Buyer's Guide: Sapphire

    Like other gems that have been prized for a long time, sapphire has suffered form identity confusion. In Roman times, the word sapphires meant lapis lazuli, while green sapphires were "emeralds", blue sapphires were "hyacinths", and purple sapphires were "amethysts".

    Many connoisseurs say the most beautiful blue sapphires came from Kashmir, India. Sadly, this source has produced little since World War II. The most important current sapphire sources are Australia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Other producers include the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Colombia, Kampuchea, Kenya and Tanzania. In the United States deposits at Yogo Gulch, Montana, have been mined sporadically.

    You can see beautiful large sapphires in many museums. The Smithsonian Institution has the Logan sapphire, the dark blue 98.6-carat Bismarck sapphire, and a 92.6-carat yellow Burmese sapphire. The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has a 179.4-carat yellow stone from Sri Lanka. The American Museum of Natural History in New York City has a 100-carat yellow, a 100-carat orange, and a 163-carat blue, all from Sri Lanka.

    Some of today's celebrities also own magnificent sapphires. Britain's Princesses Ann and Diana both received engagement rings set with sapphires, and Liz Taylor's collection includes a 20-carat sapphire engagement ring and a 77-carat Burmese sapphire pendant.

    The name Sapphire derives from the Latin sapphirus, which in turn came from the Greek sappherios, both words meaning "blue." Whereas sapphires come in the full palette of colors (except red) from light pink to brownish orange to black, it is blue sapphires that have exercised people's imagination throughout history. The ancient Persians believed that the earth perched atop a giant sapphire and the sky mirrored the gem's radiant azure. Other peoples saw the blue sapphire as the Gem of Heavens. Understandably so: blue sapphires range in hue from dark midnight blue to the lucid blue of a summer sky, all the way to the tinged violet of twilight.

    In gem lore, blue sapphires denoted honesty and fidelity. Lovers have long cherished them, especially sapphires of the royal blue variety, which remain most prized by connoisseurs. It was such a stone that Prince Charles gave Princess Diana for their engagement. Sapphires have also symbolized truth. Jewish tradition holds that Moses received the Ten Commandments on tablets of beautiful blue sapphire.

    A member of the corundum family and a close gemological relative of the ruby, sapphires are resilient stones, second only to diamonds in their toughness. They are hard to break or scratch. The finest gems are mined in Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon sapphires), Thailand, Australia, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Madagascar. Kashmir in India and Myanmar (formerly Burma) produce their special velvety blue stones highly valued by experts. Sadly, though, these have been over-mined almost to the point of extinction.

    The finest sapphires retain their brilliance and consistency of color when viewed from any angle and under all kinds of lighting. (Black, green or gray tints mixed in with the blue will reduce a stone's aesthetic and material value.) As with other gemstones, visible, usually needle-like inclusions and other tiny flaws will render a gem "unclean" and so less valuable. However, expert cutters can take advantage of such blemishes. In their hands, needle-like inclusions can be brought to reveal a whirling six-rayed star in cabochon-shaped stones. These are especially popular in rings for men.

    The ancients viewed star sapphires as powerful talismans, which guided and protected travelers and seekers on their quests. They were said to protect their original owner even after they changed into other hands. What can be a better gift than that?

    Sapphire, the celestial gemstone, has been treasured for thousands of years. The ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire and its reflection colored the sky. Sapphire is found in all the colors of the heavens: from midnight blue to the bright azure of the noon sky in the Mediterranean; golden sunrise, fiery reddish-orange sunsets, and the delicate violet of twilight. However, the most famous and valuable sapphires are a rich intense blue, a truly royal hue.

    The Truest Blue

    Sapphire has long symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness. Tradition holds that Moses was given the ten commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it one of the most sacred of stones. Because sapphires represent divine favor, they were the gemstone of choice for kings and high priests. The British Crown Jewels are replete with enormous blue sapphires, a symbol for pure and wise rulers.

    Since sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, it is an excellent choice for an engagement ring. When Prince Charles chose a sapphire engagement ring for Princess Diana, couples all over the world were inspired to revive this venerable tradition.

    Sapphire is also the birthstone for September. Ancient texts also name sapphire as a birthstone for April and the gemstone for the sign of Taurus.

    "Fine blue sapphires are tremendously undervalued," says David Federman, United States author of Consumer Guide to Colored Gemstones and other gem books. "Fine Kashmir and Burma sapphires are much rarer than Burma rubies and yet they are available for much less. Even fine Sri Lankan sapphires are rare to see these days. There is nothing more restful to the soul than a fine sapphire."

    Choosing a Sapphire

    Sapphires come from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, and Cambodia,Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, China, Vietnam, Madagascar, and the United States also produce some sapphire. The deposits in Montana in the United States produce a range of fancy colors, mostly from alluvial deposits in the rivers. Deep blue sapphires come from one of the world's largest deposits at Yogo Gulch. The sapphires from Yogo Gulch are small in size but they have a beautiful blue hue. Unfortunately they are found in adamantine rock which makes mining difficult, limiting production.

    The most famous sources for sapphire are in Kashmir and Burma. Kashmir sapphire, which was discovered in 1881 when a landslide in the Himalayas uncovered beautiful blue pebbles, has a rich velvety color prized by connoisseurs. Burma sapphires, from the same region that produces fabulous rubies, are also ravishing. However, today, these two sources account only for a very small percentage of the sapphire on the market.

    Most of the fine sapphire on the market today comes from Sri Lanka, which produces a wide range of beautiful blues. Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Pailin in Cambodia are renowned for producing deep, even colors. Two relatively new mining localities are showing promise: Madagascar - which has produced some exceptionally fine stones in small sizes but, as of yet, has no organized mining facility - and Tanzania, which has long produced sapphire in other colors and is now starting to uncover brilliant blues.

    The most valuable sapphires have a intense, vivid blue color. The best sapphires hold the brightness of their color under all different types of lighting. Any black, gray, or green overtones mixed in with the blue will reduce a stone's value. In general, a more pastel blue would be less preferred than a deep blue but would be priced higher than an dark, blackish-blue color. As with all gemstones, sapphires which have few visible inclusions or flaws are the most valuable. However some very fine sapphires, in particular those from Kashmir, have a velvety mist-like texture which enhances the richness of its tone.

    Sapphires are most often cut in a cushion shape - a rounded rectangle - or an oval. You can also find smaller sapphires in round, brilliant cuts and a wide variety of fancy shapes including: triangles, squares, emerald cuts, marquises, pear shapes, baguette shapes, and cabochon cuts, or smooth domes.

    Beyond the Blues

    Some sapphires with unusual, tiny needle-like inclusions can be cut in a cabochon shape to display a dancing six-rayed white star. Star sapphires, which are becoming more rare, are very popular for men's rings. Star sapphires are judged by the sharpness of the star, the evenness of the rays and the body-color of the stone. It is extremely rare to find a star-sapphire with a sharp star and a bright blue body-color. The ancients regarded the star sapphire as a very powerful talisman, a guiding star for travelers and seekers of all kinds. They were so potent, they were said to continue to protect the wearer even after being passed on to someone else.

    In addition to blue, sapphires are available in every color but red - simply because a red sapphire would thus be called a ruby! Both of these gemstones are a gem variety of the mineral corundum: the only difference is the trace elements that give them their rich colors. Pink shades of corundum are known either as pink ruby or pink sapphire. Sapphire in colors other than blue is often referred to as "fancy sapphire."

    Sapphires have become more available in the past twenty years because light, cloudy, or over-dark sapphires can now be heated at very high temperatures to improve its color or clarity. This process, which dissolves trace elements already present in the sapphire, is completely stable. There is usually no difference in price between heated and non-heated material except at the very top of the market, where the country of origin also comes into play. About 90 percent of the sapphire on the market today has been heated to make sure it has reached the best possible color and clarity.

    Knowing how the additions will affect the metal greatly enhances the possibility of a superior final product. In deep drawing of metals, it is important to have a metal which will elongate or stretch a great deal before fracturing, thus high ductility. The requirement for an earring post would be a high tensile strength (a great deal of force needed to get the material to permanently deform, bend). It is imperative to select the proper karated composition for the desired application.