The sapphire possesses the beauty of the thrones of paradise.\nIt shows the hearts of the simple, of those guided by certain hope and of those\nwhose life radiates charity and virtue. Well worthy to be worn by kings, the\nfirmament has the color and its beauty seems the sky and its clarity…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marbode, author of a famous lapidary of the middle Ages\ndescribes the fascinating brilliance of sapphire, limpid and deep at the same\ntime. Of the four precious stones (diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire), it is\nusually quoted last. The most beautiful virtues are nevertheless associated\nwith him: purity, justice and fidelity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mineralogical\nCharacteristics of Sapphire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sapphire is corundum like ruby, its twin brother. Chromium\ngives the color ruby \u200b\u200bred while titanium and iron transmits blue to sapphire.\nSapphire is more abundant but the great specimens are exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Classified in the group of oxides, sapphire has no cleavage\n(natural plans of breakage). Its facies (aspect) can be pyramidal, prismatic,\ntabular or in a cask. Of a great hardness, 9 on a scale of 10, it lines all the\nbodies except the diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sapphire is formed in metamorphic rocks (rocks transformed by\na sudden rise in temperature or pressure) or magmatic rocks (rocks from the\ncenter of the earth propelled to the surface following volcanic eruptions). It\nis found in silica-poor rocks: nepheline, marble, basalt…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most often, sapphires come from small alluvial deposits known\nas secondary deposits: rivers descend from mountains carrying stones at the\nfoot of torrents and in the plains. The extraction methods are usually\nartisanal: dug wells or simple washing of sand and gravel using pans,\ntraditionally wicker. Primary deposits involve difficult extraction of rocks at\nhigher altitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sapphire must have a nice shine. The milky appearance of a\nsapphire, then called “chalcedon”, is undesirable. Microscopic cracks\ncausing an effect of ice or foam devalue sapphire, dots and grains as well. All\nthese defects risk lowering the sapphire to the rank of “fine stone”.\nOn the contrary, a sapphire of perfect blue beauty can be worth a great price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wholesale Gemstone Chakra Pendants<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The colors\nof sapphire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The colors of the minerals are determined by the more or less\nminute presence of certain chemical elements. Chromium, titanium, iron, cobalt,\nnickel or vanadium combine and color various corundum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only red corundum, ruby, and blue corundum, sapphire, are\nconsidered gemstones. The others, variously colored, are considered as\n“fancy sapphires”. Their name “sapphire” must be followed\nby their color, (yellow sapphire, and green sapphire …). Until the late\nnineteenth century, their relationship is not clearly established, they are\ncalled “Eastern Peridot” (green sapphire), “oriental topaz”\n(yellow sapphire), “oriental amethyst” (purple sapphire)…<\/p>\n\n\n\n A stone sometimes has several clearly differentiated colors\nor has reflections such as girasol sapphire. The colorless and transparent\ncorundum is a white sapphire or “leucosaphir”. There is a sapphire\nwith a spectacular coral color. Native to Sri Lanka, this rarity bears the\nspecial name of “padparadscha” (lotus flower in Sinhalese).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The color of the sapphires can be perceived differently\naccording to the light sources. Some indigo blue sapphires look almost black in\nartificial light. Others become purple in the light of the sun. Sapphire also\nhas pleochroic properties: the color varies according to the angle of\nobservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sapphire\nSize<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditionally, sapphire is cut with diamond dust. The\npolishing is carried out using a powdered abrasive based on ordinary corundum\nand declassified: emery also used in the polishing of optical glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Faceted sizes enhance the sparkle of sapphires. Stones with\nremarkable inclusions, such as the cat’s eye sapphire (forming a vertical line\nlike the cat’s pupil) or the much sought-after star-shaped sapphire (a\nsix-pointed star), will reveal their beauty after an old-fashioned classic size\ncalled \u201cen cabochon \u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deceitful\nAppellations and Confusions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are\nseveral misleading names:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The saphirine often found in association with corundum, is\nactually a silicate. It owes only its name to its blue color similar to that of\nsapphire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of producing synthetic sapphire since 1920. They replace\nnatural sapphires in industrial applications. Jewelery also uses them as well\nas synthetic star sapphires obtained since 1947.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heat treatments (around 1700 \u00b0) and irradiations aim at\nmodifying or correcting the color and the transparency. The use of these\nmethods must be mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provenances\nof Sapphire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The sapphires of the Ratnapura region have been known since\nancient times. Gems are extracted from the mauve (blue forget-me-not), rare\nstar sapphires, and colored sapphires including padparadscha . And even today,\nalmost half of the sapphires come from ancient Ceylon. Among these, some\ncelebrities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Logan 433 carats (more than 85 g). Surrounded by diamonds, it\nis cut into a cushion. Exceptional purity and brilliance can be admired at the\nSmithsonian Institution in Washington (below left).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fabulous 563-carat Indian Star (below) and the Midnight\nStar, 116-carat (above right), astonishing in its violet-purple color. These\ntwo wonders are visible at the Museum of Natural History of New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indian\ncashmere<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a rare primary deposit unfortunately almost exhausted\nfor forty years. Sapphires, extracted from kaolinite, come directly from the\nheights of Kashmir at more than 4500 meters of altitude. Deep blue velvety,\nthey are considered the most beautiful of all. The current sapphires supposedly\n“Kashmir” usually come from Burma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myanmar\n(Burma)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The region of Mogok, cradle of rubies, also contains\nbeautiful sapphires from the pegmatite. In the past, most oriental sapphires\ncame from the independent kingdom of Pegu, located northeast of the current\ncapital Rangoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Smithsonian Institution in Washington displays a\nmagnificent Burmese star sapphire: the 330-carat Asian Star, medium dark blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Extracts of basalt in the Chanthaburi region and the\nKanchanaburi region, the sapphires, of good quality, are dark blue or\nblue-green sometimes starred. There are also colored sapphires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sapphires were quarried from Queensland basalt rocks as early\nas 1870 and from New South Wales mines since 1918. Their quality is often\naverage but rare rare black specimens have been discovered there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n