Jewelers often use different natural stones, including sapphires, to make their products. Some of them are of natural origin, others are artificial, but in their properties they are similar to natural stones.
What is sapphire?
Sapphire is a type of corundum mineral. A gem can have different shades of blue. According to their classification, jewelers attribute to sapphires all non-red stones - blue, yellow, green, orange, black. But then its color appears in the name of the mineral. For example, there is a golden sapphire, a colorless sapphire, etc.
The mineral has a very rich color palette. In addition to a fairly familiar blue hue, corundums of pink-orange, orange, green, and colorless shades are found. The color of the stone depends on chromophore impurities.
The most valuable sapphire is cornflower blue. Stones that are too dark are much less valuable. Those who don’t know, ask themselves: “Is sapphire a gem or not?” Moderately colored stones are precious. But they cost a lot less ruby. Too saturated or vice versa faded representatives are quite cheap. It is worth noting that the affinity of rubies and sapphires was discovered only in 1800 in Europe.
Sapphire
Sapphire is not a simple stone. As we have already noted, it can be represented in different shades. Which sapphire is the most popular and famous? Of course, blue. Despite the fact that a stone is associated with this shade, it is quite difficult to find it in nature. Natural blue mineral is called corundum. However, many shades are hidden behind this color: light blue, dark, almost colorless, almost black.
A stone is considered blue if there are no more than 15% of other shades in it. Otherwise, it is called fantasy or greenish-blue. Very often it is difficult to find a pair of stones, they are so unique. The color intensity of blue corundum varies depending on the amount of content of elements such as titanium and iron. The more of them, the deeper and brighter the blue color. But at the same time, too dark corundums are valued lower. The most valuable sapphire is a sky blue stone or cornflower blue.
Yellow stone
Yellow sapphire is also rare in nature, but because of its cost it is not significantly inferior to a cornflower stone. But at the same time, such a stone has a wider range of shades: from pale yellow to bright amber. Sometimes sapphire is so faintly colored that it is credited in the ranks of colorless.
Yellow corundums are of great importance for eastern religions. It is not recommended to be worn often, and should also be carefully checked for defects. It is believed that a yellow stone with the slightest flaw cannot be worn on the body at all.
Other shades
Black stones are more common in nature. They can be translucent or opaque. The faces of such sapphires shine and shimmer. The largest stone ever found in nature was black. Jewelery with such dark sapphires are too austere and concise.
Colorless or white sapphires also exist. They have great transparency, and therefore they are often confused with diamonds. Jewelers, making jewelry, often decorate them with sapphires with diamonds.
The birthplace of pink sapphires is Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Usually such stones have a very gentle and unobtrusive shade. Pink sapphires are very popular, like diamonds of the same shade, only they cost much less.
Green stones
Green sapphire is the most unusual of all its brothers. The fact is that it is not a corundum of a pure green hue. He gets his color by applying one shade to another. Under the microscope, it is clearly visible that the stripes of yellow and blue stone alternate.
Padparaj
Padparaj is also a very unusual shade. It can be yellow or orange with a touch of red. Experts find it difficult to accurately describe its color, since it has incorporated many shades. Jewelers conditionally distinguish orange sapphires into a separate group, calling them “padparaj”, which translates from Sinhala as “lotus color”.
What is sapphire valuable for?
To assess beauty, sapphires are often compared to the setting sun or molten gold. Jewelers evaluate corundums by brightness, saturation and hue intensity. This is especially true of blue stones. The color of corundum plays a paramount role. And only with the look of padparaj all these criteria are not important. The main role in them is played by the original combination of shades.
In order to better consider this unusual mineral, experts recommend admiring it in dim sunlight, for example, at sunset and sunrise. This tip should also be applied to blue sapphires.
An interesting fact is that, due to coloring, up to the 20th century, pink-orange minerals were usually referred to as rubies. However, compared with rubies, padparajas are more transparent. In addition, they are less likely to come across natural defects. It is for this reason that they are often faceted and not cabochonized (polished).
Star sapphire
This is the name of a very valuable and beautiful variety of gem. Not even the most expressive stones have a decent price. Bright representatives, in which a star with twelve rays are clearly visible, are estimated at a fabulous sum. The formation of stars in stones is called the effect of asterism, which is formed due to the internal structure of the stone: the basis of the rock is impregnated with titanium oxide molecules.
Star sapphire can have a variety of shades. Experts say that the basis of the mineral is aluminum oxide, which is completely colorless. But various shades of stones give all kinds of impurities. For example, a mineral with a high content of vanadium and iron is colored in red and yellow.
Purple, lilac and purple sapphires are obtained as a result of an increased amount of vanadium. Iron makes the mineral green, but the red color is obtained due to excess chromium. Sapphires become star-shaped or black due to atomic impurities.
Stone history
It is believed that sapphires were first found in southeast Asia. People were surprised by the strength of the breed. The stone was called corundum. And to this day, jewelers call him that. But in mineralogy, corundum is a stone of exclusively blue color. Corundums of all shades are called sapphires, only the red mineral is called ruby.
From time immemorial, the stone was called differently: azure yacht, baus. Sapphires are among the four leaders among gems.
Place of Birth
Not all sapphire deposits produce equally valuable and beautiful stones. The best corundums are mined in India (Jammu and Kashmir) at an altitude of 4 km. Mining has been going on since the 19th century manually. Moreover, work is possible only four months a year, when there is no snow. There are not many Kashmir sapphires in the market, but their cost is high.
About 25% of all corundum is mined in Australia, and processed in Bangkok. In Sri Lanka, sapphires of a light blue hue are mined. Green stones are of Thai or Cambodian origin. Sapphire deposits are also found in Tanzania, USA, Vietnam, Burma. Corundums are present both on the Kola Peninsula and in the Urals, but, unfortunately, these stones cannot be used for jewelry.
Using stones
Since sapphires are precious stones, they are actively used in jewelry. But leucosapphires (or optical sapphires) are actively used in ophthalmology for the manufacture of artificial lenses, for the production of glasses and protective screens. More stones have found application in dentistry and laser technology.
Famous stones
History knows not many prominent corundums. One of them is a stone of Ceylon origin, inserted into a diamond brooch, which is stored in the Russian Diamond Fund. The sapphire mass is 258 carats (approximately 51.6 g).
For a very long time, the largest faceted corundum was considered a stone belonging to the Burmese ruler. He weighed 951 carats. However, in the same Burma in 1966, uncut corundum was found weighing 12.6 kg (630 thousand carats). Sapphire had a stunningly beautiful blue hue and possessed asterism (a group of stars). But its size exceeded the sapphire found in Sri Lanka, which weighed 19 kg.
Synthetic stones
In jewelry, a wide variety of stones of natural origin are widely used, including synthetic sapphires. Despite their different origin, the stones have almost the same characteristics.
The first attempts to obtain artificial corundums have been undertaken since ancient times. But official information about synthetic stones dates back to the 80s of the XIX century.
Artificial sapphires are grown on the basis of natural corundum by adding a synthetic analogue. Over the years, a wide variety of production methods have been used, but not all of them were equally good, as they often produced declassed sapphires. "What is it?" - a logical question will sound. Declassified stones are a low-quality product that does not meet the necessary requirements. Modern technologies have avoided mistakes in the production of sapphires. In addition, their strength, transparency and color are constantly being improved.
In reviews of sapphires, experts highly value synthetic stones. In their opinion, such corundums have the same properties as natural ones. For this reason, they are actively used in the manufacture of watches, in jewelry and in the manufacture of semiconductors. Only an experienced jeweler or such a specialist as a gemologist can distinguish natural from artificial stone. And even then it is necessary to have special equipment, without which examination is simply impossible.
Healing properties
It is believed that sapphires have healing properties. So, for example, they help with female ailments, and also have a beneficial effect on cardiac activity. Sapphires reduce asthmatic attacks, but are not able to completely cure an ailment. Corundums also help with dermatological problems, headaches, ear diseases.
Magical properties
Sapphires have long been associated with magic, and the stones themselves were endowed with magical properties. It was believed that their owners could easily distinguish lies from truth. Sapphires make women more attractive, and men give confidence and determination. Stones strengthen the marriage, giving owners happiness, joy, good mood and goodness. Sapphires are a symbol of selflessness, friendship and devotion.