All About Sapphires

Part three of a three part series on Sapphire Wedding Band

Buying sapphires

So when selecting a sapphire wedding band it is important to keep in mind the points in the prior two articles. Also here are some points listed to help ensure you get the best possible deal.

Pick a jeweler or dealer who knows something about sapphires and will spend some time with you.

Ensure the jeweler or dealer has a returns policy, especially if you buy online.

Look and inspect the sapphire in natural light. Not just the light in the jewelers. Lights in shops and dept stores are boosted to show of jewelery in the best possible way but when you get them in natural light you can see what they really look like.

What to check for

Check for scratches and nicks. If there are any it is likely not a sapphire.

Check the color. If there is any brown or grey in the stone it has not been heat treated.

Look at several sapphire rings, not just the first one shown to you.

If you can, get the dealer to give you his Loupe (type of jewelers eyeglass) to inspect the sapphire to see if it is heat treated or not.

Check the back of the sapphire in the ring. If the back is not visible it may not be a genuine sapphire. Don’t select that one.

The setting for a sapphire should be a claw setting. Ensure the setting is tight and not loose. You don’t want the sapphire disappearing sometime when you are out.

Final Points about Buying Sapphires

Wedding and engagement rings tend to get a good work out so you want something that is durable and hard wearing. Probably platinum or 14 or 18 karat gold is best. 22 and 24 karat gold will be too soft and will wear away quickly.

Ensure there is a certificate of authenticity with the sapphire.

Keeping the above in mind will go a long way to ensuring that you get the best possible sapphire wedding band for your money.

End of this three part series of Sapphire Wedding Band.

Part two of a three part series on Sapphire Wedding Band

More about Sapphires

Sapphire then, is one of the toughest and most durable gemstone available on the market. With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is harder than any other gem except for diamond which is 10 on the scale. However, it has no cleavage plane so it cannot be cut with a single blow as a diamond can.

In fact, synthetic sapphires are used for scratch-resistant watch crystals, optical scanners, and other instruments due to its durability. This durability ensures that sapphire jewelry, properly cared for, will last for generations.

Sapphire Cuts

Most sapphires are cut in the cushion shape, a rounded rectangle or an oval shape. It is possible to also find smaller sapphires in round brilliant cuts and a wide variety of fancy shapes, including triangles, squares, emerald cuts,

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 vivid blue but would be priced higher than an over dark blackish blue color. As with all gemstones, sapphires which are “clean” and have few visible inclusions or tiny 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 the blue.

Sapphires Stars

A star sapphire is a type of sapphire that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism. Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like inclusions (often the mineral rutile) that cause the appearance of a six-rayed star shaped pattern when viewed with a single overhead light source. Twelve-ray stars are also found, but are less common.

The value of a Star Sapphire depends not only on the carat weight of the stone but also the body color, visibility, and intensity of the star. Some sapphires are heat-treated or otherwise enhanced to improve their appearance and color, though some people object to such practices and prefer natural untreated stones. Treated stones tend to be darker than untreated stones and the treatment process causes changes to the internal structure that are generally easily detected.

End of part two of Sapphire Wedding Band.

This is part one of a three part series on Sapphire Wedding Band

All About Sapphires

To get the best possible sapphire wedding band it is not necessary to know all about sapphires, but, of course, the more you know the better your chances of getting the best possible sapphire wedding band available.

The word Sapphire, from the Hebrew word Sapir, is the single-crystal form of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), a mineral known as corundum. It can be found naturally as gemstones or manufactured in large crystal boules for a variety of applications.

The corundum group consists of pure aluminum oxide. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron and chromium 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, which is also known as ruby.

What are Sapphires

Blue sapphires come in a wide range of shades of blue and Titanium and iron inclusions within the aluminum oxide create the different shades of blue.

Most of all sapphires are heated to a temperature of up to around 1800°C for several hours and some stones are also heated in a nitrogen deficient atmosphere ovens for a week now. The purpose of this is to give the stone a better color.

You can find out if a stone has been heated by looking under magnification. 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 1300 °C for 20 to 30 minutes over charcoal. This takes out any gray or brown in the stone and improves color saturation.

You can also get fancy sapphires. These 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. Colour changes may also be pink in daylight to greenish in fluorescent 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.

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

Sapphire Symbols

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, the month when the most babies are born. Ancient lists 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.”

End of Part one of Sapphire Wedding Band.

A sapphire engagement ring is becoming more popular these days. It is cheaper than a diamond engagement ring but can look just as stunning.

To get a sapphire engagement ring it is a good idea to find a jeweler or dealer that knows all about sapphires. The more experience you can put into choosing a sapphire engagement ring the better quality ring you will have.

A sapphire engagement ring is quite a respectable change from a diamond ring. The British Royal Family mostly all have received sapphire engagement rings. The Queen Mother, The Queen, Princess Ann, Princess Sarah and of course Princess Diana.

Sapphires belong to the corundum family along with rubies. As we know, rubies are red but sapphires can be many other colors with the blue sapphire prized above all others. The most popular being “cornflower blue” as it is as blue as the flower itself.

Most sapphires are heat treated as this brings out the color. Sapphires are heated treated to a temperature of 3000 °C or so. The way to tell if the sapphire has been heat treated is to check the rutile needles within the stone under magnification. If the needles are unbroken, then the stone has not been 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 most likely used.

When buying sapphires be sure to get a certificate stating the quality and characteristics of the sapphire, especially if it is a large and expensive one.

If you are going to buy online ensure that the dealer from whom you buy has a returns policy so you can return it if it is not as described or is later found to be not a true sapphire.

Always buy at the top of your budget. You want to get the best quality gemstone for your money. Buying cheapest is not the way to do it.

Finally, shop around. There are thousands of sapphires to choose from, you can often get a bargain from an auction, either in your own town or on line.

There is no substitute for doing due diligence when shopping for a sapphire engagement ring

Jewelry necklaces sapphires are a delight to wear and to see and can enhance any neck slender or not.

Sapphire, from the Hebrew “Sapir”, is a single crystal for of aluminum oxide known as corundum. It is of the same family as Ruby and just as hard being just below diamond on the Mohs hardness scale.

Whereas rubies are red, sapphires can be most any other color although traditionally know as blue. They do come in a rang of shades such as yellow, pink, purple, orange and green and it is the trace elements of iron and other chromium that give it its colors.

There are also a number of different blue shades available and these are often enhanced by heat treatment to a temperature of 3000 degrees to give the stone a better blue color.

Other colored sapphires are called fancy sapphires and not considered worth as much so tend to be a bit lower in price.

Sapphires make an ideal necklace as one can have all the same color or perhaps have a selection of different colored sparking sapphires.

A lot depends on the settings and the precious metal used to set the stones in also. The metal should be of good quality, such as platinum, 18 or 22 karat white or yellow gold or perhaps rose gold if it suits the stones, and the pattern or any filigree should be tastefully designed to set off the sapphires in the best possible light.

It is worth while browsing around to find the best jewelery necklace sapphires to suit your taste and style. Make sure that the stones are set well in the metal and not lose. Also that the dealer or jeweler can guarantee that the necklace you are getting is sapphires and not imitation, especially if the price seems very low or discounted.

With some due diligence and a little common sense it is quite possible to find a beautiful jewelry necklaces sapphires that will give years of pleasure.

A sapphire ring such as that on the left is very beautiful when tastefully presented.

Sapphire is the name for transparent corundum which is an aluminum oxide. Corundum is used to describe rubies as well as sapphires due to their shared characteristics. Rubies are usually red while sapphires can be any color even including red but rarely.

In fact the color of a sapphire can vary from a deep rich blue to a pale blue to almost every color in the spectrum including blue, black, brown, orange, yellow, green, indigo, violet, or mauve.

Sapphires have a hardness around 8, just below diamond which is 10 and the hardest substance on the Mohs scale. Hardness is a desirable feature for gemstones as it then means they can take a lot of wear and is useful for watch bearings, glasses and as an abrasive.

Some factors to keep in mind when looking for a suitable sapphire ring include the color. Many people prefer the deeper hues or colors but sometimes the lighter ones are more suitable for different types of jewelery. When choosing a suitable sapphire keep in mind the color you want. Although many colors are available blue is the most popular. Much will depend on your skin tones, the type of jewelery you are wearing and the fashion statement you want to make.

Also look at the quality of the stone, examine it from all angles and ensure the color is even throughout the stone. A certificate from an independent laboratory is always a wise move as that shows the quality of the cut and tone of the gemstone or how deep the color goes.

The price of a sapphire can vary tremendously from around 2-3 dollars a carat to many thousands so it is important to know what you are buying.

Maintaining your sapphire is important. Gemstones get dirty just like anything else and accumulate grime, sweat and oils etc. A good wash over a bowl in warm soapy water then rinsed well and dried regularly is very important. Do not use bleaches or detergents or other chemicals which may have a reaction to the metals the gemstone is set in. These could cause a reaction and be a problem, especially for those with allergies.

Provided you keep in mind the above points there is no reason why you should not have many happy years of pleasure with your sapphire ring.