Sapphire, the stone of wisdom and mental acuity has been associated with royalty since centuries and known for leading to goal accomplishment and manifestation of ideas into form. No doubt lots of successful and known faces round the world are seen sporting sapphire jewellery. Sapphire is exotically found in almost all the colors of heaven symbolizing sincerity, trust and adherence. Although, a rich intense blue is the most precious and valued one, but other shades of Sapphire like pink and purple are also in vogue for jewellery.
This highly prized gemstone that has been around since about 800 BC is the birthstone of the September born. It is also the hallmark traditional gift for those celebrating 5th or 45th anniversaries. This custom of fixed and auspicious flower and gemstone gifts originated in medieval Germany where, if a married couple lived to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their wedding, the wife was presented by her friends and neighbors with a silver wreath to congratulate them for the good fortune that had prolonged the lives of the couple for so many years. It then expanded to mark each anniversary year with a particular gemstone that had direct connections with each stage of married life.
The word sapphire comes from the Latin sapphire that means blue. Sapphires belong to the family of minerals known as corundum where they can be of a range of colors, yellow, grey and even red. In fact, color has the most important influence on sapphire’s value. Thus it is important to know the blue of the sapphire that exists and that you would be interested in buying. Sapphires come in blues, with the lightest being Sweden princess blue and the darkest being navy or black. The most prized color is royal blue, which is also the most expensive. Padparadscha sapphires, which are orange-pink, are rare and considered valuable. Overall, the more intense the color and the fewer the distracting zones of unattractive color, the more valuable the stone.
They are among the strongest natural gemstones in existence, second only to diamonds. The most prevalent carat weight of this stone is two to five carats. Depending upon the price range, stone cut, clarity and color, larger sapphires of up to 10 carats can be bought as a part of jewellery. Though the text and knowledge of cut and clarity of Sapphires is extensive and one cannot master the minute details, an official rating from a gemstone association like the GIA should be checked for with the buyer. In general, a sapphire’s clarity grade refers to the number of inclusions or cracks inside a stone. The fewer the cracks, the more expensive a stone will be. The best and most expensive star corundum is semi-transparent, and has the same shine from all directions. The cut of this stone has more to do with the facets that allow light to reflect and color to shine at its best, than just the shape of it.
Heat treatment of sapphires is a very industry-accepted practice and results in a permanent enhancement and helps protect against accidental chipping or breakage. Do not mistake it to be a chemical treatment or be sceptic about such sapphire’s quality. Sapphires mined in Kashmir, Burma, and Ceylon are usually considered more precious than those mined elsewhere.
While buying, choose a metal setting that brings out the best in the brilliance of this gemstone. White gold is the most exquisite base in this regard. Among all the aforementioned parameters, consider the stone’s cut and then its clarity (transparency) as the crucial quality determining factors.