Where do sapphires come from? This question is asked by many lovers of precious stones and original products from them. The appearance of the stone largely depends on in which deposit it is mined. This factor affects both the quality of the finished product and the cost of production. Consider further where the best quality sapphires are mined.
What is a stone like?
Sapphire is a blue stone with various shades. It contains impurities of iron or titanium, is included in the group of jewelry of the highest category. The name of the product comes from the Greek word, which translates as “scratching”. Until the 19th century, so-called all stones of similar origin, including lapis lazuli. In Russia there was the concept of a azure yacht. Among other items: water sapphire, tourmaline, cordierite, etc. Where real sapphires are mined, we will consider further. The main difference between the stone and analogues is high hardness, an indicator of which is 9 units on the Mohs scale.
Coloring
The color of the stone depends on the sapphire deposit. Kohler can range from a steady bluish to dark blue. This is largely due to the percentage of inclusion in the organic fossil titanium. A bright shade of cornflower crystals from Thailand or Myanmar is also called voiced. Blue color with a silky sheen is characteristic of the "royal" sapphires. The most valuable stones are Ceylon specimens with a purple overflow. Further along the hierarchy are Kashmir and Indian jewelry. The most expensive sapphire is quite rare, has an iridescent inner star with six rays.
The diamond fund of the Russian Federation contains one of the remarkable sapphires, which has an oval configuration and a blue cornflower hue. Its mass is 258 carats and its diameter is 39 * 22 mm. The stone belongs to the royal regalia.
Interesting Facts
Two famous sapphires are in the repository of British kings. One of them is placed in the center of the cross of the imperial crown. The stone has an ancient history dating back to the 11th century. Another fine jewelry sapphire measuring 25 * 38 millimeters adorned the crown of Emperor Charles the 2nd, however, in 1688 he ended up in England after being kidnapped. Now the stone is located in the occipital part of the royal crown diadem.
One of the largest sapphires found on the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). After processing, its weight was 446 carats. If you believe the newspapers, in the United States (North Carolina, 1988) one connoisseur found a sapphire stone, the price of which amounted to several million dollars. At first, the miner took him for rock crystal, but in the end it turned out to be a gem weighing more than 3.5 thousand carats.
Kashmir sapphires
For jewelers and connoisseurs, sapphire from Kashmir is considered the most valuable. It is appreciated for its original color. The field was formed as a result of a mountain collapse in 1880. These high quality stones were found at an altitude of 5 thousand meters. Intensive stone mining was carried out for 8 years. Kashmir sapphires are a kind of standard among the jewelry in question. Blue color with a silky sheen does not change even under artificial lighting.
The price of products is determined based on the color, size and transparency of the stone. Active mining is currently underway in Australia and Thailand. The oldest deposit is considered to be Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In addition, production is being conducted in the USA, Russia, India, and Madagascar.
Deposits in Russia and Sri Lanka
In Russia, there are practically no deposits of the gem in question. In the north-east of Kazakhstan there is a Semizbugu basin. In addition, corundum deposits are present in the Kyshtym region on the Borzovka river and in the Urals Ilmensky mountains.
Sri Lanka sapphires are famous for their excellent quality and variety of colors. The most productive region in this country is the Ratnaputra region. It produces stones that are distinguished by the absence of various gas and other inclusions, as well as having a high content of silky rutile. On Ceylon, stones of all known colors were found, including black sapphire, the cost of which is not particularly high compared to blue, purple and red counterparts.
Madagascar
Gemstones in this country are mined in multiple deposits throughout the state. Sapphires, mined in the south, are geologically connected with analogues from Tanzania and Ceylon. The northern basins are rich in stones of a completely different structure, their origin has not yet been solved. Madagascar is a potential major supplier of these jewelry around the world. Now export is difficult due to the weak development of the relevant areas, including the scientific approach, technological features and transportation.
The material mined in Madagascar is more saturated with various extraneous inclusions. In terms of colors, the stones are not inferior to Ceylon products. The requirements for such material are lower than for fossils from Sri Lanka, but their cost is much less.
Kenya and Tanzania
In these countries, sapphire is mined in the provinces of Umba (Kenya), Tunudra, Songea (Tanzania). In the first basin, the deposits are similar to Ceylon stones, there is practically no red color. The remaining deposits are rich in material identical to the reserves of Madagascar. Among the main colors, green and red shades prevail. In Tanzania and Kenya, they often find star-type stones, which are characterized by the effect of a change of light.
Australia, Thailand, Cambodia
Australian sapphires are mined in various small deposits. They are optimally suited for commercial use. Mostly in this country there are stones of saturated dark blue color. Pure samples are quite rare, but sizes can compete with the largest counterparts in the world.
Jewelry sapphire is also mined in Thailand (Siam and Kanchaburi). The number of products is growing every year, competing in the market of Ceylon and Madagascar minerals. Thai jewelry is notable for its low price, not very high quality and average size. The color of the stones is slightly saturated, includes cabochon raw materials.
The gradual settlement of the turbulent situation in Cambodia has a positive effect on the development of the sapphire market. The maximum production grew in Pailin Province. Stones from this deposit are distinguished by purity and saturation of shades. These two main parameters of the quality of jewelry are often combined in Cambodian copies.
Other deposits
Where else are sapphires mined? Stones of the highest quality are found in Burma, albeit in limited quantities. These jewelry on the world market are rare, because there is a trade embargo.
The American basin in Montana is mothballed due to economic unprofitability. The low level of purity and poor saturation of the colors of the stones do not make it possible to create worthy competition in the jewelry market.
There are deposits of the material in question in South America. They are mined in small areas; specimens of the highest category are sometimes found.
In the early 2000s sapphires from Mozambique and Nigeria began to go on sale. The quality of these stones is above average, which provides excellent prerequisites for the active export of jewelry around the world.
Black sapphire
This category does not include the most expensive stones that have a dark blue or saturated green color. Under artificial lighting, they look in this color, although the basis of any black sapphire is a dark gray color. Such a stone is appreciated for its specific mother-of-pearl tint, which is more characteristic of black pearls. The heat treatment of such a product changes its initial shade over time.
The main deposits of the stones in question are in Australia. Back in 1938, an ordinary guy found a crystal weighing 1,156 carats. His father did not think up anything better than to build a door support from it. Later it turned out that it was a sapphire, which was sold for 18 thousand dollars. After its cutting, the mass became 733 carats, and the price increased to one million.
Artificial stones
Synthetic sapphires are used not only in the jewelry sector, but also for the production of lasers or gravitational space transmitters. Such antennas are reliable and capacitive. In addition, this area continues to advance in various high-tech industries.
Jewelers and artists continue to prefer natural crystals. It is worth noting that natural transparent samples are extremely rare. The price of a sapphire stone in this case can be from $ 4,000 per carat. Usually, future jewelry is mined from placers.
In conclusion
Sapphires are precious stones of various shades that are carefully hidden in the bowels of the Earth. They are obtained in the form of crystals undergoing further cutting. Appropriate skills are required for this operation because the stones are hard. In addition, it is necessary to preserve the color of the specimen so that it appears optimally after processing. Depending on the place of extraction, the saturation and transparency of the product varies. The most preferred color of sapphire is a light blue or dark blue color, which perfectly manifests itself not only in sunlight but also under artificial lighting.