Sapphire
Would you like to learn more about sapphire color variations and the most important quality factor of this gemstone?
The most highly valued blue sapphires are velvety blue to violetish blue, and medium to medium dark tones. Preferred sapphires also have a strong to vivid color saturation. The saturation should be as strong as possible without darkening the color and compromising brightness.
Place of Birth
The richest sapphire placers are located in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma), China, Vietnam), India, Australia and the United States. The most valuable and beautiful, recognized as a standard, are considered to be Kashmir sapphires, which got their name from the place of their extraction – Kashmir (a disputed area occupied by India and Pakistan). They have a juicy blue-cornflower blue hue and do not change colors depending on the lighting, and due to microcrystalline inclusions they are not very transparent. In Kashmir sapphires, the structure of the mineral is most pronounced; at a certain angle, parallel layers forming a crystal can be viewed.
Natural and synthetic sapphire
For the first time, artificial sapphires were synthesized in the United States in the middle of the 20th century, and since then large-scale production of such corundums have been carried out all over the world. The largest manufacturer is located in Russia – the Monocrystal plant in Stavropol. The main difference between artificial stones is the absence of natural inclusions, which can only be seen under a microscope. Under an ultraviolet lamp, synthetic minerals will give off a green hue, while natural stone will have a white sheen.
Unfortunately, in finished jewellery, only a specialist will be able to distinguish an artificial sapphire from a natural one, therefore, in order not to purchase a fake, a certificate for the product should be required.