All About Sapphires

One does not need to know all about sapphires but it is a good idea to know as much as possible about them so you can adequately chose a sapphire for ones own.

The word Sapphire apparently comes from the Hebrew ‘Sapir’ but may also have origins from the Greek/Sanskrit ’sanipriya’, meaning “dear to the planet Saturn”. A sapphire is a single-crystal form of aluminum oxide, a mineral known also as corundum. It can be found naturally as gemstones or manufactured artificially.

It is the small trace elements of iron, chromium and other minerals that give sapphires their blue, red, yellow, pink, purple, orange or greenish color. Sapphire includes any gemstone quality varieties of the mineral corundum including the red variety, also known as ruby. Both Sapphire and Ruby have a hardness of 9 on the Mohs Mineral Hardness scale, just below diamond which is classed as 10 on the scale.
According to Wikipedia:

“Blue sapphires come in a wide range of shades of blue. Titanium and iron inclusions within the aluminum oxide result in various shades of blue. Some stones are not well saturated and show tones of gray. About 99 percent of all sapphires are heated to a temperature of 3000 degrees C to give the stone a better color of blue. On magnification the silk due to included rutile needles are visible. If the needles are unbroken, then the stone was not heated. If the silk is not visible then the stone was heated adequately. If the silk is partially broken then a process known as low tube heat was used. Low tube heat is the process where the rough stone is heated to 1000 degrees C for 10 to 20 minutes. This takes out any gray in the stone and improves color saturation.”

“Fancy sapphires are any sapphire other than blue or red. Purple sapphires are lower in price than blue ones. These stones contain the trace element vanadium and come in a wide variety of shades. Yellow and green sapphires have traces of iron which gives them their color. Pink sapphires are have trace element of chromium and the deeper the color pink the higher the value as long as the color is going toward red of rubies. Color shift sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple in indoor light. Some stones shift color well and others only partially, in that some stones go from blue to blue purple. White sapphires usually come out of the ground as light gray or brown and are then heated to make them clear. However in very rare circumstances they will be found in a clear state.”

Sapphires are mined mainly from alluvial deposits or from primary underground workings. Historically, most sapphires have been mined in Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Myanmar. Australia, however, now leads the world in sapphire production producing sapphires from basalt derived deposits in the north east of the country, Queensland and New South Wales. Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Kenya also produce sapphires although not in any great quantity.

Studying up so one knows all about sapphires is an excellent way to be knowledgeable before you start to go off and buy a sapphire.

Cleaning your sapphire jewelery is a very important activity if you want to ensure it stays in a pristine condition

Sapphires are usually set in rings, broaches, pendants and sometimes necklaces and they get subject to dust, grime and the results of oils and perfumes, chemicals, hairsprays and body sweat.

It is important to know how to regularly maintain and keep them clean therefore.

One needs to be careful of using chemicals to clean gemstones. While diamonds are generally unaffected by chemicals, Sapphires may be, so knowing what one can and cannot use is vital to ensure you keep your sapphires in pristine condition and keep them sparkling.

Use a warm soapy solution in a large bowl (not over the sink as you don’t want to slip and lose your precious gemstone down the plug hole) and rub with a old toothbrush to get out any residue between the stone and the jewelery. Brushing underneath as well as the top and in between the crevasses is important. Ensure you brush gently as, although the gemstone may be quite hard, the precious metal it is set in may be soft and the claws that hold the gemstone may be easily snapped off. 24 karat gold is particularly soft so great care should be taken with that metal.

Make sure the piece is rinsed really well so that the is no soap caught between the gemstone and the jewelery.

Pat dry with a soft cloth. And allow to dry completely before storing or wearing again. A hair dryer can also be used with the setting on low so you don’t blow the jewelery piece away off and onto the floor and have to spend hours frantically searching for it.

If your jewelery is pure gold an ammonia solution could be used. It is not advisable with other metals, such as silver or a lower carat gold of 14 or 10 karat, as they also contain other metals which can react with the ammonia and cause it to go black.

The same principles of clean as described above apply. Brushed well to get rid of grime, rinsed really well and completely dried.

Some people let their gems soak in the solution for a half hour or so. To loosen any grime wedged in.

Using the above tips for cleaning your sapphire jewelery will help to keep them sparkling clean.

There are a number of factors to consider when buying sapphire jewelry.

Firstly always ensure you buy sapphires from a trustworthy dealer or jeweler. Preferably one who specializes in precious gemstones and sapphires in particular if possible.

Many gemstones are heat treated, including sapphires. This is done to bring out the colors more and sometimes to even change the color of a stone. Find out if the stone has been heat treated in anyway. Also if it has been irradiated, coated or dyed. Sometimes these treatments will devalue the stone but other times may even increase the value.

Check the color of the stone. Generally speaking the deeper the color or hue the more valuable the stone will be. The gemstone should be near perfect with no visible flaws visible to the naked eye. The surface should reflect light and the stone have perfect clarity. There should be no visible flaws or scratches on the surface of the stone.

Make sure you can examine the stone from all sides and angles. Turn it over in your hand. Also try and get the opportunity to examine the stone in natural light. Many gemstones will change tone or even color in artificial light.

Pure genuine sapphires are not cheap. If you are offered a cheap sapphires it is most likely not genuine but a fake.

If possible get a certificate stating the type, quality and details of the stone from the dealer. Make sure it is very specific. If at anytime you discover the stone is not as described you want to be able to return it and get a refund so ensure the dealer has a returns policy that allows for this.

If the stone has been set in a ring or other metal ensure that you can see the back of the stone. This is important as if the back is blocked off then there will be limited light able to shine through and the stone will not look as good. A stone should have a claw setting and not be glued in place. Glue can deteriorate over time and the stone be lost.

Taking the above factors into consideration will assist to finding and keeping your sapphire jewelry for many years to come.

You can buy sapphires at sapphire auctions as well as general antique and estate auctions. It is easy to locate auctions using google.com and then typing in sapphire auctions. Probably eBay and www.bidz,com would be the most popular. Also look out for local auctions in your town or city. Scouring the newspapers can sometimes net you an auction at which sapphires are up for sale.

Jewelery and gem auctions are usually the best.

Some important points to remember when buying sapphires at auctions.

If you are buying from an auction where you can attend, you will likely need to register if you intend bidding. See if you can inspect the sapphires that will be auctioned. There should be a certificate to accompany the sapphire or sapphires or at least some information about them. Quite often these are antique sapphires and if so will be a good buy if the price is right. You do need to establish that they are true sapphires and not some other lesser quality stone or not even a gem at all.

Firstly it is a good idea to have some understanding of the value and worth of sapphires and also what your bid is going to be. This will depend on your budget and how much you want the sapphires of course.

When bidding it is better not to bid at all until the very last minute when all the bidding appears to be done. Provided the price is still within your budget you can then jump in with a bid and not start a bidding war (which only benefits the seller and the auction house).

Online auctions are different. You cannot see the sapphires but only a picture of them. It is difficult to asses the quality of a sapphire in this case and you would be more interest in seeing a certificate of authenticity which you could compare the sapphire with if you did bid and win the bid.

Ensure the auction house has provision for misrepresentation of product and a protection system for the buyer. You don’t want to bid and win an expensive sapphire to find when it arrives that you have just got at best a poor quality sapphire and at worse a worthless piece of glass.

Buying sapphires at sapphire auctions can be fun but remember, there is no substitute for doing your due diligence.

Here will be added information and news about that wonderful and versatile gemstone, the sapphire.

The sapphire is one of nature’s splendid stones. full of color and vibrancy it is ideal for jewelery as well as simply collecting for investment purposes.

All about sapphires, how to buy and sell them, how to collect them and other fascinating information will be added over time.

I hope this information will be interesting and valuable for