Sapphire has been sought for thousands of years as the final jewel blue. Ancient Persians believed the earth rested on a giant sapphire that gave reflection the sky was blue, hence the Latin name "Sapphiru" which means blue.
Gem has long symbolized faith, memory, and time commitment. According to tradition, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of Sapphire, making it the most sacred stone. This implies that "Divine Favor is why Sapphires often been the jewel of choice for kings and high priest in the history. In fact, Jewels British crown contains a number of notable Sapphires. Prince Charles even gave Princess Diana a Sapphire engagement ring.
Sapphire is the birth stone for September. It's also jewelry, which is recommended for married couples who are celebrating their anniversaries of 5 and 45 wedding.
Both Stone Sapphire and her sister, Ruby, are part of the corundum family, one of the strongest mineral on earth. Stone is mined in many parts of the world, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Kashmir, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam. Sapphires of Kashmir and Myanmar are rarest and most valuable because of their vivid blue, velvety look.
While Sapphire is virtually synonymous with blue, stone comes in variety of fancy colors that includes colorless white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green and many shades in between except red, because red would be a Sapphire called a ruby. Some Sapphires which is cabochon cut, Dome, the display even a six rayed white star. They are called Star Sapphire, and looked old as powerful talismans that protected travelers.
Like other gemstones, color is the main factor To determine when judging the value of a Sapphire. As a rule, the most valuable Sapphires have a medium intense, pure vivid blue color and brightness of color hold them under any lighting. Undertones any color, usually black, gray or green, will reduce the amount of stone. Although a pastel stone would be more less than the value of a deep blue would be more valuable than a stone considered too dark. In Selecting a Sapphire, keep in the fact that the finest stones are "eye clean", with little or no inclusions, defects, visible to the naked eye.
Sapphire is readily available in sizes to 2 carats, but stones of 5.10 carats are not unusual. Stone is often cut into a cushion shape, rounded rectangle, or an oval. Smaller stones are available in round brilliant cuts and a variety of novelty shapes such as triangle, square, emerald, Marquise, Pear, baguette, cabochon and other forms.
Some also noted Sapphires included Logan Sapphire, a 423 carat Cushion Cut Gemstone fro Sri Lanka today, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and a 258 carat stone set in the Russian crown and kept in the Diamond Fund in Moscow.
With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, Sapphire is harder than any other gemstone than diamond. This quality makes it extremely durable for jewelry pieces daily subject to repeated impact, such as rings and bracelets. In general, Sapphire can be cleaned with soapy water or commercial solvent and a brush.
An estimated 90% of Sapphires on the market today have been heated to maximize their color and clarity. This process is permanent and usually stable. Perfect natural, untreated gems are extremely rare and very expensive. Some colorless or pale stones are treated with chemicals, diffusion treatment, which improves the surface color only. This could create a problem if the stone is ever chipped or nicked and must be re-cut or re-polished. In additional, Some fancy colored Sapphire is irradiated to give a more intense shade. These effects are temporary and may disappear in the light or heat.
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Bijan Aziz is the owner and Web Master for The Jewelry Hut.
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