SAPPHIRE GEMSTONE & JEWELRY
The sapphire gemstone if one of the world's favourite gemstones.
(Princess Diana had a world famous blue
sapphire engagement ring as proof of that.)
Sapphire is the mordern and traditional september birthstone , as well
as the zodiac birthstone for taurus.
The agate and moonstone are the
alternative birthstones for september.
Fancy Sapphires
When we talk of sapphires, as we all very well know, we think of blue. Sapphires, same as
the ruby, belong to the corundum mineral family.
The matter of fact is that this magnificient gemstone comes in many other colors as well, such as green, purple and pink. In fact sapphires
comes in all the colors of the rainbow , excepting ofcourse the pure red ones, which are rubies. Now these fancy colored sapphires are called
fancy sapphires or colored sapphires.
Durable & Hard Sapphires
Sapphires are very tough ( 9 on the Moh's scale), second only to the diamonds (10 on the Moh's scale). In other words, a sapphire gemstone is
much more
harder than say an emerald gemstone,
amethyst crystal,
aquamarine gemstone,
garnet and
agate gemstone.
Sapphire Treatments
Nowadays a majority of the sapphires in the marketplace have gone through a variety of treatments designed to improve their color and clarity.
Most of the sapphires though are heat treated to enhance their color.
If it were not for this , we would not have so many sapphires as natural
sapphires can be very expensive (in the thousands of dollars while the heat treated ones run in the hundreds of dollars.)
Ethically speaking, all sapphire treatments should be fully disclosed by dealers.
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Sapphire Myths & Legends
The Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire, whose reflection made the sky blue. As the zodiac birthstone for taurus, it
protects and cures the taurus wearer from mental disorders.
The sapphire gemstone symbolizes trust, sincerity, honesty and fidelity in relationships, and to bring peace, joy and wisdom to the wearer.
Not suprisingly , then, that sapphire engagement rings are so popular.
Sapphire Origins
Great quality sapphires used to come from Burma (now Myanmar) and Kashmir (India), but both the two areas nowadays produce very little sapphires.
Most of today's sapphires come from Sri Lanka and Madagascar. Sapphire also comes from Thailand, Tanzania and Cambodia.
Value of a Sapphire
Their value of a sapphire depends on the size, colour, transparency and the origin of the gem also playing a major part.
The most valuable are genuine Kashmir sapphires followed by the Burmese sapphires which are valued almost as highly, and then comes the
sapphires from Sri Lanka.
The possibility of the gemstone's having undergone some treatment or other is also a factor in determining the price, since gemstones which
can be guaranteed untreated are becoming more and more sought-after in today's world. And if the stone selected then also
happens to be a genuine, certificated Kashmir or Burmese sapphire, then the price will probably reflect it.
So, personally speaking from my viewpoint, if you are thinking about a gemstone - choose sapphire. They are practical, durable, beautiful,
absolutely magnificient, very intense and moreover they are precious stones. What's more, any color will do!
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