An Introduction to Sapphire the Gemstone and Sapphire Jewelry

There is an old theory which says that the earth was embedded in sapphire earlier. Such is the importance and value of this gemstone. Sapphire is a very precious stone and as expensive as diamond. Like diamond, this stone too is very hard. Sapphire though associated with blue gemstones is available in many different colors like purple, green, pink, white yellow. Sapphire like ruby belongs to the corundum family. Actually there are only two categories of corundum-ruby which is red and the other is sapphire which comprises of all other colors other than red. Sapphire is a mineral composition of aluminum oxide and the presence of chromium, iron and many such elements give different hues to the stone.

Sapphires are found in India, Brazil, Africa, Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka. But the most famous varieties are blue sapphire from Kashmir in India, sapphire from Ceylon in Sri Lanka and the blue sapphire found in Burma.

When one talks of sapphire then the common reference is to the blue gemstones. The blue variant is considered to be more precious. However as mentioned earlier they are available in other colors. Sapphires in colors like the pink, purple, green, yellow, white ones are known as fancy sapphires. These sapphires are priced lesser than the blue ones. They are readily available in the market and are sourced easily

There is a rare variety of blue sapphire known as star sapphire available only at selected places. This extremely precious stone is half dome shaped and reflects light like in the shape of six legged star. It is also known as cat's eye. Any piece of jewellery made of star sapphire would be as expensive as a car.

Sapphires can be evaluated from their cut, finish, flaws and reflection. Like any other gemstone the lesser the flaw the better is the gemstone. Since sapphire is a hard gemstone cutting it is an art. However the cutter should take care to minimize the pitting and striations and maximize the reflective property of the stone. The color of the stone is the most important factor to be considered while buying this gemstone. The deeper the color reflected the better is the stone. Sapphires are available in all tones of blue. The range of color varies from grey blue, sky blue, ocean blue, purple blue to many other overtones. There is a wide variety for the consumers to choose from. However it is wise to go for deep blue varieties. The color of the sapphire is also dependent on the place from which it is sourced.

Sapphire jewellery are very expensive. Owning of sapphire ring is every woman's dream but only few get lucky. There are chokers, pendants, neck drops, bracelets, ear studs available in jewellery stores. Sapphire is either used alone or in combination with other gems. They are usually embedded in gold, silver and platinum. The most expensive of all of them is sapphire in platinum. Sapphire looks very enticing in white gold too. This gemstone in silver base is more pocket friendly than the other varieties.