Sapphire Stone

Sapphire 

A stone that belongs to the family of cardinal gems, sapphire is a precious gem. Generally, a sapphire stone is blue in colour, varying in intensity based on the quality, but there are also other colours such as yellow, purple, orange, and green. 

There is another type called a parti sapphire. These are rare and cannot be replicated inside a laboratory. They can have two or three colours in a stone, which are usually blues, greens and yellows. The multiple colours are perfectly complementary, making the stone possess an iridescence similar to peacock feathers. An even more rare kind is the padparadscha sapphire and is a mix of pink and orange. The padparadscha sapphire is by far the rarest in nature (the name comes from Sanskrit and essentially means lotus colour). Still, the blue sapphire is the most expensive and coveted.

The velvet blue is the sought after colour. The price of a sapphire stone is based on colour, clarity, size, cut, and overall quality. Untreated sapphires are worth more than treated stones. The treatments are methods to make stones clearer than they originally are and these practices are in the grey ethically. Treated sapphires are supposed to be marked as such, but this is not always the case so one should be careful before purchase.

Some of the best sapphire stones are found in Kashmir. Burma, Sri Lanka and Madagascar produce large quantities of this stone. 

Why people wear sapphires

Aside from being worn for the beauty factor that is the case with most stones, sapphires are known for inducing improved mental clarity, reducing confusion, thus giving one better decision-making abilities. People also believe it helps metabolism.

A stone that is also associated with the third eye and is thought to help open the third eye up more, improving one's insight and intuition. This is also why it is sometimes referred to as the wisdom stone. Some of the perceived qualities of the stone are of course due to its colour, the celestial blue in ancient times was connected with hope and faith.

There are also cultural beliefs that people should not wear a cracked stone or wear it if it does not suit you, as it can possibly bring one bad luck in either of those cases. Generally, sapphires are considered 'heavy' stones, which basically signifies it is a powerful gem.

Comments

Sapphire stones are among the most expensive gemstones one can purchase. The size and characteristics that rate the quality affect the price. The larger and better it is in terms of colour, clarity, cut etc. the more costs.

Most people who purchase sapphires look for certifications from American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), Gem Research Swisslab (GRS), GIA, Gübelin, Lotus Gemology or SSEF. This is important as there are a lot of fake stones and treated stones as well.