Sapphire
Blue is the major shade of the gemstone sapphire. Ironically, blue is also the most favored color of 50 percent of the people, both women and men alike. That’s why it is without a question that sapphire has been the long favorite of many individuals as well.
Blue is the color of harmony and loyalty. Not aggressive passion but rather a more composed, reciprocated understanding and an unbreakable trust. All of these feelings and concepts are strongly associated with the blue sapphire; the blue that it readily possesses fits everything on its description and more.
We all know for a fact that blue is the normal color for sapphires, but what others may not know is that it may also come in a wide range of spectral colors such as pink, yellow, orange, brown, grey, black and even colorless. Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum, the second hardest element next to diamonds. The red variety of corundum is known as rubies whereas all the other remaining colors and varieties are referred to as sapphire. Corundum is colorless in nature. It is just due to the mixture of other elements that it becomes so many colors. The varied nuances of blues are due to iron and titanium deposits that are found on the stone.
The Colorful World Of Sapphires
The gemstones in the corundum mineral family are purely made from aluminum oxide which can effortlessly be crystallized into magnificent colorful gems. The presence of other elements are the main reason for its coloring The purple variety of sapphires contains traces of the element vanadium which are relatively lower in cost than the authentic blue ones. Green and yellow ones have strong deposits of iron which readily gives them their bright colors. Pink sapphire is found to include the element chromium in them; they are also the bestselling sapphires next to the blue ones. The darker the shade of pink is, the higher the price it demands. Another very popular variety of sapphire is the star sapphire, embedded rutile inclusions cause a star-like light effect called asterism. This is the main reason why they are given their name. However, although these are found in its natural shades, many sapphires of today can easily be manipulated of its color due to the new technology called bulk diffusion.
Sapphires are appraised based on their color, transparency and size. The richer and the darker the color is, the higher its price becomes. That is not only true to sapphires because almost all of the other gemstones follow this philosophy. Sapphires are naturally transparent, the clearer the crystals are the better they are marketed. Next comes its size, and with this in mind we refer to its cut as well, obviously the bigger ones are more expensive but it can also be determined on how grand the cut is made. Sapphires have different intensities of colors in a single crystal, that’s why it is up to the skilled hands of the cutter to further put this to the stone’s advantage.
Along with the above mentioned criteria, another very important criterion that commands its price is its geographical origin. Sapphires are mined in many regions of the world. Each of them possesses a distinct characteristic that are only found on their sibling crystals. That explains the variations in their price becomes. Researches show that Kashmir sapphire crystals are most expensive but the Burmese sapphires are the most highly regarded, and coming next are the Ceylon sapphires.
Sapphire may come in different colors and origins, but one thing’s for sure, they have long proven their worth to be amongst the four named gemstones of the world. The sapphire signifies loyalty but not compromising the value of longing and love, that’s why a lot of women sought for sapphire rings for their engagement, and who wouldn’t?