Sapphire Rings : Colors and Sources
It is likely that most everyone is familiar with the beautiful blue sapphire rings that can be found in nearly every jewelry store. The blue sapphire ring is by far the most common type of sapphire and it is considered to be quite valuable, especially the dark blue or violet colored sapphires.
However, many people do not know that sapphires and sapphire rings can come in a wide variety of colors, in fact they come in almost every color imaginable. Sapphires of every color come predominately from Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand with smaller deposits being found in Madagascar and East Africa as well as Australia and the U.S.
Apart from their beauty, sapphires are also prized for their hardness and they are the second hardest gemstone known, with only diamonds being harder. In fact many times you will find sapphire rings also set with diamonds to help accentuate the dark colors of the sapphire and add more brilliance to the ring.
Sapphires belong to the family Corundum which is from the natural mineral Aluminum oxide. The sapphires which are colors other than blue contain traces of other minerals that cause the coloring. Vanadium, titanium, iron and chromium are just some of the minerals that are responsible for various colors of sapphires.
Blue Sapphire Rings:
These are the most common and most well known sapphire rings and are usually just called sapphire without any prefix. The best and most sought after of these come from Burma, Sri Lanka and Kashmir. Rings made from blue sapphires are considered the perfect and most beautiful sapphires and generally blue sapphire rings look great under any lighting, unlike other gemstones and sapphire colors which look their best under direct light.
The value of the blue sapphire ring is generally determined by the intensity of the blue coloring along with the value of any stones added as accents. Deep blue and cornflower blue are the most popular colors for blue sapphire rings. Princess Diana’s engagement ring (pictured above), recently given to Kate Middleton by Prince William is a perfect example of such a bright blue sapphire.
Pink Sapphire Rings:
Rings made from the pink sapphire are the second most popular and also the second most valuable type. The coloring of a pink sapphire ring comes from the inclusion of chromium in the mineral. The more chromium that is present, the deeper the shade of pink and the higher the value of the sapphire ring. At some point (usually around 1% inclusion of chromium) the pink becomes red and the sapphire is no longer classified as a sapphire, but is classified as a ruby instead.
Yellow Sapphire Rings:
Yellow sapphires are little known and are typically a pale yellow color when extracted from the ground. In order to make the yellow sapphire ring more stunning and beautiful, these sapphires are routinely subjected to heat treatment or irradiation which will result in a stone of golden yellow, intense yellow and even orange-yellow colors. While heat treating of all sapphires is common it is frowned upon and should be clearly stated on the certificate when the ring is sold. The drawback of this type of treatment is that it fades over time as the sapphire ring is exposed to heat and light.
White Sapphire Rings:
While not as common as other sapphire ring colors, the white sapphire ring is often used as a substitute for diamond. White sapphires were once much less expensive, however once it was found that heating the white sapphire changes it to a vibrant orange color the price increased 20-30 fold. White sapphires have been mentioned in the bible and they were believed to provide protection from evil.
In addition to the colors mentioned above, it is possible to get sapphire rings that are purple, green and even color changing sapphires which appear to change colors based on the light source.
There are also sapphires called Star sapphires which contain a sharp six-rayed star in the center of the stone. Finally, the rarest type of sapphire ring is made from the Padparadscha sapphire, which is found exclusively in Sri Lanka. The name Padparadscha means “lotus flower” and these sapphires are a combination of pink and orange with the best stones showing no distinction in where one color lets off and the other begins. Padparadscha sapphire rings can sell for well over $15,000 per carat for larger stones although rings of 2 carats or less typically sell for around $1000 per carat.
When determining the price and value of a sapphire ring the most important factor is the color and the depth of color. All sapphires have some inclusions and are not clear like diamonds, so sapphires with good color and clarity are rare. Sapphires that are too dark or too light are less valuable than those with medium to medium dark coloring and aside from the rare Padparadscha sapphire the most valuable sapphire rings are made from stones that are a violet-blue color.