What's the point of buying and selling sapphires? Sapphire has always been a royal favorite. In the Middle Ages, sapphires, pearls and diamonds were indispensable decorations on the crowns and dresses of British kings and Russian czars. Last year, a royal jewelry exhibition was held in the Tower of London, England. Queen Elizabeth II wore a crown when she was crowned, including not only Cullinan II diamonds and black prince rubies, but also sapphires. The most famous one, inlaid in the center of the cross at the top of the crown, is called St. Edward sapphire, which is the oldest gem in the crown. Its history can be traced back to the coronation ring of Edward, the confessor of the British king in the 20th century.
Are all sapphires blue?
Sapphire is called sapphire in English, which means blue, but not all sapphires are blue. Sapphire is a general term for corundum gems of other colors except ruby. So sapphire not only refers to blue corundum, but also a complete blue series, such as yellow, pink, orange and purple, as the sunset glow of fireworks. These colored sapphires are collectively called colored sapphires.
Where is the best sapphire?
There are not many sapphire producing areas in the world, mainly Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia and China. But in terms of gem quality, Myanmar and Sri Lanka are the best. According to different geological causes, it can be divided into two categories: one is sapphire produced in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Kashmir, India. The other is sapphire produced in Australia, Thailand and China. Sapphire produced in Myanmar and other places is bright blue because of its titanium content, and contains spun rutile and fingerprint-like liquid inclusions. Filamentous rutile inclusions can produce six or twelve starlight, which belongs to high-quality gemstone varieties. Sapphire made in Australia, Thailand and China contains a lot of iron, so the color of sapphire is very dark, and the reflective effect of faceted gemstones is not very good. Generally, it needs heating treatment before it can be used.
Is the price of sapphire produced in Kashmir higher?
If we compare sapphires of the same size and quality, the price of sapphire from Kashmir is indeed higher than that from Myanmar, and the price from Myanmar is higher than that from Sri Lanka. However, gems cannot be generalized, so the key to selection is whether the color system of a single gem is pure, whether the pigment distribution is uniform and whether the crystal is bright.
However, there are still several reasons that affect the price of Kashmir sapphire. First, after the Second World War, India was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, and Kashmir became a place where the two countries competed for each other, bordering Russia, with complicated political and economic factors. Another reason is that the valley vein of Kashmir sapphire is located in a branch of the Himalayas, with an altitude of nearly 15000 feet. Under the formation conditions of low temperature and low pressure, the toughness of gemstones is usually better, and the gemstones with good toughness are more valuable for collection and preservation. The local climate and environment have about nine months of snow a year, and the mining time is short. In the case of less gem production, it is not difficult to understand that if rare and excellent sapphires can be found, the price is relatively high.
Is aquamarine a light sapphire?
No, in mineralogy, aquamarine and emerald are both called beryl, while sapphire belongs to corundum, and its properties are completely different. Beryl has the characteristics of brittle texture and easy cracking at high temperature. Sapphire has high hardness, density and refractive index. The color of aquamarine ranges from light blue to green island blue, and the best is bright and pure brilliant blue. Under the irradiation of night light, aquamarine will show more dazzling light than during the day, so some people call it "luminous gem".
Does sapphire usually have burns?
Basically, 90% of sapphires on the market have been burned. Generally, one-time sintering, heat treatment and thermal diffusion are to diffuse the pigment in the crystal by heating, so that the pigment distribution and diffusion of sapphire are more uniform. Another treatment method of color enhancement by thermal infiltration means that there is no pigment in the crystal, and the foreign pigment penetrates into the surface layer under the heating and pressure environment. It is sometimes heard that the surface thermal diffusion secondary sintering is such a treatment method.
What about the remaining 10% unburned sapphire? Can be analyzed from two angles, one is natural beauty, there is no doubt that prices are rising. On the other hand, if burning can't add points to the gem, it is suitable for sapphire to keep its natural beauty.
The beauty of gems is incomparable to other substances in the world, and the value of gems comes from people. Everyone has different preferences. In addition, gems have many values, such as artistic appreciation, beautiful wearing and satisfaction, so we should consider individual gems when purchasing gems.
Is the clarity of sapphire important?
Generally, rubies and sapphires have natural feathery and stony patterns. The cleaner, the higher the value. If there are cracks or obvious spots and defects on the surface of the gem, it is inferior. But generally, the clarity of rubies and sapphires is not as high as that of diamonds, because its beauty lies in its color. The second is to see if the texture is transparent. The more transparent, the more vivid colors can be reflected, so the higher the value.