Thank you so much for your advice. That is just what I needed to hear and makes so much sense.
Do you happen to have any recommendations on websites selling loose sapphires? Also would love to see your ring! I have been looking at colors and know I want a cornflower blue Ceylon.
Hi! Here is an old photo, but you can get an idea of size. It's 6.05ct, 12x10, so your 11x9 emerald will be of similar size. The setting though will greatly affect the look of the ring. I prefer bold settings (my setting is JB Star set in platinum), but it seems you prefer the three-stone ring look.
On shape, are you sure you want an emerald cut sapphire? I had one (I've gone through four sapphires sigh, but each one gets bigger... yippee!), and the emerald was my least favorite cut. It just didn't have life to it because it was step cut. It always looked sleepy. Granted, that was also my darkest sapphire. I am only asking so you can think about it. It's all preference of course, so if you love emerald cut, go for it.
Speaking of color and shape, of my four sapphires... I've had two ovals, one round, and one emerald cut. My favorite is the oval cut. I would like a cushion cut stone one day, but sometimes with colored stones, you don't get to choose the stone, the stones chooses you. On color, of my four sapphires, my first was too light, my second too dark, my third (the 3.15ct) was again too light, and now my fourth and last... to me, it's perfect. Color is completely preference and don't let anyone tell you otherwise to convince you to like something. I fell into that trap too with people telling me what is the perfect color. Color is 100% subjective, and because these are natural stones, every stone will be slightly different different in hue/tone. My advice is to look at many sapphires so you know exactly what you like/don’t like. Picking a stone then will come easy to you.
On buying loose stones... I don't buy online as I need to see the stone. I tried it once and said forget it. Too much drama picking out a color on a computer screen. I have seen a lot of stones in real life by now, so I know what I like, and I am the type that will make a decision in less than 10 seconds if a stone speaks to me. Hence mailing stones back and forth was not going to work for me, so unfortunately, I cannot recommend an online dealer.
I go to the Tucson Gem show to buy my loose stones. I would definitely recommend it... super super fun. They cancelled it this year due to COVID (it's usually in February), and there is talk of a much smaller version April 2021 to help the dealers and buyers. I would suggest going next year, Feb 2022 if you are not in a rush. If you are not aware, the Tucson Gem show consists of many shows where the gem and jewelry trade get together once a year. Many jewelry store owners stock up their supplies for the year. There are dealers from around the world. There are trade-only shows, but there are also many shows where it's open to the public.
Great prices and lots of choices at these shows. There are lots of loose stones, and there is also set jewelry. To me, the set jewelry is mall jewelry stuff (think what you would see at a local jewelry store and they probably bought it from Tucson), so I would stay away from set jewelry and go for the loose stone. I am sure you can find a large set sapphire ring, but you mentioned heirloom jewelry, so I am assuming more high end.
Plus, I think you will really have fun picking the stone and creating your ring. It will be your special ring. Your jeweler can help you create exactly what you want. I recently purchased a Colombian emerald in Tucson and worked with my jeweler to create a ring. It was a medium green which is my favorite shade for an emerald (not the dark green). I like bold rings, and my husband also got into designing it. I think it turned out great, and my husband loved the experience. I think you will love designing your ring too!
By the way, if you are interested in Colombian emeralds, I can help with a dealer. My Colombian emerald dealer awesome. He is based in Antwerp, but he goes direct to Colombia to purchase his stones and Tucson is one od the gem shows he attends. He's been in the business for over 30 years, very trustworthy and great prices. He only sells emeralds though, not sapphires.
I hope this helps. Please share photos! I am sure your ring will be gorgeous.
I love that the gorgeous gems are the generally the highlight, with the settings, although beautifully crafted, are mostly structural. They were more than willing to chat with me, answer questions, and offered to send pieces to my local authorized jeweler for me to see, as they don't sell directly. Will you keep us updated? I'd love to hear what path you take, and of course, would love to see the final piece! 
