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Precious Stones - The Big Five
Part 3-The Sapphire
By Sam and Tami Serio
Morning Light
Jewelry
The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth,
bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and birthstone for the
month of September, is in fact the same stone as the ruby, the mineral
corundum.
The blue corundum, ranging in color from the lightest blue to deep blue
and black, is the same stone as the ruby, the only difference being in the
color. The choicest color is the soft velvety blue, approaching the
cornflower in shade and exhibiting that color vividly by artificial as
well as by natural light. The deeper-colored stones are known as male, and
the light-colored ones as female sapphires. Although choice sapphires are
rare, a much greater quantity of good and large stones are to be had than
of rubies, and therefore the price of a large sapphire does not advance in
the same proportion as the price of a large ruby.
The word "sapphire" which means blue is of the same form in nearly all the
early tongues, thus showing that they were in use by the ancients.
Sapphires are found in many parts of the world and are usually found in
the same locality as the ruby. The largest number and finest quality of
these stones come from Thailand and India, and are found and recovered in
much the same way as the ruby.
The sapphire is next to the diamond in hardness and it is this quality
that makes it impervious to wear and insures its sharp edges and corners
against years of use. Like the ruby the value of the sapphire is
determined by its color. The finest stones are a deep blue and the deeper
the color the more highly it is prized if its translucency is not
impaired. Although the sapphire with its many shades of blue is considered
the most desirable stone, it is also found in other colors such as red,
green, yellow and pink.
The Oriental emerald or green sapphire does not approach the beryl or true
emerald in depth of color, but because of its superior hardness and
brilliancy, added to its extreme rarity, it is the most valuable of green
gems. The Oriental amethyst or purple sapphire sometimes reflects a red
color by artificial light, and is valued highly as a gem stone; the common
amethyst is softer, less brilliant, and loses by artificial light. The
various other colored sapphires, such as yellow or Oriental topaz, light
green or Oriental aquamarine, greenish-yellow or Oriental chrysolite, and
aurora red or Oriental hyacinth, are all valuable as gem stones when they
are pure, well cut, and have pronounced colors-in fact, the name Oriental
is given to distinguish the corundums from the less valuable minerals of
the same colors which they resemble, but which they greatly surpass in
beauty and value because of their brilliancy and superior hardness.
Asterias or star stones are corundums of three different colors; the star
sapphire proper is a grayish blue, the star ruby red, and the star topaz
yellow. These stones are usually cut cabochon or convex, and display under
the rays of the sun, or when exposed to one candle or other artificial
light, a beautiful star with six points. This star is produced by foreign
substances in the corundum, and the lapidary brings about the regular
effect by cutting a pointed carbuncle so that the center of the star
begins at the apex, and the six bright stripes radiate to the base of the
stone. The bright lines of the star following the light move over the
surface of the stone and produce a remarkable effect. These stones are
amongst the most wonderful of mineral productions, and good specimens are
very valuable. The corundum cat's-eye, called Oriental girasol or
sunstone, has a bluish, reddish, or yellowish reflection of light of a
lighter shade than the stone itself, and which moves on the convex surface
of the stone like the lines of a star stone.
To this day, sapphire is one of the most important members of the family
of gems and is certainly one of the most favored by jewelry artisans
worldwide. Consequently, there is more "hanky-panky" with treatments,
alteration of color and various other techniques to disguise or improve
flaws etc., than almost any other precious stone. Buyer beware of bargains
that look "too good to be true". Deal with reputable jewelers both online
and offline. The sapphire is the birthstone for September.
The Authors
of the above Article, Sam and Tami Serio have been passionately involved
with Jewelry and Gemstones for over fifteen-years. You are cordially
invited to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com for a wealth of
information about the fascinating world of Jewelry and Gemstones. Together
they also shelter 20 abandoned and abused dogs & cats. A portion of their
profits goes to the care and feeding of the animals.
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