Sapphires, Colors and Varieties:
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.