Jewellers often use different natural stones, including sapphires, to make their products. Some of them are of natural origin, others are artificial, but their properties are similar to natural stones.
What is a sapphire?
Sapphire is a type of corundum mineral. The gemstone can have different shades of blue. According to their classification, jewelers classify all non-red stones as sapphires - 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 the rather familiar blue hue, there are corundums of a pink-orange, orange, green, colorless hue. The color of the stone depends on the chromophore impurities.
The most valuable sapphire is cornflower blue. Too dark stones are valued much less. People who do not know ask themselves the question: “Is sapphire a gem or not?”. Moderately colored stones -precious. But they cost a lot less than a ruby. Too saturated or vice versa faded representatives are quite cheap. It is worth noting that the relationship of rubies and sapphires was discovered only in 1800 in Europe.
Blue corundum
Sapphire is not an ordinary stone. As we have already noted, it can be represented by different shades. What is the most popular and famous sapphire? Of course, blue. Despite the fact that it is with this shade that the stone is associated, it is quite difficult to find it in nature. The natural blue mineral is called corundum. However, this color hides many shades: light blue, dark, almost colorless, almost black.
A stone is considered blue if it contains no more than 15% of other shades. 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 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 sky blue or cornflower blue.
Yellow Stone
Yellow sapphire is also rare in nature, and therefore, in terms of cost, it is not significantly inferior to a cornflower blue stone. But at the same time, such a stone has a wider range of shades: from pale yellow to bright amber. Sometimes a sapphire is so weakly colored that it is considered colorless.
Yellow corundums are of great importance for Easternreligions. It is not recommended to wear it often, and should also be carefully checked for defects. It is believed that a yellow stone with the slightest flaw should not be worn on the body at all.
Other shades
Black stones are a little more common in nature. They can be translucent or opaque. The facets of such sapphires shine and shimmer. The largest stone ever found in nature was black in color. Jewelry with such dark sapphires looks too strict and concise.
There are also colorless or white sapphires. They have great transparency, and therefore they are often confused with diamonds. Jewelers, making jewelry, often decorate them with sapphires and diamonds.
The birthplace of pink sapphires is Madagascar and Sri Lanka. Usually such stones have a very delicate and unobtrusive shade. Pink sapphires are hugely popular, as are diamonds of the same hue, only they cost a lot less.
Green stones
Green sapphire is the most unusual of all its counterparts. The fact is that it is not a pure green corundum. He gets his color by applying one shade to another. Under the microscope, you can clearly see that the stripes of yellow and blue stone alternate.
Padparadscha
Padparadscha is also a very unusual shade. It can be yellow or orange with a hint of red. Experts find it difficult to accurately describe its color, since it has absorbed many shades. Conventionally, jewelers distinguish orange sapphires ina separate group, calling them "padparadscha", which is translated from Sinhalese as "lotus color".
Why is sapphire valued?
To judge the beauty of sapphires, they are often compared to the setting sun or molten gold. Jewelers evaluate corundum by brightness, saturation and hue intensity. This is especially true for blue stones. The color of corundum plays a primary role. And only with the view of padparadscha all these criteria are not important. The main role in them is played by the original combination of shades.
In order to better examine this unusual mineral, experts recommend admiring it in dim sunlight, for example, at sunset and sunrise. This tip also applies to blue sapphires.
An interesting fact is that because of the color until the 20th century, pink-orange minerals were usually referred to as rubies. However, in comparison with rubies, padparadzhi have greater transparency. In addition, they are less likely to come across natural defects. It is for this reason that they are often cut rather than cabochonized (polished).
Star sapphire
This is the name of a very valuable and beautiful variety of gem. Even not the most expressive stones have a decent value. The brightest representatives, in which a star with twelve rays is clearly visible, are estimated at a fabulous amount. The formation of stars in stones is called the asterism effect, which is formed due to the internal structure of the stone: titanium oxide molecules impregnate the rock base.
StarSapphire can have a variety of shades. Experts say that the basis of the mineral is aluminum oxide, which is completely colorless. But different shades of stones give all kinds of impurities. For example, a mineral with a high content of vanadium and iron is colored red-yellow.
Purple, lilac and violet 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 an excess of chromium. Star-shaped or black sapphires become due to atomic impurities.
History of the Stone
It is believed that sapphires were first found in southeast Asia. People were surprised by the strength of the breed. The stone was named corundum. And to this day it is called so by jewelers. But in mineralogy, corundum is a stone of exceptionally blue color. Corundums of all shades are called sapphires, only the red mineral is called ruby.
For a long time the stone was called differently: azure yahont, baus. Sapphires are among the top four gemstones.
Deposits
Not all sapphire deposits produce equally valuable and beautiful stones. The best corundum is mined in India (Jammu and Kashmir) at an altitude of 4 km. Mining has been carried out since the 19th century by hand. Moreover, work is possible only four months a year, when there is no snow. There are few Kashmiri sapphires on the market, but their value is high.
About 25% percent of all corundum is mined in Australia and processed in Bangkok. In Sri Lanka, light blue sapphires are mined. Green stones are of Thai or Cambodian origin. There are also deposits of sapphires in Tanzania, USA, Vietnam, Burma. Corundum is also present on the Kola Peninsula and 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. Stones have also been used in dentistry and laser technology.
Famous stones
History knows not so many outstanding corundums. One of them is a stone of Ceylon origin, inserted into a diamond brooch, which is kept in the Russian Diamond Fund. The mass of the sapphire is 258 carats (approximately 51.6 g).
For a very long time, the largest cut corundum was considered the stone that belonged to the Burmese ruler. He weighed 951 carats. However, in the same Burma in 1966, uncut corundum weighing 12.6 kg (630 thousand carats) was found. The sapphire had a stunningly beautiful blue hue and had an asterism (a group of stars). But its size was surpassed by a sapphire discovered in Sri Lanka, which weighed 19 kg.
Synthetic stones
A variety of stones of natural origin, including synthetic sapphires, are widely used in jewelry. Despite the different origins, the stones have almost the same characteristics.
First attempts to get artificial corundumsbeen 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. A variety of production methods have been used over the years, but not all of them were equally good, as degraded sapphires were often obtained. "What is it?" sounds like a perfectly logical question. Declassed stones are a low-quality product that does not meet the necessary requirements. Modern technologies have made it possible to avoid mistakes in the production of sapphires. In addition, improvements are constantly made to their strength, transparency and color.
In reviews of sapphires, experts give high marks to 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 a specialist such as a gemologist can distinguish a natural stone from an artificial one. And even then it is necessary to have special equipment, without which the examination is simply impossible.
Healing properties
Sapphires are believed to have healing properties. For example, they help with women's ailments, and also have a beneficial effect on cardiac activity. Sapphires reduce asthmatic attacks, but are not able to completely cure the disease. Corundum also helps with dermatological problems, headaches, diseasesears.
Magical Properties
Sapphires have long been associated with magic, and the stones themselves endowed with magical properties. It was believed that their owners can easily distinguish lies from truth. Sapphires make a woman more attractive, and give men self-confidence and determination. Stones strengthen marriage, giving the owners happiness, joy, good mood and kindness. Sapphires are a symbol of selflessness, friendship and devotion.
