Did you know
that the official birthstone of those born in the month of September
is Sapphire" And that this is the preferred gem given for 5th,
23rd and also 45th wedding anniversaries" There is also a
separate star sapphire that is the chosen gem to be given on 65th
wedding anniversary of people. Perhaps the magical property of
spiritual enlightenment and inner peace that this gem possesses makes
it so popular. It is also chosen by many people since it has healing
properties that can help in dealing with depression, colic and even
mental illness besides aiding in telepathy and clairvoyance.
Sapphire comes
from the Corundum mineral family. These gems are extremely hard and
posses high durability with hardness of around 9 on Moh’s scale.
Among all the gemstones sapphire is only second to diamond in
hardness. Natural sapphire can come in a variety of colors or types
even though it is the blue sapphire that is perhaps most well known
and recognized. These different types of sapphires and their colors
are because of traces of titanium, chromium, vanadium and iron found
in these gemstones. Each sapphire uses the preface of its color for
the name so you have the yellow sapphire, blue pink, purple, green,
white and orange sapphire and the red sapphire is of course called as
Ruby. One of the most exotic sapphires that come in orange-pink shade
is called as Padparadscha sapphire. The value of these gems is
determined based on the color. The light and darkest tones are not
highly valued compared to ones with light and medium dark tones.
These sapphires are found all over the world and some of the sources
for these gems include places such as Sri Lanka, Australia,
Madagascar, East Africa, Burma and United States. Many sapphires
available in the market today are heat treated and this process is
not correct since the colors so produced tend to fade in heat and
light. Following are the different types of sapphire:
Colored Sapphires
Blue
Sapphires: These are the most popular of all sapphires and
sapphires are synonymous with those having the blue color. That is
why these are often known only as sapphires without any preface for
its color. The finest of these come from regions of Mogok in Burma,
Sri Lanka and also the Kashmir area in India. Deep blue and
cornflower blue are the two types or kinds of blue sapphires. The
intensity of this blue color is what determines the value of the gem.
These blue sapphires look exquisite under all light sources. Among
all the sapphires one of the largest known blue sapphire is called
the Logan sapphire. This one weighs 423 carats and is of Sri Lankan
origin. The Rockfeller sapphire at 62.02 carat was the most expensive
sapphire sold for $48,871 per carat. The dark blue sapphire is
considered lucky in terms of providing powers that allow people to
utilize their creative potential and also enhance their creativity.
Light blue sapphire is believed to enable new thoughts and a
different way of thinking in people.
Yellow,
Orange and Golden sapphires: These sapphires are relatively less
well known and often they are subjected to different treatments so
that their color is enhanced. So if a yellow sapphire is subjected to
heat treatment then depending on the variation, the color will be
transformed to an intense yellow or even golden color. Orange
sapphire is believed to aid an individual in his quest for true knowledge.
Purple
Sapphires: These sapphires are often available in plum shades or
an electric purple color and some may even have brown or gray tinge.
One carat sapphires in purple color from Burma and Africa can usually
be obtained for $350 to $500 per carat. Larger sized ones can usually
cost more than $1200 per carat.
Green
Sapphires: These usually come from areas of Thailand and
Australia. The value of these gems is reduced if there is presence of
any gray or black secondary colors. The purest of the green sapphires
are obtained from Africa and the greenish blue ones can be found in
Burma. The best of the green sapphires are usually sold for around
$250 for every carat. It is believed that the green sapphire aids in
people having and enjoying a smooth life.
Colored Sapphires
White
Sapphires: Initially these sapphires were sold for as less as $10
for every carat. But this was before it was noticed that using heat
the color of these white sapphires can be changed to orange and other
processes can be used to obtain other colors. Following this there
was an increase in demand for these gems and therefore the price of
white sapphires is around $100 to $300 for every carat. White
sapphire protects people from unnecessary suffering and pain.
Pink
Sapphires: This is only second in line among the most valuable
and most sought after sapphires. There is a grading system developed
by American Gemological Laboratories that determines whether the gem
is a ruby or a pink sapphire.
Color
change Sapphires: Based on the light source, this sapphire has
the ability to change colors. Due to their atomic structure this
happens and so you can see a sapphire that looks blue in daytime turn
violet or purple in incandescent lighting. The sapphires that provide
dramatic and vivid changes in colors are in great demand and are
rather valuable.
Padparadschas
Sapphire: These are the most valuable in all the sapphires and
are often collector favorite gemstones. These are of Sri Lankan
origin and the name means ‘lotus flower’. The standout
aspect of these is that they show a combination of two colors (pink
and orange) in a way that it is often difficult to find out where one
color ends and the second color starts. The price of this fabulous
gemstone obtained from Sri lankan region is between $4000 and $10000
for every carat.
Star
Sapphires: This beautiful gem has a six ray star in the center
and this star formation is also known as asterism. The quality of
this gem is based on the sharpness of the star, the body color and
the symmetry between the rays. The largest cut star is called the
"Star of India" and is 543 carat. This gem is housed in the
American Museum of Natural history in the city of New York. This
museum also has a black star sapphire called "the Midnight star".
Colored Sapphires
These
different types of sapphires and their colors are because of traces
of titanium, chromium, vanadium and iron found in these gemstones.
Each sapphire uses the preface of its color for the name so you have
the yellow sapphire, blue pink, purple, green, white and orange
sapphire and the red sapphire is of course called as Ruby. One of the
most exotic sapphires that come in orange-pink shade is called as
Padparadscha sapphire.
Looking for
Colored Sapphires
This luxury
gift is a must for jewelry lovers. To shop for colored sapphire
jewelry Click Here.
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