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Sapphires are cut from an extremely hard mineral called corundum, which is also the source of an even rarer gem, the ruby. Used in everything from necklaces to bracelets to rings, sapphires get their characteristic blue hue from iron and titanium in the mineral. A variant of the sapphire, the padparadscha, ranges in color from pink to orange and occurs only in Sri Lanka. Other sapphires are mined in North America, Russia, Africa, and Australia, but the most prized examples are found in Myanmar, India, and Thailand.

During the late-Georgian period, jewelers used sapphires to try out new gem cuts, the most...

By the 20th century, some of the world’s greatest examples of fine jewelry were anchored and accented by sapphires. Cosmetics queen Helena Rubinstein wore a starfish-shaped, Ecalle-designed ornament on the back of her hand, whose center was dominated by a large sapphire cabochon. Opera singer Ganna Walska wore enormous sapphires on her fingers.

Daisy Fellowes, whose grandfather was Isaac Singer (as in the sewing machine) favored sapphire brooches from Cartier. The Duchess of Windsor also shopped at Cartier for sapphires; one of her many necklaces featured no less than nine flower-like clusters of sapphires, each liberally accented with diamonds and attached to a pair of sapphire-bead chains.

The most sought-after sapphires are usually the ones of deepest blue. Kashmir sapphires are the color of cornflowers, often shading to rich purples, while those from Mynamar have a more royal-blue tint. Stones from other regions that are not as naturally blue are often cut to ensure that the meager amount of blue in the gem radiates throughout the final cut-and-polished piece (the secret is to leave the blue at the gem’s base rather than its surface).

Almost all shades of blue are generally acceptable for sapphires, even ones with gray in them, which makes the blue “steely.” Green, however, is not desirable. Unfortunately, the impurities that make most sapphires blue can also produce shades of green when the stone is held at certain angles. That’s just one reason why the skill of the cutter is so important.

Green can also occur when sapphires are heat-treated to make them more blue. In fact, heat is one of numerous treatments used to enrich the color of sapphires. For example, distracting, light-catching fractures are often filled with everything from epoxy to wax, while a process called diffusion combines heat with coloring agents to enhance the surface of the gemstone. And heating corundum alongside chrysoberyl can produce a gem that mimics a padparadscha.

Last but not least is the star sapphire, whose asterism, as it is called, is the result of light playing upon the silk-like fibers within a stone. Most heat treatments diminish a stone’s asterism (the trade off for the jeweler, though, is a richer color). Some star sapphires, particularly those from Thailand and Sri Lanka, have another stone’s base glued to theirs. While this makes the gem appear larger and more imposing than it really is, over time the glue can yellow the stone.

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Recent News: Sapphire Jewelry

Source: Google News

Pony named for park volunteer
Delmarva Now, May 24th

Pam Stansell of Ocean City, a close friend of Donovan's and regular partner in the Pony Patrol, chose the name "Sapphire" for T3DH-D, a 7-year-old bay mare. In choosing the name, Pam noted, "Jo loved her jewelry, particularly yellow gold and sapphires...Read more

Rolex Watches, Rare Gold Coins and Precious Gems in Government Auction's May ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release), May 22nd

Government Auction is the largest company of its kind and the only one in the United States that works closely with these agencies to acquire literally thousands of assets and confiscated goods, such as Ruby Gemstones, Sapphire Rings,...Read more

Most Prohibitively Expensive Thing I Will Desire Today: A Rotating Solar ...
The Mary Sue, May 18th

Mercury is represented by a rust colored Sapphire, Venus a golden Sapphire, Earth an irradiated blue Diamond, Mars a Ruby, Jupiter an Opal, Saturn a Cats Eye Chrysoberyl with an inlaid 24k gold ring, Uranus a green Sapphire, Neptune a blue Sapphire and...Read more

Giants Unveil White Gold 'Restaurant Ring' From Super Bowl Title
BusinessWeek, May 16th

“A lot of great players never even had the opportunity to win playoff games, nonetheless Super Bowl rings, and I have two so I'm definitely thankful.” The white gold diamond- and sapphire-studded rings unveiled yesterday will be distributed this week...Read more

Scouting Report
New York Times, May 16th

Opening next Wednesday, it will sell handmade timepieces and opulent jewelry, including pieces like sapphire chandelier earrings and diamond cuffs. The store facade was inspired by the Coronation Egg, one of the imperial Easter eggs created for Czar...Read more

Rare Kashmir sapphire fetches Rs 2.8 crore at US auction
IBNLive.com, May 16th

PTI | 05:05 PM,May 16,2012 New York, May 16 (PTI) A diamond-platinum ring with a stunning 8.99 carat Kashmir sapphire sold for USD 527500 (Rs 2.86 crore) at an auction here, more than double of its pre-sale estimate. The identity of the buyer of the...Read more

Rina Limor Creates the Sapphire Fantasy Collection
PR Web (press release), May 16th

New York jewelry designer Rina Limor announces new one-of-a-kind slice sapphire jewelry collection. Rina Limor introduces the Sapphire Fantasy Collection, one-of-a-kind jewelry featuring slices of multicolored sapphires set in 18-karat gold and...Read more

Aquamarine Rings are the New Standard of Blue on JewelOcean
San Francisco Chronicle (press release), May 5th

As such these promise rings on jewelocean.com start from only $79 onward. Aquamarine is one of more affordable gemstone, and as such Aquamarine rings are inexpensive when compared to other gemstone rings such as Ruby or Sapphire...Read more

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