The most well-known color is blue, but Sapphires are also beautiful
in shades of pink, yellow, and other colors. The most desirable
color, if blue, is said to be cornflower blue - an intense color,
neither too light nor too dark. Sapphire's name was originally linked
to the color blue, and some of the legends surrounding the stone
might actually apply to other blue stones such as Lapis Lazuli. But
fancy colored Sapphires, the other members of the Corundum family of
gemstones, offer a myriad of colors other than Blue. So take the
blues out of September with fancy color Sapphires such as green ,
yellow, orange, pink, purple, violet, brown, black, gray or colorless
. The black and gray varieties are most often seen in star sapphires.
The rarest and most valuable collector fancy sapphire is the
padparadscha, which is Sinhalese for "lotus flower". This
gem is occasionally found in Sri Lanka. A gem padparadscha will range
between $5000-$10,000 per carat. Large padparadscha can exceed these
prices. Some unscrupulous dealers have been selling some of the new
African fancy sapphires as padparadscha. However, these stones have
too much orange-brown to be properly labeled as padparadscha.
The second most valuable fancy sapphire is the electric pink. The
best of these stones have a pure vibrant color without violet or
purple. What makes these stones exceptional is an electric intensity
and a tone that pushes it way above a pastel color. Although
technically pink sapphires in America, some cultures, such as the
Japanese and Europeans, buy and sell these stones as "Burma
rubies". Gem pinks sell from $1500-$3000 per carat. Large
multi-carat sized pinks can exceed $4000 per carat store cost!
Yellows and golden sapphires are interesting gems usually getting
their yellow appearance as a result of heat treatment. Sometimes
collectors may find a non-heated stone. These gems are relatively
unknown by "the public". Top grade yellow Sapphires should
look like a canary diamond-bright, vibrant goldens, and electric
orangy yellows. They should not look pastel. Yellow sapphire is
available for $750-$1500 TK per carat in two to five carat ranges.
Ten carat sized stones can reach $2150 TK per carat.
Sapphires are also discovered purple. Some exceptional purples are
found in Africa. They are often described as intense cherry-orchid
purple. Exceptional one carat purples range from $1000-$1275 TK per
carat. Africa also mines a color change sapphire. They tend to go
from a grayish blue in daylight to a cranberry red in incandescent
light. These stones are hot collector items. Green sapphire is a
relatively abundant stone. The problem is that it usually has black
or gray colors which dramatically reduces its value. These gems sell
below $ 150 TK per carat. Sapphires have superior durability.
According to Ancient Persians the Earth rested on a giant Sapphire
and it was the stone's reflection that colored the sky. To some
religions the blue color represents the heavens. It was an
ecclesiastical gem, symbolic of purity. To derive the most benefit
from this holy stone, therefore, it was necessary to be pure oneself.
According to the Bible, sapphires were in the Garden of Eden and
something like them will be in the heavenly Eden. It has been a holy
stone to the Catholic Church as legend is the Ten Commandments were
engraved on Sapphire. Sapphire is identified with chastity, piety,
repentance, and it is said that King Solomon wore a Sapphire ring.
Egyptians associated the clear sapphire with the eye of Horas, Greeks
identified the white sapphire with Apollo and was used by the oracles
at Delphi. The stone was used by the Greeks to stimulate the opening
of the third eye and to tap into the subconscious. In the old days,
it was used to banish envy and jealousy. Sapphire would keep one's
thoughts pure and heavenly and help those in the right find justice
in legal matters. The peaceful, heavenly hues of blue stones were
often thought to calm the mind, body, and spirit.
Sapphires were used to cure all eye ailments, purify the blood, and
fortify the heart. Mixed with milk, this gem dried up ulcers, boils,
and pustules. It would also cool fevers, sharpen eyesight, and
protect against mental illness. The gemstone was also thought to be a
powerful amulet to protect against poisonous creatures and was lethal
to venomous insects and reptiles hiding nearby. Wearing a sapphire
acted as an antidote against poisoning and if rubbed on a wound would
stop bleeding. It was thought to be effective in quelling
inflammation of the eyes. Soldiers wore them to prevent capture by
the enemy.
Sapphires were believed to have gender: dark stones were designated
female, light ones were male. September's birthstone is thought to
make its wearers amiable, wise, virtuous, and strong. It also
promotes chastity in virgins and insures fidelity in marriage. If
given to a mate it would dull if you were ever unfaithful. Clear
sapphires, like diamonds, are the guardians of love. When given to
one another it enhances love for each other and tunes your psyches to
one another.
Perhaps the most important attribute of Sapphire was said to be that
of protection against sorcery. It is said to lessen the powers of the
cast spells of evil ones or evil spirits. Sapphire was worn as a
protection stone and to return any negative vibrations to the
producer. It was thought to banish evil spirits and frighten devils.
It would turn evil sorcery and negative spells back against the
sender, provide advance warning of hidden dangers, and free the mind
of the enchanted. If a wicked person wore it, it wouldn't shine and
would crack.
The main sapphire-bearing rocks are marble, basalt, or pegmatite,
mined mainly from alluvial deposits or deposits formed by weathering.
Sapphires rarely are mined from the primary rock. Corundum stones
(sapphire and ruby) are gems with the smallest hexagonal unit cells.
They resemble boxes with hex ends and rectangle sides. This structure
can be seen distinctly then viewed under a gemscope. They have four
axes -- three that intersect each other at 60 degree angles, and one
perpendicular to the other three. In the spectrascope, sapphire shows
iron absorption in a wide band from 450-460 nm, with a fainter band
to 470 nnm.
When a sapphire shows asterism, it is called a "star"
sapphire. The star is seen in cabochon cut sapphires (rounded,
dome-shaped cuts) as several movable arms, or rays of white light,
radiating from the center. Black star sapphires are usually cut in a
flat cabochon. And they need to be worn with more care than other
sapphires to prevent separation between their "twinning"
planes. "Twinning" occurs when alternating layers grow in
different directions.
Prices of almost all sapphires have increased only slightly since our
Tenth Edition Catalog was printed. Kashmir sapphires continue to
command the highest prices. But prices of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
sapphires have increased dramatically in the last five years. Also,
there has been a significant increase in prices of stones of three
carats and larger.
I'll bet you've noticed a sapphire on the market know as Diffused
Sapphire. Diffused is not a geographical location like Ceylon,
Thailand, or Burma. Diffused is a process where man takes colorless
or pale corundum and treats it with elements that give sapphires
their blue color. The colorless or pale stones they once were are now
beautiful rich blue stones that anyone would love to possess. They
even sometimes rival the finest blue Ceylon color. The diffused
sapphires are quite durable as long as they are never repolished or
recut. The treatment to produce blue is only .25 to .50 millimeter
into the stone's surface. Therefore, recutting or repolishing would
remove the enhanced color. But it does not make the surface any
softer than any other natural sapphire. The prices on these diffused
stones are very reasonable, running about 1/6th the price of natural
colored sapphire of similar color. Because they are repolished, a
small layer of the colored surface is cut away leaving concentrated
color zones at the facet junctions. The zoning can be detected by
immersing the stones in methylene iodide. Diffused sapphires do have
some people in the jewelry trade a little nervous because they can be
mistaken for very expensive natural colored sapphires. Fortunately
identification of diffused sapphire is fairly easy. Probably the most
important enhancement besides that designed to improve color is that
used to improve clarity. Controlled heating and cooling can dissolve
the slender rutile needles (called silk) right into the crystal
structure to improve the clarity.
How to care for Sapphires:
Since sapphires are so hard and durable, they are easy to care for,
however it is not recommended to wear a ruby if you are doing any
sort of rough work or are using harsh chemicals. Rubies should be
stored in a fabric-lined box, away from other pieces of jewelry, as
they may scratch other, softer gemstones. When it is time to clean
them, you can use soapy water and a brush, or a commercial jewelry
cleanser. It is important to rinse the stone thoroughly and dry it,
after cleaning it. If you take care of your sapphire, it will stay
with you, and retain its beauty for many years to come.
