Sapphires come in all spectrums of color, except for red. Often when people refer to sapphires, they mean blue sapphires. Other color sapphires are referred to as fancy sapphires. Pink sapphire has recently gained widespread popularity. From pale baby pink to bright, hot pink, a sapphire in warm pastel shades is gorgeous! (click to view pink sapphire designs)
Australia and Africa are the world's largest suppliers of blue sapphires. Sri Lanka also provides a large portion of the world's supply of blue sapphires. Gemstones from this island are often called "Ceylon" sapphires, which was the name of the island before it was changed to Sri Lanka. Pailin, Cambodia, is another source of exceptional blue sapphires. Burma is also known for their top quality supply of this gemstone.
Similar to rubies, sapphires come in many different shapes and sizes, providing great variety to gemstone lovers and ensuring the enduring popularity of sapphire jewelry. With hardness just below that of diamonds, sapphires are one of the toughest gemstones, and with no cleavage, breakage rarely occurs.
Intense medium dark blue is the most sought after color for blue sapphires. However, very fine sapphires are extremely rare. Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Burma produce very fine pure blue sapphires, although Cambodian sapphires are sometimes slightly dark. Australian sapphires tend to have green overtones and concentric hexagonal bands. Midnight blue sapphires have traditionally been looked down on but today midnight blue sapphire jewelry is increasingly common - particularly for sapphire earrings.
Intensity, uniformity and purity of color are the most important considerations when making a decision about the purchase of a blue sapphire. Fine blue sapphires should not contain any overtones or secondary colors, for this will lessen the beauty of this precious gemstone. As the overall beauty of the stone will depend on the cutting, this characteristic must always be taken into consideration. Dark blue sapphires will appear black under low light settings, while fine blue sapphires will maintain their color in any light setting. Blue sapphire jewelry remains one of most sought after jewelry types with rings, earrings, pendants and sapphire necklaces all making not only a beautiful addition to any collection but also a fairly sound investment.
Sapphires are also available colorless. White sapphire is an excellent diamond substitute as it is brilliant and second only to diamond itself in hardness. Large white sapphires are rare. |
