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Sapphires are the most popular of the three
colored precious gemstones. Similar to rubies (they are both corundum),
sapphires come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. They
provide a great variety to gemstone lovers and ensure the enduring
popularity of sapphire jewelry. With hardness just below that of
diamonds (10), sapphires (9) are one of the toughest gemstones,
and with no cleavage, breakage rarely
occurs.
Intense medium dark blue is the most sought after
color for blue sapphires. Very fine non-heat treated (to enhance
color and clarity) sapphires are extremely rare and tremendously
valuable. Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Burma produce very fine pure blue
sapphires, although Cambodian sapphires are sometimes slightly dark.
Australian sapphires are generally darker in color and can have
green overtones and concentric hexagonal bands in lower qualities.
Midnight blue sapphires have traditionally been looked down on but
today, midnight blue sapphire jewelry is increasingly common - particularly
for sapphire earrings due to their lower cost.
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4.00c emerald cut fine blue Ceylon sapphire with
4.00c total weight tapered baguette diamonds F-Vs2 in
a traditional ballerina platinum ring |
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For sapphires, like most colored stones, the following
order of criteria is generally considered optimal: Color, Life or
brilliance, Clarity or transparency, cut or proportions and size
or carat to fit one’s budget. Intensity, uniformity and purity
of color are the most important considerations when making a decision
about the purchase of a blue sapphire. Fine blue sapphires should
not contain any overtones or secondary colors, for this will lessen
the beauty of this precious gemstone. As the overall beauty of the
stone will depend on the cutting, this characteristic must always
be taken into consideration. Very dark blue sapphires will appear
black under low light settings, while fine blue sapphires will maintain
their color in any light setting. Blue sapphire jewelry remains
one of most sought after jewelry types with sapphire wedding or
engagement rings greatly influence by Lady Diana’s blue Sapphire
wedding ring—a fine blue oval prong set with brilliant cut
diamonds.
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Sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet |
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The island of Serendib (present day Sri Lanka)
holds one of the earliest records for the mining of sapphires. Ancient
people believed that the power of wisdom was contained within this
precious gemstone. They believed that when the wearer of a sapphire
faced challenging obstacles, the stone's power enabled them to find
the correct solution. The modern word sapphire is derived from the
ancient Latin term "Sapphirus."
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Sapphires and diamonds are shown off in these boldly sculpted
18 karat yellow gold and platinum stackable bands - click
a thumbnail to see a larger picture |
Australia and Africa are the world's largest
suppliers of blue sapphires. Sri Lanka also provides a large portion
of the world's supply of blue sapphires. Gemstones from this island
are often called "Ceylon" sapphires, which was the name
of the island before it was changed to Sri Lanka. Pailin, Cambodia,
is another source of exceptional blue sapphires. Burma is also known
for its top quality supply of this gemstone.
Sapphires come in all spectrums of color,
except for red (red corundum is called Ruby). Often when people
refer to sapphires, they mean blue sapphires. Other color sapphires
are referred to as fancy sapphires with pink, yellow and golden
most often requested.
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