We are passionate about coloured gemstones, and we love to share our passion with you!
Most people think that Sapphires are only blue; but is this the case?
Well, let’s start with; what Sapphires are?
Most Sapphires are the blue colour variety of the mineral corundum.
Pure corundum is colourless. The blue colour in Sapphire is due to small traces of Iron (Fe2+) and Titanium(Ti4+).
Actually, Sapphires come in all the colours of the rainbow;
And can be cut into all different shapes and colours.
Amongst the most sought-after colour varieties are pink Sapphires, Padparadscha Sapphires (pinkish-orange to orangey pink)and yellow Sapphires.
An important feature of Sapphires is their pleochroism; when a Sapphire shows two slightly different colours when viewed from different angles.
The “star effect”; also called asterism, is a well-known sheen in Sapphires. Asterism is the effect caused by reflection of light below the surface of the stone.
Asterism is a mobile star-effect seen in certain sapphires when correctly cut into cabochon.
With hardness 9 on the scale of Mohs , high brilliance and frequently excellent clarity; fancy- coloured sapphires appeal to clientele with a taste of uniqueness and individuality.
Gem – quality sapphires are found in a range of different countries worldwide.
Sapphires found in Asia: Burma, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Sapphires found in Africa: Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Sapphires found in America ,Australia and France
Treatments of Sapphires
Heat treatment is the most common form of treatment for sapphires , often done to improve their appearance or colour. Customers have to be cautious when purchasing coloured gemstone jewellery as treated Sapphires heavily impact the value of a gem, such as lead glass filling or diffusion treatment of Sapphire. Such a stone should be clearly identified as a treated Sapphire on report but it’s not always the case.
Synthetic corundum is not easily identifiable and advanced laboratory testing may be required to differentiate from their natural counterparts.
Synthetic corundum possesses both the physical and chemical properties of its natural counterpart ,but is grown in an artificial environment. Buyers should be cautious.
Euphoria Jewels only embraces rare, exotic, natural intense gemstone colours which are ethically sourced.
