Tanzanite, now one of Decembers birthstones, is among the most rare and unusual gemstones to be discovered in recent years. It was first discovered in 1967 and although the rich lavender/blue color is so striking, the gem itself is actually the mineral zoisite which occurs in yellow, pink and green and is found more commonly. This type of zoisite is unique, because in its shades of blue and lavender, it is only found in the Merelani Hills in north Tanzania. With this being the only known location, there is a time limit on the mining in the area, which only covers about four miles.

Tanzanite Colors

Tanzanite occurs naturally in a dark brown color and it is believed that the Massai herdsmen originally discovered it in the blue shades as a result of a lightning strike causing extreme heat to loose crystals lying on the ground. This discovery attracted the interest of Manuel Desouza, a Portuguese geologist who found that when treated with extreme heat (600c) the Tanzanite crystals change permanently to the rich lavender/blue with trichroic qualities which show shades of red, pink and lilac when viewed from different angles.

The new gem was given its distinctive name by the famous jewelers, Tiffany’s as a tribute to its location. They promoted it worldwide and it is now one of the top five best selling precious stones. Beautiful though it is, Tanzanite is nothing like as robust as the harder gemstones, such as diamonds, rubies and sapphires. On the Moh’s scale, diamond is the hardest at 10, rubies and sapphires are 9 while Tanzanite is only 6.5, so care must be taken if it is not to become damaged. Do not attempt to do any physical work when wearing a Tanzanite ring, even cooking or washing up is too risky and it should never be placed it in an ultrasonic cleaner. There is a limited time for new Tanzanite gemstones to be extracted, so with care, a item of jewelry set with this gem can easily increase in value and become an heirloom piece for future generations.

Sapphires, named from the Greek word sappheiros, have a long and prestigious history.

They are the non red varieties of corundum, (red is known as ruby) and can be found in many colors, but usually the name is associated with the blue versions.

Although blue is the most well known and popular color for sapphires, they can be white, green, yellow, brown, colorless, pink, orange, purple and violet and are often referred to as fancy sapphires.

Padparadscha is the name for the rare orange-pink variety of sapphire and has the highest value of them all. Colorless sapphires are very similar in appearance to white diamonds and can be used as an alternative accent stone for other gemstones.

Padparadscha

Another rare variety of sapphire, is known as color change sapphire, this gemstone has the ability to assume different colors depending on the type of light. This can mean that a color change sapphire looks blue in natural daylight, and violet under artificial light. Alexandrite is a gemstone which also gives this effect.

An opaque variety of sapphire, is star sapphire which is a type that displays a star-like effect called asterism. Star sapphires contain inclusions frequently the mineral rutile, this gives the appearance of a “star” shape in the center of the gem when viewed from above. Star sapphires are usually cut in a cabochon style, which is rounded and has no facets. However these are not quite as popular as the brilliant gemstones simply due to the lack of sparkle.

Characteristics and Treatments of Sapphires:

Rough Blue Sapphire

Sapphires are a very hard gemstone, second only on the Mohs scale of hardness to diamond which is 10, while sapphire is 9. This makes for a very robust, hard wearing precious stone, which is suitable to be worn frequently, although care should be take that the mounting of the jewelry is not knocked or damaged. This can easily happen with rings and it is a better idea to remove the jewelry before doing any work which could damage it.

As with many other gemstones, sapphires are often treated in various ways to improve their appearance, clarity and color. One of the most popular methods is heat treating, a practice dating back to Roman times and earlier. The gemstone is heated in air to a very high temperature of between 500 and 1800 °C for hours or even days.  It is more usual than not to enhance stones by this method and any gem which is entirely untreated, will be far more expensive due to its rarity and will usually be accompanied by a certificate from an independent gemological laboratory stating that this is so. Heat treated sapphires are permanently enhanced by this method and will suffer no loss of color or clarity over time. There are other methods which are sometimes used to improve the appearance of sapphires and other gemstones, such as infilling cavities with glass, dyeing the stone, waxing or oiling. These are all temporary treatments and are not suitable for jewelry use.

Sapphires are formed from the mineral corundum and were first made synthetically in laboratories as long ago as 1902. The man made version is so successful that it takes a skilled gemologist to tell the difference from those created by nature.

Sapphire Traditions, Locations and History:

Cut Blue Sapphire

Sapphire is traditionally the birthstone for September and for the star signs of  Virgo and Taurus. It is also the gem for four different wedding anniversaries, the fifth, twenty third, forty fifth, while a star sapphire is given for the sixty fifth anniversary.

There are many countries where sapphire is found and mined, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia, Madagascar, Kashmir, Nigeria, The United States and China.

Sapphires have an impressive history. According to tradition, the Ten Commandments were formed from sapphire slabs and the gemstone is reputed to have calming and healing properties. This is a precious stone loved by royalty worldwide, the British Crown jewels feature many large blue sapphires.  Princess Diana was famously given a beautiful sapphire engagement ring by Prince Charles, this ring has since been given to Kate Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) by Prince William, Diana’s son, on their engagement. Here is a list of famous sapphires which we have compiled for your interest.

Other Uses For Sapphires:

Although more usually used for jewelry, sapphires additionally have more practical uses in industry, due to their remarkable hardness and durability. These include optical components in scientific instruments, wristwatch crystals and bearings for movements and in specialized electronics, mostly integrated circuits. For most people however, sapphires will be treasured in the form of jewelry, for their great beauty and glorious color.

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.

Sapphires, beautiful gemstones that come in a large variety of sizes and colors, can be made into gorgeous earrings.

Many women enjoy the wide variety of shapes, colors, and styles that are available in the sapphire earring market.

They can be quite expensive, but their beauty and longevity easily make up for their cost.

Different Styles of Sapphire Earrings

There are many different styles of sapphire earrings to choose from.  The six main types of earrings are briolette, hoop, chandelier, stud, huggie, and drop (also known as dangler).  Briolette earrings feature triangular cuts and are usually formed into a teardrop shape.

Hoops, as the name suggests, have a piece of curved wire that is often adorned with gemstones and forms a circle and dangles from the ear.  A chandelier style earring consists of three small gemstones hanging from one larger one.  Stud earrings are small, unobtrusive earrings that simply rest on the earlobe; they have no dangling parts and do not extend beyond the earlobe itself.

The huggie style earring “hugs” the ear snugly; it generally has a circular shape like the hoop earring, but doesn’t dangle as freely as the latter.  Lastly, drop or dangler earrings extend and hang beyond the earlobe.  Beautiful sapphire earrings can be made in any of the above styles; the appropriate one for an individual depends on the planned use of them and other considerations.

When choosing among these earring styles, personal preference should play a role in selection, but other factors, such as face shape, should also be considered in order to ensure the perfect selection.  Those with round faces should consider earrings that draw attention to their cheekbones and jawlines, like sapphire danglers.  Oval faces are the most versatile and can successfully wear virtually any type; as a general rule, smaller earrings are suggested for daytime use while larger, more dangly earrings are saved for nightlife.  Those with diamond or heart shaped faces can sport most types as well.  People with rectangular faces should choose smaller sapphires earrings and avoid ones that extend to or beyond the jawline.  Each person is different; the sapphire earrings that are best for one will depend on one’s tastes, budget, and context for use of the new jewelry. Perhaps the intended recipient of the earrings already has a sapphire ring or other sapphire jewelry that could be matched?

Many people prefer sapphires even to the most coveted of all gemstones, the diamond.  Sapphires have many similarities to diamonds; for example, the two are among the hardest of all minerals found in nature and thus are both very durable.  Diamonds tend to have more shine and brilliance, while sapphires offer a wider selection of bold colors.  Ultimately, when choosing between diamond and sapphire earrings, it comes down to personal preference.