Sapphires come in a variety of colours other than the popular royal blue such as pink, peach, orange, yellow, green, teal and purple. Sapphires come from the mineral corundum. Iron and titanium traces lead to the blue colour while chromium traces lead to the pink colour. The most famous sapphire is undoubtedly the one gifted by England’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer and then repurposed by Prince Williams, their son, as an engagement ring for his wife Catherine.
Sapphires were discovered in Kashmir after a landslide in the 1880s but the supplies were exhausted within a few years due to extensive mining. So, the Kashmir sapphires fetch high sums on auctions now due to their rarity. Mogok mine in Burma also produces sapphires amongst other notable stones. Sri Lanka is also a prime source of this gemstone. Sapphire in Sri Lanka has two varieties – the brilliant blue stone and the milky white version. The white stone can be heat treated to turn blue in colour. Australia, Thailand, Cambodia and Madagascar are also known to produce this royal blue gemstone.
Sapphires have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness implying that it is quite hard and can be used in everyday jewellery.
Heat treatment of sapphires is quite common to improve clarity and colour. Pure, heat treated, lattice diffusion treated varieties of sapphire can all be cleaned with ultrasonic / steam cleaners or using warm soap water and a soft brush. Fracture filled or dyed ones need to be cleaned with a partially wet cloth.
Sapphires that have more intense and uniform colour are more valuable. Hue, tone and saturation play a huge part in the valuation of a stone.
Sapphires with higher clarity and fewer inclusions are preferred. Sapphires with tiny inclusions sometimes lend a velvety appearance increasing the price.
Cut is very important to showcase the brilliance of this sparkly gem. Most standard cuts are suitable.
Comes in a variety of sizes from very small to as large as hundreds of carats. Large sizes in fine jewellery are rare.
This gemstone is named after the Greek word sappheiros. Sapphire along with emerald and ruby holds the title of the Big Three gemstones due to their popularity and enchanting beauty. Sapphire is known to work as an evil-eye protector helping the wearer by warding off any negative energies. Sapphire is also a symbol of loyalty, romance and trust and so it is no wonder that sapphire is a very popular option for engagement rings. This birthstone also brings wisdom, clarity and peace into your life. The blue of this stone is a very compelling reminder of the water element of nature.
