Sapphires are a precious gemstone that originates from the corundum mineral. The stones are famous for their unique blue colour, though they might come in a wide range of colours as well. These stones have an exciting history, but that is not what this post is meant for.
Sapphire
This article contains information that can help you purchase the ideal stones from reputable online dealers. Click here and choose your favourite stone from a reputable dealer. Most people tend to think of a gem with a striking blue colour each time they hear sapphires. It is true that blue sapphires are quite popular, but they can occur in a wide range of colours. Other than blue natural stones, you can still find some that are pink, yellow, purple, white, and green. The coloured stone is a naturally formed gemstone that is used in litho therapy. Despite being valuable, the stone has some inclusions and flaws. To most buyers, such inclusions and flaws are not drawbacks, but they see that as proof that the stone is genuine that is also unique in many ways. Therefore, when shopping and you find one that is flawless, the chances are that it is lab-created. Sapphires originate from a mineral known as corundum, which is mainly crystallized aluminium oxide. Corundum occurs in crystalline rocks that have rubies or sapphires. This is determined by the minerals available during the rock formation. The mixture of the minerals then works together for thousands of years to form the sapphires. Note that corundum is a very hard substance. It is almost as hard as diamond, which is why sapphires are highly durable and hard to scratch. They score 9 on a scale of 1-10 on Moh’s scale of mineral hardness. Natural sapphires need thousands of years to fully form. However, scientists, through the years, have been able to hack the process of the stone formation, so they can create them in less time. Lab-crated sapphires are derived from the synthetic forms of corundum, which is a naturally occurring mineral. Scientists use corundum to make rubies and synthetic sapphires. Due to the fact that both synthetic and natural sapphires are derived from the same mineral, the ones created in the lab look just like the natural one. When shopping, you must be able to differentiate between synthetic and natural sapphires. The lab-created ones have the same hardness and visual qualities. You should know that the ones created in the lab tend to be less expensive due to the faster creation processed and reduced rarity. Flawlessness is the perfect and easiest way to differentiate between lab-crated and natural sapphires. As for natural sapphires, there will be small inclusions throughout the material as long as you look carefully. The lab-created ones, on the other hands, are perfect and don’t have any inclusions. Sapphires have a wide range of meanings, some of which are hard to mention. It is for these meanings that the stones are highly cherished globally. Throughout history, sapphires have been known to be highly valuable, especially due to their unique colours. The word sapphire is believed to have been derived from a Greek word that means blue. However, some people believe that the name originates from the Sanskrit word that means Saturn. In many languages across the globe, sapphires can be translated to “dear to Saturn.” The word sapphires might also originate from the Hebrew word “sapir” the way it has been used in the Hebrew Bible.
The Four C’s of Sapphires
When looking to purchase a coloured gemstone, colour is the first thing you must look at. It is the colour of the stone that makes us attracted to it and makes us want to take a very close look. However, this can only happen when the natural stone jewellery colours have proper measures of saturation, tone, and hue. Unless it has these things, the stone will appear grey, colourless, and dull. The hue is the thing that describes the colour of the stone and how it is balanced. This is in relation to its neighbours in the same category. For instance, blue sapphires, the stone can be referred to as strong green, slight green, blue, strong purple, or slight purple. As you get closer to the actual blue, the more valuable and expensive the stone is. Most of the bluest sapphires are known as cornflower blue since the cornflower is one of the few blue flowers. It is almost impossible to find natural sapphires without flaws and inclusions. Suppose it doesn’t have any inclusions, then experts will suspect that your stone is not genuine or rather lab-crated. All natural sapphires should have silk or rutile needles. Today, many sapphires on the market have been thoroughly treated to ensure that they are clear. The ones that are not treated are very expensive. Gemologists will always use 10x magnification to see if there are any inclusions in diamonds. However, with a coloured gemstone, you won’t need any magnification. You only need to observe carefully to see if there are any inclusions. It must be known that the inclusions are not entirely accepted as positive. In some cases, especially in litho therapy, you will need sapphires that are pure and smooth. This is because when there are inclusions, there will be internal reflections that might reduce the effect of sapphires in natural treatment. Unlike diamonds, sapphires don’t have standardized cuts. In diamond, you must pick the right cut to indicate the colour of the diamond and fire. Sapphires and other coloured gemstones, on the other hand, it is the duty of the gem cutter to maximize the unique combination of colours, brilliance and clarity. The trick is that when sapphires are cut properly, they will reflect light at the proper angles to augment the lustre of the stone. In most cases, when the stone has a light tone, the cutters will always go deeper. When that is done, the stone will have a deeper colour, and the opposite is true. If your stone is very dark, then the cutter will have to make shallow cuts to bring in more light so as the overall look of the stone is improved. Most sapphires are oval, cushion, round, and emerald. Note that there are many ways that sapphires can be cut, and all of that depends on what you intend to use it for. However, for natural treatment, you want to ensure that the sapphires are oval and smooth enough. Gemstones always vary widely across the spectrum as far as hardness and colours are concerned. Sapphires also differ in terms of density. This is the case when we try to compare the weight or carats of the sapphires to that of a diamond. Sapphires are always a little heavier; therefore, one carat of sapphires will always appear smaller than the one-carat of diamond. It is also important to measure the size of your stone in terms of its diameter in millimetres. You will learn that basically, one carat of sapphires will measure 6 mm.
What is The Price of Sapphires?
The prices of sapphires can range based on a number of factors. This also explains why you should choose your dealer carefully. Sapphires can be as cheap as £25 per carat, to more than £11,000 per carat. If you purchase blue sapphires, then you should expect to spend between £450 and £1,600 per carat, depending on the quality of the product. Note that the 4Cs mentioned above play an important role in determining the price of the sapphires. Also, the region from which the stones originate from can be used to determine their price. However, colour is the biggest determinant of the price of the stones. The most expensive sapphires are those with deep, powerful blue colour. You should expect to spend lower for lab-created stones compared to the ones that occur naturally. This is because the naturally formed stones are rare and hard to find these days. The natural ones also have strong market demand, so you will always be charged more. Sapphires from regions like the Indian Himalayan Region have a very high value and are therefore expensive. These stones are got from the mines and are not altered in any way. While the stones are of the best quality, the mines in Zanskar range of the Himalayas are extremely hard to access.
Final Thoughts
Each time you are ready to purchase the natural stones, you should take a look at the image, and make sure they are green enough. Unless you do that, you might not get the natural stone jewellery you intend to purchase. Also, the ideas shared above should be enough to help you make the best decision when trying to buy sapphires from the online dealers.