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- How To Buy A Ring Wrap
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- Sapphire Jewelry
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- Single Cut Diamonds
- Three Stone Enhancer
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- What Is A Two Tone
Sapphire Jewelry
Sapphire color is the most important factor in determining a sapphire's value. These infamous gemstones are identical in every attribute to ruby, except for one key component - their color.
Found in a kaleidoscopic assortment of colors that range the entire spectrum, sapphires are broadly split into two named groups:
- Sapphires - Blue sapphires only.
- Fancy Sapphires - Sapphires of all other colors. The word sapphire, stated without a prefix, implies blue sapphires only. Sapphires of all other colors are assigned a color prefix.
The Two Birch team has years of award-winning experience in sapphires! We’ll dive into deeper detail on what the difference is between a blue sapphire, and the many fancy sapphires. Read on to start with the top two most famous sapphires around the globe!
BLUE SAPPHIRE
Well-known around the world, and accompanied by a unique history, this enduring color hue of the sapphire family comes in a wide range of blue colors. With the exception of the rare and collectable padparadscha sapphires, blue sapphires are thought of as the most desirable and expensive of the entire sapphire family.
Graduating in color from light pastel blues all the way through to the depths of midnight blue, the most beautiful blue sapphire colors and the highest values sit in the middle of the blue-color range. Think of a brilliant, royal blue!
While the pale blues and darker midnight blues offer the best value, the rare and captivating cornflower blues offer the consumer unbeatable color with a captivating beauty - but at a fair premium.
PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE
Padparadscha sapphires are extremely rare, primarily found in Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Tanzania. These stunning gemstones are considered a treasure in the industry and range from a salmon color to beautiful orange hues. They often have asymmetrical cuts and are so rare that a padparadscha found over two carats in weight is considered exceptional, and very expensive.
Clarity is crucial in the padparadscha gemstone, because with their light coloration inclusions are easily seen by the naked eye. High clarity may need to be sacrificed to obtain a brilliantly-colored stone.
PINK PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE
After the seductive tones of padparadscha and blue sapphire, the next most highly-valued member of the family is the pink sapphire. Ambiguously sharing a color border with the infamous ruby, many pink sapphires are so close to this boundary they are termed as "hot pink" with prices being at a premium. Consumers are offered a color range for the pink sapphire, from good value pastel pink shades to the more expensive, but vivacious, colors that approach hot pink. Pink sapphires are often used in tandem with blue sapphires to make interesting alternatives to accent diamonds displaying bright, colorful but harmonious contrasts within a single piece of jewelry.
PURPLE SAPPHIRE
Have a passion for purple? Purple sapphires are one of the least popular fancy sapphires, but their beauty cannot be denied. Not to be confused with amethysts or quartz, these unique gemstones display rich purple-pink colors reminiscent of orchids. Prized by collectors, purple sapphires offer the consumer excellent value when compared to blue, pink and padparadscha sapphires
GREEN SAPPHIRE
Displaying a wide range of green hues, the green sapphire showcases colors reminiscent of olives through to wine bottles. Green sapphires are the least demanded of the sapphire family. Because of this, green sapphires offer the best bargains of the sapphire family!
STAR SAPPHIRE
Star sapphires have long been coveted for their beautiful and mysterious optical effects and have a mystical element throughout history. Glance at a star sapphire, and you will see six or even twelve rayed stars silently gliding across the gemstone's surface - earning its name, the Star Sapphire. With a bright and lustrous star formations, star sapphires have traditionally been the most popular of all-star gemstones. Star sapphires are some of the largest sapphires ever found.
While transparency and clarity are a bit more difficult with a star sapphire, the cut has to be perfect for a well-balanced star. That being said, most “perfect” cuts on the market today are man-made star sapphires.
COLOR CHANGE SAPPHIRE
These exceptionally rare form of sapphires is a favorite by many. Most change from blue to purple, and back depending on the lighting.
Hailing from the Mogok Stone Tract in Upper Burma and the gem gravels of Africa, color change sapphire present gem lovers with an opportunity to own the rare and stunning alexandrite effect in a gem as rare and valuable as sapphire.
CLASSICAL & MODERN SOURCES OF SAPPHIRE
The classical sources of quality sapphires throughout history have been the Mogok Stone Tract in Upper Burma and the gem fields of Sri Lanka. These areas are so well-known with fine quality sapphires, that some people are prepared to pay a premium for Burmese and Ceylon sapphires over sapphires from elsewhere. Frequently noted for their cornflower blues, sapphires of a Burmese provenance are thought of as slightly more desirable than those from Ceylon. However, a historical blip occurred in the quality sapphire market that temporarily pushed Burmese and Ceylon sapphires back into second and third places - sapphires from the Kudi Valley in Kashmir, India. Discovered around 1880 after landslides revealed the valley's treasures, Kashmir sapphires quickly found fame. Exhibiting intensely captivating colors, their reign at the top was but short-lived. Intensive mining lasted only thirty years, with all commercial production stopping some fifty years ago. Kashmir sapphires are almost never seen in today's market and private collectors jealously guard known specimens. With Kashmir sapphires all but non-existent, Burmese and Ceylon sapphires now command the top prices, with gem connoisseurs keenly vying for their beauty and pedigree. With history and pedigree aside, sapphires as every bit as beautiful have been found as widely as Australia, Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. Nowadays, Madagascar's prolific Ilakaka gem fields account for some 20% of total global sapphire production.
HEAT AND SAPPHIRES
Most sapphires seen on the market today have been subjected to high temperatures in an age-old practice that is said to have originated in Sri Lanka some 2,000 years ago. Sapphires are heated at high temperatures to improve their clarity and to intensify their colors. Without this practice, we would see fewer sapphires on the market today, at far higher carat prices due to restricted and narrowed supplies. Heating sapphires makes otherwise expensive gems, more accessible and more affordable. The proportion of unheated sapphires on the market is small and is widely thought to be less than 1%. Although no more beautiful, their rarity makes them highly collectable and prices are set at a premium, sometimes fetching triple the price paid for an equivalent heated sapphire. When purchasing unheated sapphires, please be aware that unheated material is rare, as a result, always purchase from a reliable supplier.
CARING FOR SAPPHIRES
Ruby and all color sapphires, a part of the Corundum gemstone family, are the second hardest gem next to diamond. They are a 9 on Moh’s Hardness Scale, making them an ideal everyday jewelry item.