Sapphire is a well-loved gemstone symbolizing wisdom, nobility and enlightenment and is quite popular across continents for centuries. Infact, the persians once believed that the earth rested on top of a giant sapphire and the color of the sapphire was then reflected which made the sky the blue color. Even without the symbolism, Sapphires and Diamonds — make a striking pair in a ring that’s as durable as it is beautiful.
Sapphire Facts
♦️ Sapphires are a rare gemstone that can take millions of years to form naturally in recrystallized limestone and metamorphic rocks.
♦️ Like rubies, sapphires are made from the mineral corundum or aluminum oxide, which gets color when there are other minerals present during formation.
♦️ There are many sapphire color varieties including pink, yellow, and most popularly blue.
♦️ Sapphires represent a calming presence, enlightenment, and wisdom.
Blue sapphires are the birthstone for those born in September.
♦️ The royal blue variety are traditionally gifted for the 5th, 45th, and/or 70th wedding anniversary.
♦️Blue sapphire are very popular because of their blue color, hardness (second only to diamonds), durability, and luster (sparkle from light performance within the gemstone).
Diamonds are Classic. But sapphires are an excellent option for a ring that truly stands out. No two sapphires are exactly alike, which guarantees that your ring will be unique. And they’re a beautiful way to buy a striking ring on a budget: While both diamonds and sapphires are rare and precious, a ring with a combination of the gems can reduce the amount you would spend on rings with just one or the other. And the cut of a sapphire isn’t as crucial as the cut of a diamond, because it’s harder to see inclusions of a sapphire with the naked eye.
The most common type of sapphire and diamond ring is one in which the sapphire is the focal stone. You can choose a round gem, or a more distinctive shape which is oval, lending a vintage look, while square, cushion, and pear shapes are also popular. The stone can be surrounded by brilliant pavé diamonds, which can also extend onto the band.
Where Sapphire Is Found?
The classic “true” blue sapphire, inclusive of a purple tint, originates from India’s Kashmir region. The deposits are now found in many parts of the world, including Thailand, India, Myanmar (Burma), China, Brazil, Africa, Australia and North America.
Though Australia was the largest source in the late 20th century, Madagascar is now the world’s leading producer of sapphire. The location where a sapphire is mined plays a role in its value, similar to aspects like Cut, Color and Carat weight. The most prized sapphires and, therefore, the ones with the highest value, come from India’s Kashmir region, Myanmar (Burma) and Sri Lanka, respectively
Popular Sapphires!
♦️Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana with a 18 Carat Blue sapphire engagement ring, which Prince William later used to propose to Kate Middleton. This royal ring was originally mined out of Sri Lanka.
♦️In October 2015, a sapphire from India’s Kashmir region was sold for over $240,000 per Carat, totaling over $6.7 million.
♦️Weighing over 61,000 Carat, the Millennium Sapphire is the world’s largest cut and polished sapphire. It was mined in Madagascar and is valued at over $100 million U.S. dollars.
♦️Celebrities who were given sapphire engagement rings include Penelope Cruz, Victoria Beckham and Elizabeth Taylor.
Sapphire Color
Although generally thought of as a blue gemstone(Neelam) occur naturally in a variety of colors. Other than red gems, which are considered rubies, sapphires can be any color of the rainbow, including yellow, green and pink or even white. Blue sapphires, however, tend to be most popular and typically acquire more value the bluer they are. When sapphires contain a hue other than blue, they are referred to as “fancies.”
These stones are part of the corundum family of minerals, and contain traces of titanium, iron, magnesium, copper and chromium. Each mineral present in the composition helps designate the stone’s color. Some sapphires change color based on lighting, and heated treatment is frequently used to enhance a sapphire’s Color or improve its Clarity. Natural sapphires without treatment tend to be rare, and their cost reflects such.
A natural, “true” blue color is the biggest visual factor that affects a blue sapphire’s value. For the most part, the closer you get to a “true” blue, the higher the quality of the sapphire and the more it will cost to purchase.
These can range in color from a pure, “cornflower” blue to blue with slight hints of green or purple. Generally, the more visually obvious the hints of green or purple are, the less valuable the sapphire becomes.
Two factors that can affect a sapphire’s color are its tone and saturation. Tone refers to how light or dark the blue color of the sapphire is. A lighter tone can make a sapphire appear washed out and less impressive, while an overly dark tone can make the blue color harder to see.
When it comes to tone, it’s best to stick that sits in the middle of the range, with a blue that’s strong enough to see clearly but not so dark that the details of the gemstone can’t easily be seen.
As for saturation, the highest quality stone tend to have rich, consistent and vivid color that’s free of brown or gray areas.
The best color for a blue sapphire is royal blue, also known as cornflower blue. You can recognize these stones because of their medium to dark blue hue with high saturation. Sapphires of this color are vivid and devoid of brown and gray hints. Some people prefer a violet-blue tone in the same color range with high saturation.
Unlike diamonds, which are graded for color using an objective, standardized system, sapphires aren’t graded for color using any kind of standardized scale. This makes it important to shop for blue sapphire engagement rings from a vendor that provides accurate, high-quality photos.
Sapphire Clarity
All sapphires will contain inclusions called rutile needles, making it extremely uncommon to find a flawless, inclusion-free blue sapphire. The vast majority of sapphires are also heat treated for improved clarity and color.
In general, inclusions are less of an issue with blue sapphires than they are with diamonds. To inspect a diamond for inclusions, a gemologist will typically use a 10x magnification loupe. With a sapphire, a gemologist usually won’t use any magnification at all during their inspection.
Most of the time, if a gemstone is “eye-clean,” meaning it has no obvious inclusions that are visible to the naked eye, its clarity is acceptable for an engagement ring or other jewelry.
Sapphire Cut
Unlike with a diamond, there are no standardized cuts for blue sapphires. To look its best, a blue sapphire should be cut symmetrically and reflect light at the correct angles to display the stone’s beauty and luster.
The most popular cuts tend to be oval, round cushion and emerald. There’s no “best” cut for a blue sapphire, allowing you to choose something that matches your fiancé-to-be’s tastes and personality.
Sapphire Carat Weight
Like diamonds, gemstones come in an incredible range of carat weights. Because sapphires tend to be heavier than diamonds, a one carat blue sapphire will often look slightly smaller than a diamond of equivalent carat weight. Because of this, it’s important to look at carat weight and measurements when you’re comparing blue sapphires
Sapphire Buying Tips
Buying a gemstone engagement ring is less technical than buying a diamond. Despite this, there is a range of ways that you can maximize your value for money and get the highest quality center stone and ring for your budget:
- Choose The Right Metal. Although blue sapphires can look great in any type of setting, they tend to look best alongside white metals, such as white gold and platinum. These metals emphasize and complement the deep blue color of the sapphire.
- Consider A Halo Setting. Blue sapphires can look particularly beautiful when they’re surrounded by a halo of small diamonds are perfect for emphasizing the beauty and size of a round blue sapphire.
- Check The Sapphire’s Measurements. As we mentioned above, blue sapphires are usually heavier than diamonds of the equivalent size. Because of this, it’s important to check the measurements as well as the carat weight when sizing up a sapphire.
- Don’t Worry Too Much About Heat Treatment. The vast majority of blue sapphires on the market undergo heat treatment for improved color and clarity. This is a very normal, common process that doesn’t cause any damage to the sapphire. As such, it’s best not to worry about heat treatment. If you’re searching for an untreated sapphire, expect to pay significantly more for it than you would for a heat-treated sapphire of the equivalent carat weight.
- Focus On Color, Not Clarity. Unlike diamonds, which often only have tiny inclusions, it’s very rare for a sapphire to have no inclusions at all. If a sapphire is “eye-clean,” meaning it’s free of inclusions to the naked eye, it should look excellent in a ring.
- Pay Close Attention To The Photos. The tone and saturation of a blue sapphire have a huge impact on its appearance. When you’re comparing sapphires, use the high-quality photos to assess their color.If you’re shopping from your phone or tablet, check that the brightness is turned up high enough to provide an accurate representation of the sapphire’s tone, saturation and the presence of any hints of green or purple.
