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Long
associated with royalty and romance, sapphire symbolizes
fidelity and the soul. Sapphire comes from the reek word for
blue, sappheiros, and this gem provides the most beautiful
blues of the gem kingdom. But sapphire comes in many colours
: every colour but red, because a “red sapphire” is a ruby,
sapphire’s gem sibling. These gems are both the tough and
durable mineral corundum.
History and Lore
The
ancient Persians believed that the earth rest on a giant
sapphire. Its reflection, they said the sky blue.
Long
associated with romance and royalty, sapphire was the
engagement ring given by Prince Charles to Lady Diana
Spencer.
Sapphire
is the gem of fidelity and of the soul. In ancient times, a
gift of a sapphire was a pledge of honesty, purity and
loyalty.
Sapphires
are the US birthstone for September.
Quality, Value and availability
The most
available sapphire is blue of these the most valuable colour
is a vivid pure blue. Stones that are a strong medium blue
are preferred over dark navy colours or paler pastel blues.
Slightly violetish blues are generally considered better
than slightly greenish blues.
Best known
for every imaginable blue, sapphire also comes in all
colours except red.
Another
valuable colour is a delicate pinkish- orange to orangy pink
known as “padparadscha” after the Sinhalese word for lotus
flower. This is a term that is widely misused, since stones
that fall in this category command a premium price.
Sapphires
are most common in cushion and oval shapes. Other shapes,
including rounds, emerald cuts, princess cuts, and
trilliants are widely available in sizes under a carat.
Fine
sapphire is generally more affordable than comparable
quality ruby, emerald and diamond.
Sources
All
colours of sapphire are mined in Sri Lanka, once called
Ceylon, a term still used by some gem dealers to describe
sapphires from this island.
Kashmir
and Myanmar (Burma) are known for fine blue sapphired highly
valued by collectors for their rarity.
Recently,
Madagascar has become an important source of lue, pink and
other colours of sapphire. Tanzania and Kenya also produce a
wide range of sapphire colours.
Thailand,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Australia and the United States
also produce sapphire. Thailand is an important center for
Sapphire treatment, cutting and trading.
Routine Enhancements
Most blue
sapphires are heated in order to maximize the blue by
dissolving titanium inclusions. Sometimes dark sapphire can
be lightened by heat.
Fancy
coloured sapphires are also often heated to develop the best
possible colour. Some sapphires are heated to improve
clarity as well as colour. Heat enhancement is stable,
routine and does nor require special care.
In a more
recently developed technique, bulk diffusion treatment, pale
pink, colourless or yellow sapphire is heated with beryl or
chrysoberyl, which enters the surface of the gem. This adds
yellow to the colour: pink gems become orange, pale yellow
stones become more intense yellow. The added element and the
colour it creates may be confined to a thin rind at the
surface or, in some cases, may completely saturate the
entire stone.
Care and Cleaning
Sapphire,
like its gem sibling ruby, is the mineral corundum, which
has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. Corundum is so tough
that it is used as an abrasive. As a result, sapphires are
the most durable of gems.
Clean
sapphire with mild dish soap in warm water : use a tooth
brush to scrub behind the stone where dust can collect.
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