) because the back-forth emails/phone calls with Amrita created trust. In addition, I’m glad Amrita suggested I inspect NSC’s (large) selection of rings (some can be modified) because their prices were far, far better than the quote given to me by my local jeweler. Amrita was patient in my selection process and emailed me several CAD design images of rings that included my gem. The CAD designs and photos/videos of past purchases (a men’s ring on a woman’s hand) should be viewed with a grain of salt. Conceptually, they are accurate but not entirely representative of what they look like in person, and of course the size and shape of the gem have a bearing on the CAD design images of the ring. My ring pics looked different at certain angles. But I took refuge knowing I could return it while telling myself I was working with high-end professionals who wouldn’t sell poorly designed jewelry. The ring was MUCH better in person and was EXACTLY what I was hoping. The process took less than 3 weeks from the time of order. Amrita graciously declined my offer to Zelle her a tip (to treat her and her fiancé to lunch for all her efforts) as her genuine happiness for me was her bonus. Overall, I highly recommend NSC without any reservation.