Gemstone sapphire - a collection of knowledge about sapphires

Sapphire it is an extraordinary gem whose depth of color and majesty have fascinated mankind and stimulated the imagination for centuries. Jewelery with sapphire is unflaggingly popular, and cashmere sapphires are the most expensive. Below are some interesting facts that you should know about this unusual gemstone.

The name comes from an ancient Greek word. Sapphire is corundum, so it reaches hardness 9 Mosh. This means that it is the second hardest mineral on earth right after diamond. The name of the mineral comes from the Semitic languages ​​and means "blue stone". Although there are other shades of sapphire in nature, the most famous are shades of blue. Iron and titanium ions are responsible for the color. Most desirable in jewelry are shades of cornflower blue, also known as cashmere blue. White and transparent sapphires are also found in Poland. more specifically in Lower Silesia. Interestingly, not only minerals mined naturally, but also obtained synthetically are currently used.

Sapphires are transparent and are often divided into double planes. Sapphire is one of the most popular gemstones. Some varieties of sapphires show pleochroism (color change depending on the light falling on the mineral) or glow (radiation of light/light waves) caused by a cause other than heating). Sapphires are also characterized by the presence asterism (star sapphire), an optical phenomenon consisting in the appearance of narrow bands of light that form the shape of a star. These stones are ground into cabochons.

The emergence of sapphires

Sapphires occur naturally in igneous rocks, most commonly pegmatites and basalts. Even crystals weighing 20 kg were found in Sri Lanka, but they had no jewelry value. Sapphires are also mined in Madagascar, Cambodia, India, Australia, Thailand, Tanzania, USA, Russia, Namibia, Colombia, South Africa and Burma. A star sapphire crystal weighing 63000 carats or 12.6 kg was once found in Burma. There are sapphires in Poland, only in Lower Silesia. The most valuable of them come from Kashmir or Burma. Already by the shade of color, you can recognize the country of origin of the mineral. The darker ones are from Australia, often greenish, while the lighter ones come from Sri Lanka, for example.

Sapphire and its color

The most desired and most popular color of sapphire is blue.. From the sky to the oceans. Blue literally surrounds us. has long been valued for its intense and velvety color. No wonder the beautiful blue sapphire has inspired the human imagination from the very beginning. The hue can vary greatly depending on the location, the saturation of the element with iron or titanium. This is one of the characteristics by which the value of a sapphire is determined, and it is the most important. It is important that it comes in different colors, except for red. When we meet red corundum, we are dealing with ruby. It is important to note that when we say sapphire we mean blue sapphire, when we want to indicate that we are talking about a sapphire with a different color, the so-called fancy color, we must say which color we mean. It is yellow, often referred to as gold, or pink or orange. There are also colorless sapphires called leucoschafirs. All but the blue ones are fancy sapphires. They are cheaper than beautiful blue sapphires, however there is one called Padparadscha, which means lotus color, is the only sapphire that has its own name other than ruby. It's pink and orange at the same time and can be incredibly expensive.

Has become popular lately heating sapphires to produce an even richer blue colorhowever, it is natural cornflower blue sapphires that are most valuable, they are neither light nor dark. It must be remembered that sapphires do not have a fixed color scale, like diamonds, so the assessment of individual stones is quite subjective and it is up to the buyer to decide which sapphire is the most beautiful. Some sapphires may also have color zoning resulting from the buildup of layers during stone formation. Such sapphires have a lighter and darker color in different parts of the crystal. Some sapphires can also be multicolored, such as purple and blue. An interesting fact is that in the past, fancy sapphires were called, like other minerals of the same color, with the prefix "oriental", for example, for green sapphire it was called oriental emerald. However, this nomenclature did not take root, caused many errors and was therefore abandoned.

Sapphire jewelry

Blue sapphire is most commonly used in jewelry making. Recently, yellow, pink and orange sapphires have been very popular. Less often, green and blue sapphires are used in jewelry. It is used in all forms of jewelry. Wedding rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets. It is used as a centerpiece and also as an additional stone along with other stones such as diamonds or emeralds in engagement rings. Deep blue sapphire with excellent clarity can reach several thousand dollars per carat, and the most common and used stones are up to two carats, although, of course, there are heavier ones. Due to its density, a 1-carat sapphire will be slightly smaller than a 1-carat diamond. A 6 carat brilliant-cut sapphire was supposed to be XNUMXmm in diameter. For sapphires, it is most often the round brilliant cut that is suitable. Stepped grinding is also common. Star sapphires are cut cabochon, while darker sapphires are flat cut. Sapphires look especially beautiful in white gold jewelry. A white gold ring with a sapphire as the center stone surrounded by diamonds is one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry. Although the truth is that it looks great in any color of gold.

Symbolism and magical properties of sapphires

Already in antiquity sapphires were credited with magical powers. According to the Persians, the stones were supposed to grant immortality and eternal youth. The Egyptians and Romans considered them sacred stones of justice and truth. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that sapphires drive away evil spirits and spells. Healing properties are also attributed to sapphire. It is said to fight diseases of the bladder, heart, kidneys and skin and enhance the effects of synthetic and natural medicines.

The calming effect of blue made it permanent. symbol of fidelity and trust. For this reason, women all over the world often choose this beautiful blue stone for their engagement rings. This is a gem dedicated to those born in September, born under the sign of Virgo, and celebrating their 5th, 7th, 10th and 45th wedding anniversaries. The blue color of sapphire is the perfect gift, symbolizing faith and unwavering commitment to the relationship of two people. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that wearing sapphires suppresses negative thoughts and cures natural ailments. Ivan the Terrible, the Russian Tsar, said that he gives strength, strengthens the heart and gives courage. The Persians believed that it was the stone of immortality.

Sapphire in Christianity

It was once thought that sapphire improves concentrationespecially during prayer, which increases its effectiveness. For this reason, it was also called the monk's stone. Sapphire also met the interest of church dignitaries. Pope Gregory XV announced that it would be the stone of cardinals, and earlier, Pope Innocent II had ordered bishops to wear sapphire rings on their blessed right hand. They were supposed to protect the clergy from degeneration and bad external influences. The mineral is also present in the Bible. In the Apocalypse of St. John is one of the twelve stones that adorn the heavenly Jerusalem.

famous sapphires

Times have changed, but sapphire is still a beautiful and desirable mineral. Now no one believes that the stone will cure poison or ward off a bad talisman, but many women choose a shaifr for their wedding ring. One of the most famous engagement rings belongs to Kate Middleton, previously owned by Princess Diana. White gold, central Ceylon sapphire surrounded by diamonds. The Blue Belle of Asia is a 400 carat sapphire stored in a UK vault, embedded in a necklace in 2014 and auctioned for $22 million. Described as the fourth largest in the world. And the world's largest cut sapphire is a gem that was mined in Sri Lanka in the seventeenth century. The largest asterism sapphire currently resides at the Smithsonian, where it was donated by JPMorgana. The largest sapphire found so far was a stone found in 1996 in Madagascar, weighing 17,5 kg!

How are synthetic sapphires made?

Very often, sapphire jewelry has synthetic stones. This means that the stone was created by man, and not by nature. They are just as beautiful as natural sapphires, but lack that “mother earth element.” Is it possible to distinguish synthetic sapphires from natural ones with the naked eye? Let's start from the very beginning. The first syntheses of corundum occurred in the nineteenth century, when small ruby ​​balls were obtained. At the beginning of the 50th century, there was a method in which minerals were blown into a hydrogen-oxygen flame, from which crystals were later formed. However, with this method, only small crystals were formed, because the larger - the more impurities and spots. In the XNUMXs, the hydrothermal method began to be used, which consisted in dissolving aluminum oxides and hydroxides under high pressure and high temperature, and then the seeds were hung on silver wires and, thanks to the resulting solution, they germinated. The next method is the Verneuil method, which also involves the melting of the material, but the resulting liquid falls on a base, which is often a natural crystal, which is the basis for growth. This method is still used today and is constantly being improved, however, many companies have their own methods for obtaining synthetic minerals and keep these methods secret. Synthetic sapphires are mined not only for jewelry setting. They are also often created for the production of screens or integrated circuits.

How to recognize synthetic sapphire?

Artificially obtained sapphire and natural sapphire have almost identical physical and chemical properties, so it is extremely difficult, almost impossible, to recognize them with the naked eye. With such a stone, it is best to contact a specialized jeweler. The main attribute is the price. It is known that natural mineral will not be cheap. An additional sign is the absence or slight defects on synthetic stones.

Plated sapphires and artificial stones

It is also worth knowing that there is such a term as stones to be treated or treated. Often a natural gemstone is not characterized by a suitable color, and then sapphires or rubies are fired to permanently improve their color. For example, topaz is processed in the same way, and emeralds are already oiled. It is important to know that these methods do not damage the stone, do not make the stone unnatural. Of course, there are also methods due to which the gem loses a lot in value and no longer comes close to natural. Such methods include, for example, filling rubies with glass or processing diamonds to increase the purity class, as a curiosity, there are also artificial stones. They are different from synthetic gemstones. In the same way that synthetic gemstones have physical and chemical properties that are almost identical to their natural counterparts, artificial gemstones HAVE NO analogues in nature. Examples of such stones are, for example, the very popular zircon or the less popular moissanite (diamond imitation).

Check out our collection of knowledge about all gems used in jewelry

• Diamond / Diamond
• Ruby
• amethyst
• Aquamarine
• Agate
• ametrine
• Sapphire
• Emerald
• Topaz
• Tsimofan
• Jade
• morganite
• howlite
• Peridot
• Alexandrite
• Heliodor