
Company Update June 2022: Restocking Ruby + New Product: Black CZ
It's been a while since we've had stock, and this was not our intention, but we've taken the time to further refine the main product, in addition to developing new...
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The color will have slight variations that will not have any impact on performance.
This is natural, due to the fact that they are made from a single crystal of sapphire.It is highly unlikely that SAPPHIRESKATES will crack as this has never happened to us. But unscratchable != unbreakable. If you notice the appearance of cracks, it's usually the adhesive at the bottom not being fully distributed. You can push in the skates to allow the adhesive to settle or can try applying new adhesive.
SAPPHIRESKATES works with soft, medium, and some hard mousepads (if the material is similar to plastic). On surfaces such as glass or metal, you must exercise caution: these surface types must be kept clean in order to get the optimal glide, and if you slam the mouse (while raging, for example) you risk cracking the skates beyond repair. However, even these surfaces will not scratch SAPPHIRESKATES.
Please allow 24 hours to adjust to SAPPHIRESKATES. Most gamers adjust easily to them, but muscle memory still needs to adapt. Also, the adhesive gradually cures and hardens even more. Check for any dust or lingering adhesive that is still stuck to the skates and ensure that the skates are properly seated within the mouse channel (not on the raised side wall).
5 SAPPHIRESKATES
Microfiber cloth
Alcohol Prep Pads
Plenty of spare die-cut 3M Adhesive
Sandpaper (you can use this to remove stubborn adhesive, or if you absolutely must, you can manually sand the mouse channel to adjust the sensor height if needed).
First of all, the color differences between SAPPHIRESKATES models are purely cosmetic. However, it's worth explaining why this is the case, and also why blue is more expensive.
Both rubies and sapphire are the same mineral (corundum) whose formula is Al₂O₃.
From a language perspective within the gemstone industry, a ruby is a sapphire of a specific red color. Any other color of corundum corundum is a sapphire (for example, blue sapphire or pink sapphire).
The Difference in How It's Made
With crystals, you can't simply dye it a different color. You can't paint or coat it because it would change its natural qualities of the surface (in addition to not being as durable as sapphire). Coloring corundum is done with the same process, whether it's done in a lab or in nature: this process is called 'doping' (not to be confused with drugs).
To color the crystal, a trace amount of a different element must be introduced into the crystal lattice structure. For ruby, the dopant used is chromium. For blue sapphire, it's titanium and iron. Again, this process happens in nature and is also done in a lab. A big part of the reason why gemstones can fetch a wide range of prices depends on the color qualities as a result of the doping process.
Finally: Why is Blue More Expensive
The reason why blue is more expensive is simply because the raw material cost is more expensive for us. To delve a bit deeper, achieving a blue hue is more difficult during the crystal growth process. The blue requires greater precision in the trace amount of dopants that are infused into it.
What this all means in terms of pricing and availability
Given the greater material cost combined with the desire to give customers more choice, the plan is to make the ruby red color the standard model so that more people can try SAPPHIRESKATES. The blue (and other future colors) are priced based accordingly to our material cost.
In light of full transparency, we listed blue as a limited model and will try to provide more specifics in the future. As of right now, we are only able to produce very small quantities with the blue color, and will provide notice ahead of time when the final restock of a limited model is happening.
1. In a clean & undistracted area, gently lift top layer. Unbox contents.
2. Use prep pads to remove residue leftover from previous mice feet.
3. Install SAPPHIRESKATES. Apply pressure for 10 seconds per skate.
4. Use microfiber cloth to remove any remaining adhesive & debris. You can either use 4 of the SAPPHIRESKATES and keep 1 as a spare, or you can use all 5. Here are some example configurations and placement tips: https://sapphireskates.com/pages/installation-guide
All products ship from the United States (California).
Warning: no refunds or replacements on International First-Class Mail.
PROCESSING TIME
After a re-stock, we ship out within about 1 week from the time your order is placed. Otherwise, if stock levels are good, we ship within 24 hours.
DOMESTIC U.S.
Currently we offer USPS shipping of 3 different tier levels:
-USPS First Class Mail: Arrives in 5-10 days
-USPS Priority Mail: Arrives in 2 to 5 days
-USPS Priority Mail: Arrives in 1 Business Day
INTERNATIONAL
International customers may have the option of USPS, UPS, and DHL and options differ by country. We selected options based on our historical records of failure rates from various countries.
You will be able to view the options available to you at checkout.
Buyers are responsible for paying customs fees if there are any charges, but this is rare.
We typically re-stock our inventory at least once a month with the goal of being in stock most of the time. To know the specific times of when we will add more inventory to the site as well as new releases, please subscribe to our email list which you can find near the top of this page (right below the buy box).
We understand that for various reasons, our product may not be the best suited for you. Before returning, we do encourage you to email ken@sapphireskates.com for product troubleshooting. But we certainly accept refunds for products returned to us, required that the buyer pays for return shipping.
Details:
Returns of undamaged product are accepted within 14 days, starting from the time when you receive the product.
Product must be shipped back to us with the original inner capsule with all of the pieces inside. The rest of the packaging is not required.Please email kristine@sapphireskates.com to initiate a return.
Upon us receiving the product, we will reimburse the customer the cost of the product not including taxes, minus the cost for return shipping (if buyer has not yet paid for return shipping).
For example, if the customer purchased 1 set of Ruby Sapphireskates, we will refund them $49.99 USD.