Sapphire what is

Congratulations on joining our email list! You will be the first to know about exciting news, red carpet updates, special offers, and much more. Sapphires are One of the Four Precious Gemstones. The terms stones and gemstones are thrown around quite a bit, but for the most part, while almost all gemstones originate from some mineral besides from rare exceptions like pearls , not every stone is a gemstone, which is used almost interchangeably with the term precious.

This is because some are considered more precious than others and only a select few in the category of precious gemstones. To be clear, the separation between precious and semi-precious is actually not used any longer. Still, many differentiate between the two groups.

A stone becomes a gem once it has been transformed from its rough mineral form into a cut and polished jewel. The most lavish gemstones on the planet, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, fall into what was called precious gemstones. All other gemstones are referred to as semi-precious. Some are far less valuable than precious gemstones while others can cost quite the pretty penny. Sapphires are the gemstone variety of the corundum mineral. The red sapphire variety is called a ruby.

Sapphires are mined, and they are also manufactured for decorative purposes. These stones measure 9 on the Mohs scale in terms of hardness, making them the third hardest gemstone after diamonds and moissanite respectively.

Diamonds rank 10 whereas moissanite ranks 9. They are therefore also used for non-decorative uses such as for infrared optical components. They are the result of several processes, which include high temperatures and pressure. These are the ideal conditions for metamorphic processes in which sapphires are formed. When liquid magma found deep within the earth cools, it allows the minerals to crystalize.

The finest and purest forms of corundum, otherwise known as sapphires, are these very minerals that have been recrystallized during this process that has taken millions of years. A sapphire is a mineral but it is not diamond even though a diamond is a mineral as well.

They are both different types of minerals. Sapphires are a variety of the mineral corundum,which is an aluminum oxide. Various elements found within the sapphires cause different hues. For example, iron causes blue, titanium causes yellow, and chromium causes purple. As with all types of sapphires, the greatest quality pink sapphire should have a uniform color, good cutting for maximum light reflection and little visible inclusions.

Size does play a large roll in the price of pink sapphires. One ct sizes are not very rare, and are normally available at reasonable prices. Large pink sapphires over 4cts are very rare. A steady supply is very difficult to predict. Stones larger then 7cts in fine quality are very unusual. Pink sapphires this large are far more rare than blue sapphires of the same size and can be extremely expensive.

As discussed previously, low temperature heated pink sapphires should not be put in the same category as traditionally high temperature heated blue and yellow sapphires. Blue and yellow heat-treated sapphires come out of the ground with little or no color or clarity resembling what they look like after they have been heated. We spend a great deal of time in our own company laboratory analyzing all our pink sapphires to ensure they are from Madagascar.

We take great care in studying the internal characteristics of the sapphire to see that it is unchanged from possible high temperature heating. Our goal is to offer truly rare, fine quality and well priced sapphires. This is our only business. If you would like to discuss further exact scientific details on pink sapphires, please contact us.

Yellow sapphires come in a wide range of tones and saturations. Very light canary to an ultra golden color tone show the wide range that fall under the classification of Yellow Sapphire. The most in-demand color tone is a medium vibrant canary yellow that will show good color and light reflection in all lighting conditions.

Yellow sapphires have one primary source of fine quality: Sri Lanka Ceylon. Almost all fine quality yellow sapphires seen today come from Sri Lanka. Other countries such as Australia, Thailand and Burma do produce some yellow sapphires, but, in most cases, with heavy secondary color tones. Madagascar has just recently produced some fine stones, but in smaller quantities. Yellow sapphires are the most undervalued type of sapphire in our opinion. They are exceptionally rare in very fine intense colors.

Even lighter soft yellow tones in smaller sizes are not steadily available. Even though yellow sapphires are usually undervalued, they have been on a steady rise for many, many years. Their prices are far less when compared to similar pink and blue sapphires. Yellow sapphires are usually clean and very bright.

The crystal is very attractive in most lighting conditions, from low evening light to strong direct sunlight. The recent growth in demand for fancy colored yellow diamonds has given great rise to the popularity of yellow sapphires as an affordable alternative. Many yellow sapphires have a very close resemblance to yellow diamonds.

A yellow sapphire faceted to look like a yellow diamond is strikingly similar in light and color reflection. Viewed from a near distance the two stones are almost indistinguishable. Yellow sapphires are far more valuable if they have not been treated by high temperature heating.

If a yellow sapphire has been heated at a high temperature these feathers are destroyed and are easily identifiable by a trained gemologist. It is very unusual for natural untreated yellow sapphires to not have any internal feathers, making them so easy to identify.

Yellow sapphires can be colored without high temperature heating through a method of irradiation. Irradiated yellow sapphires are not radioactive as some people might think, but these irradiated yellow sapphires will fade in color severely overa short period of time within a few months.

We test our yellow sapphires for irradiation treatment as well. We do this by various testing methods, such as exposing the stones to ultraviolet light. These tests will reveal if the yellow sapphire color has been created by irradiation treatment. Yellow sapphires play an important role in various cultures and especially for use in Vedic astrology.

We supply a great deal of fine natural untreated pure yellow sapphires for astrological needs of important customers. Yellow sapphires are widely believed to have great effects on their wearers according to Vedic astrological purposes. Natural untreated yellow sapphires are becoming increasingly rare, expensive, and popular.

The prices continue to rise steadily. Light yellow stones under 1ct size are quite common and not very expensive. Fine intense color saturation, even in a 1ct size is quite difficult to produce on a consistent basis.

These medium bright stones are still far less expensive than a comparable blue or pink sapphire. Padparadscha Sapphires are the rarest of sapphires. These extremely rare stones are unknown to most, but when discovered usually become an absolute favorite.

They are strikingly beautiful and almost no other colored stone compares to this unique mix of pink and orange. Sunsets, lotus flowers and tropical fruits - the color range of a pronounced Pad-para-dscha falls within a mix of 2 colors: pink and orange.

One of the rarest gemstones of the world, Padparadscha sapphires are rivaled by no other gemstone species or color substitute. Imposters cannot be found to show this very beautiful color.

Padparadschas are mostly unknown among most consumers because there are literally so few in circulation. Padparadscha sapphires are truly rare and unusual gemstones. Most fine Padparadschas in the market are purchased by collectors and individuals who have been waiting and searching for the right stone.

The market for these sapphires is small, yet the demand is very high. For this reason, prices can be astronomical for very fine pieces. Padparadscha sapphires have been coming exclusively from Sri Lanka Ceylon for thousands of years. Only in the last few decades have some other countries slowly produced similar color tones associated with Ceylon Padparadschas. We feel that the finest stones do in fact come from Sri Lanka, and most will agree that this is the best location for a fine Padparadscha sapphire.

Yet recently Madagascar has come to find some exceptional material as well. Madagascar is now producing a major percentage of stones available on the market. Mostly they are a reddish orange with tones of brown and slight hints of pink. When seen, these stones are very appealing, as the color is very unusual.

Although these are also very rare sapphires, they are not usually classified as Padparadschas if they have significant tones of red or brown. A reddish-orange or a reddish-brown colored sapphire should not be classified as a Padparadscha as a true Padparadscha sapphire is classified specifically as a mix of pink and orange and ideally from Sri Lanka Ceylon.

Radical color change takes place within pink sapphires when they are heated with Beryllium gas. Pink sapphires that would normally sell for a few hundred dollars per carat are turned into pinkish-orange colored Padparadschas when Beryllium gas is used. The element Beryllium is diffused into the sapphire crystal with extreme heating, resulting in creating an orange coloration.

These created Padparadschas are far less valuable than non-diffused Padparadschas. They are not rare and should cost roughly the same price of a low quality pink sapphire that has been heated at extreme temperatures.

In order for foreign elements to penetrate diffuse into the sapphire crystal, extremely high temperatures must be achieved in the heating process. This type of heating requires many days and usually results in the partial melting and reformation of the sapphire itself. Within our inventory you will see that some of our Padparadscha sapphires are certified as heat treated.

This should not be confused with diffusion treated sapphires. We talk a great deal about truly rare and valuable unheated sapphires, so one could be quite confused if we are offering or even recommending purchasing jewelry with Padparadscha sapphires that are heated. We offer heated and untreated Padparadschas because there are basically so few stones available either heated dry heat or untreated.

The prices for untreated Padparadschas are so demanding that almost none but a privileged few have the opportunity to purchase them. Even heated Padparadscha sapphires are quite expensive in fine quality.

We therefore do make an exception in offering heated dry heat only - no Beryllium diffusion Padparadschas dry heat means that no fluxes, glasses or additives whatsoever are added in the heating process. These stones are usually a majority of pink with a minority of orange color. Madagascar Padparadschas are heated at a very low temperature in most cases as discussed in the Pink Sapphire category.

For this reason we usually recommend a Madagascar Padparadscha over a heated Ceylon Padparadscha - as these are rarer. Nothing can be as rare and beautiful as a Padparadscha sapphire. We highly recommend this exquisite species of sapphire to the most discerning individuals.

They are a personal favorite of our company employees. When they are seen, they are greatly admired and appreciated. As seen in this example, Padparadscha color interpretation can be seen differently by different gemologists. Often it is open to individual interpretation. As previously discussed in our pink sapphire education section; low temperate heat treatment is very hard to detect. In this Padparadscha, one lab believed it was heated at low temperature,and the other lab did not.

Again, it can be very difficult to determine low temperature heating in sapphires. But low temperature heating should not be confused with high temperature heating.

Normally high temperature heating involves adding foreign elements to the heating chamber. High temperature heating is almost always easy to identify. Today this process is understood, but long ago these rare sapphires were considered to have special powers and unique qualities of no other gem species.

These microscopic needles intersecting at degrees inside the sapphire create a six-rayed star effect seen within the stone when a direct light is overhead. When seen in person most agree that nothing like it exists in other gemstones. The correct angles of light entering and exiting the stone crystal will accentuate the appearance of the star.

If there are no rutile needles within a cabochon sapphire you will only see color and not the phenomenon of a star. Stars have been used in jewelry for as long as sapphires have been cut. Today most rough sapphires that have rutile needles within the crystal are sent directly to the high temperature heating ovens. After these rutile needles are destroyed no star will be seen within the stone.

For this reason fine star sapphires are increasingly more rare and difficult to find in sapphire jewelry. Star sapphires are thought to only be gray or blue in color. This is completely untrue. Star sapphires come in almost all colors of the rainbow. Most prevalent are grayish-white colors and grayish-blue colors, but star sapphires also regularly come in pink and purple colors as well.

These are rare and can be very expensive in fine qualities. Black star sapphires are not nearly as expensive and rare as other colors.

Fine larger black star sapphires can cost a few hundred dollars per carat if they are of exceptional quality. Other colors of star sapphires are seen occasionally in purple, lavender, white, violet, and other mixes of color tones. Very rare and unusual star colors are yellow, orange, green, and the non-existent as of yet star Padparadscha!

Sri Lanka is the number one provider of fine quality star sapphires in all colors. The very first sapphires that were found were most likely cut into cabochons that showed a star effect. These stones contributed to the legend and lore of the power that these rare stones possessed.

Still today Sri Lanka is the highest producer of star sapphires. Very fine blue star sapphires are known to come from Burma as well. These stones often come in large sizes and can be exceptionally expensive in fine qualities.

Black star sapphires come from Cambodia and India. If you can see the star in a star sapphire it will almost always be untreated. The rutile needles that create the star effect in a star sapphire are the clear identification the stone has not been heated in almost all cases , at least certainly not at a high temperature. Star sapphires can be cut in very different ways depending on the location of color and silk located inside the crystal.

Normally, the large pavilions or large crowns top of the stone found on star sapphires are needed to accentuate and preserve as much of the star effect within the sapphires as possible. These synthetic sapphires can be very attractive and in some cases deceptive, as they can look very similar to genuine star sapphires.

A Cabochon is one method of cutting a sapphire; but is also a lot more than just a way to shape a sapphire from its rough form. Going way back in time, Sapphires excluding blue were often called the same name as a popular gemstone of that color with the prefix "oriental" added to it.

For example, green Sapphire was called "Oriental Emerald". The practice of applying the name of a different gemstone to identify the sapphire was misleading, and these names are no longer used. What was once called "Oriental Emerald" is now called "Green Sapphire". The same holds true for all other color varieties of Sapphire. However, the word "Sapphire" in its plain context refers only to blue Sapphire, unless a prefix color is specified.

Sapphire with a color other than blue is often called a "fancy" in the gem trade. Sapphire often contains minor inclusion s of tiny slender Rutile needles.

When present, these inclusions decrease the transparency of a stone and are known as silk. When in dense, parallel groupings, these inclusions can actually enhance by allowing polished Sapphires to exhibit asterism.

Sapphire gems displaying asterism are known as " Star Sapphire ", and these can be highly prized. Star Sapphire exists in six ray stars, though twelve ray stars are also known.

Sapphire is pleochroic , displaying a lighter and more intense color when viewed at different angles. Some pleochroic Sapphire is blue when viewed at one angle, and purple at a different angle. Color zoning, which forms from growth layers that build up during the formation of the stone, may also be present in certain Sapphires.

Color zoning is responsible for certain Sapphires having lighter and darker colors in different parts of a crystal. Some Sapphire gemstones may even be multicolored such as purple and blue. Sapphire is a tough and durable gem, and the only natural gemstone harder than Sapphire is Diamond. Despite this, Sapphire is still subject to chipping and fracture if handled roughly, and care should be taken to ensure it is properly handled. Sapphire was first synthesized in The process of creating synthetic Sapphire is known as the Verneuil process.

Only experts can distinguish between natural and synthetic Sapphire. Natural sapphires will have small inclusions or flaws throughout the stone if you look closely. Despite lab-created stones containing no visual flaws, natural sapphires are more sought-after, and thus more expensive especially rare or high-quality natural sapphires, such as Kashmir sapphires.

Sapphires have a wealth of historical meaning, which is part of what makes them so cherished. Throughout time, the sapphire has been known as a prized and valuable gemstone, with their deep blue allure reaching out to many people in history. However, before Princess Di received her gorgeous blue beauty, these indigo rocks had been cherished for generations as symbols of good fortune, virtue, holiness, and wisdom.

Sapphires appear frequently in the Bible. The stone is mentioned in many chapters, representing something beautiful or precious, with significant value. The ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire, which reflected its color to the sky. In many cultures, blue sapphire represents the heavens. The sapphire holds a notable place in Ancient Greek and Indian history too. Buddhism also holds the sapphire in high regard, believing the sapphire has a calming presence that can help bring about spiritual enlightenment.

Color is the most important factor when purchasing a colored gemstone. The color of the sapphire is what captivates us, and draws us in for a closer look. But this is only when the color of the stone has the proper measures of hue, tone, and saturation.

Without these, the stone may appear dull, colorless, and gray. Yogo sapphires, mined in Yogo Gulch, Montana, are said to be of this cornflower blue variety, and are famous for their lack of inclusions high clarity. Tone describes how light or dark the color is with the range going from very light to very dark.

As we said, the most desirable sapphires will have vivid, highly saturated color without areas of brown or gray. These areas are known as extinction and are affected by lighting quality, position, tone, and cut. Whereas diamonds have an elaborate, standardized color-grading system, sapphires and other colored gemstones have no such similar way to assess color across the board.

Rather, you will have use your own judgment about which colors appear vibrant and alive to you. Besides the renowned blue sapphire , there is the Padparadscha Sapphire, an extremely rare and sought-after pink-orange fancy sapphire originally found in Sri Lanka.

After the blue and Padparadscha, the fancy pink sapphire ranks third in popularity for its prized hot pink hue. These striking pink marvels are generally found in Burma or Sri Lanka.

As the amount of chromium increases in the corundum, the shade of pink deepens as well. It is important to note that there is often a fine line between what is called a pink sapphire and a red ruby.

You can find treated sapphires that look nice, like this pendant from Amazon. In the United States, there must be a minimum color saturation in order for the stone to be called a ruby. In other places, the term ruby may be used more loosely. It is highly unlikely to find sapphires without any inclusions, or imperfections, at all.

If there are no inclusions, gemologists will suspect the sapphire to be fake or treated. Most sapphires on the market today have been heat-treated to improve their clarity and color.

The cleaner the stone, the higher the price tag. While the appearance of inclusions are not usually regarded as positive, in the case of asterism, the opposite is true.

When light is reflected off the silk, a star effect is created, making the sapphire appear to have a three or six-point star on the face of the stone. Asterism is rare and also increases the value of the stone.

The Black Star of Queensland is said to be the largest mined star sapphire in the world, weighing in at carats. There are no standardized cuts for sapphires as there are with diamonds. This makes the stone appear to have a deeper, darker color.

And the opposite is also true: if the sapphire is very dark, then the gem cutter may choose to make a shallow cut to bring more light in and thereby lighten the overall look of the stone.