About Sapphires
Along with diamonds, emeralds and rubies, sapphires are one of the four precious gemstones and highly sought-after stones for jewelry. Sapphires are extremely rare and have been valued for thousands of years by royalty throughout the world. Today, sapphires are available in many different jewelry settings and sizes, but they are a costly gemstone. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Sapphires have been used in jewelry since 800 B.C. Ancient peoples throughout the world believed that the sapphire contained wisdom, and when worn would bring intelligence and solutions to the wearer. Kings and powerful leaders wore sapphires because it was believed that the gemstones would protect them from danger and keep them even-tempered under considerable stress. Sapphires are rarer than diamonds, giving royalty and the wealthy even more reason to cherish the precious stone.
Early mining of sapphires occurred in present-day Sri Lanka, and today that area is still a producer of blue sapphires. The two largest producers of sapphires in modern times are Australia and Africa, and Cambodia and Burma are also renowned for producing high-quality sapphires.
Types
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Sapphires include all the varieties of the mineral corundum, except for the red ruby and extremely rare pinkish-orange padparadscha stone. There are many different types of sapphires, including color-shifting sapphires, star sapphires and fancy-colored (non-blue) sapphires, but by the far the most popular is the blue sapphire.
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Features
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Sapphires are extremely hard gemstones that are very difficult to break, making them ideal for use in jewelry. Certain criteria are used to determine the quality and cost of sapphires--color, brilliance, clarity, cut and carat size. The blue color of sapphires comes from the presence of titanium found within the gemstones, with different amounts of titanium creating different shades of blue in each sapphire. Fine blue sapphires appear to have a pure blue primary hue without any visible yellow, purple or green overtones. Blue sapphires are available in a wide range of colors ranging from soft baby blue to deep royal blue. There are various levels of brilliance and clarity, with finer sapphires registering higher levels of each.
Often sapphires are heat treated in order to enhance both their color and clarity; but it is possible, though rare, to find untreated blue sapphires.
Engagement and wedding rings featuring sapphires are some of the most popular sapphire jewelry items, along with necklaces and bracelets.
Synthetic sapphires are widely produced today, providing a much cheaper alternative to the precious, mined blue sapphires.
Size
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Sapphires vary widely in size and, like other fine gemstones, are measured in carats. Sapphires are available at reasonable prices below one carat, all the way up to the extremely rare and very valuable fine quality 20 carats or more sapphires. Larger sapphires are available, but at those sizes they often lose their purity and clarity. Most high-quality sapphires are less than two carats and can cost more than $2,000 per carat.
Misconceptions
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The widely held misconception about sapphires is that they are all blue, but that is entirely false. While it is true that blue sapphires are the most sought-after of the sapphire family, any corundum crystal except for the ruby and padparadscha is considered a sapphire. Pink and yellow sapphires are becoming increasingly available and popular worldwide.
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