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SAPPHIRE
ALTERNATE BIRTHSTONE
for APRIL (White)
THE BIRTHSTONE
for SEPTEMBER (Blue)
ALTERNATE BIRTHSTONE
for OCTOBER (Pink)
ALTERNATE BIRTHSTONE
for NOVEMBER (Yellow)
The 5th and 45th ANNIVERSARY
STONE
The 70th ANNIVERSARY
STONE
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MOH's
scale of hardness : 9
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Specific Gravity : 3.99-4.00
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Refractive Index : 1.766-1.774
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Double Refraction : -0.018
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Golden Yellow Sapphire
Golden Yellow Sapphires are bright gemstones that range in color
from a "Sunshine Yellow" to an almost "Orangey Yellow".
The photos above reflects the variance in color. These
faceted Gems are exceptional in jewelry, since their hardness is second only to
Diamond. We carry only Top Gem quality Natural Golden Yellow Sapphires, all of which
have been heat treated to give them that beautiful Golden hue.
Yellow Sapphires are intense, bright stones ranging from medium light Yellow
to deep golden Yellow. These faceted Gems are exceptional in jewelry and
have become quite popular as an alternative color for Blue.
Sapphire and Ruby comprise more than half of all Gemstones sold worldwide.
Sapphire's popularity is not based on color alone. Its hardness of
9 places it next to Diamond (10), making it an excellent choice for jewelry
worn daily. It is frequently featured in engagement rings.
Most people relate Sapphire to the color Blue. But this form of Corundum
is readily available in an array of other colors: Pink, Golden, Green,
peachy Orange, Purple and Colorless. Fancy colors in Sapphires are
described as being variations of the standard hues. Color change
Sapphires are those which have two colors which are distinct when the light
source is changed from fluorescent to incandescent. Generally, the
more clear and vivid the color, the more valuable the fancy sapphire.
If the color is in the pastel range, the clarity should be good: because
in lighter tones inclusions are more noticeable, the trade usually prefers
the gemstones to be cleaner with fewer visible inclusions. In a lighter
colored gemstone, the cut is also more important: it should reflect light
back evenly across the face of the stone, making it lively and brilliant.
With darker more intense colors, the cut isn't as critical because the
color creates its own impact.
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) positively produces the finest all-round Sapphires
in the world. The very name commands a premium, and Ceylon Gems have constantly
increased in price. We have always been on top of the Gem market
in Ceylon and stay up with current prices and new discoveries. It
is a very difficult market due to political unrest. It IS dangerous to
go there, and it's more dangerous to go outside the capital city into the
countryside where the stones are hand dug from the pits. We constantly
buy fine Ceylon Sapphires when the price is "right." To be "right"
we have the connections to know who needs quick and ready cash. Every
stone is negotiated differently, thereby affecting the price per carat.
We work hard to bring these highly valued Gemstones to you at very very
affordable prices. Sapphire of lesser quality comes out of Australia,
Thailand, Colombia, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Kenya, Tanzania and Montana USA,
and we do not usually offer these stones.
TREATMENTS - almost
all (99%) Sapphire is routinely treated with "heat" to enhance and stabilize
the color. The typical heat treatment process is a permanent process
that does not adversely affect the performance and durability of the gemstone,
so there's no need to worry when you see this enhancement disclosed.
The typical heat enhancement procedure performed on Sapphire we offer from
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) normally refers to the lower temperature wood heat method,
and the typical heat enhancement procedure performed on Sapphire from Burma,
and other countries in that region, usually refers to the higher temperature
furnace fired method that is performed at another location, both heating
methods have been accepted trade practices for generations.
CARE - It is usually safe to clean Sapphire
in an Ultrasonic cleaner, but risky to use a steamer. We recommend ionic
cleaners and/or warm, soapy water and a soft brush as the best way to clean
Sapphire
jewelry.
We specialize in obtaining Ceylon Sapphires that
are natural "untreated" gems, not heated or chemically treated in any way.
The exception is Golden Sapphire, Orange Sapphire as well as some of the
darker shades of Blue Sapphire, and these Ceylon stones are typically heat
enhanced to
stabilize the color. Even though it
does not normally adversely affect the performance, durability, or value
of the gem, in recent years demand for unheated top quality Blue Sapphire
has caused the unheated gems to command a somewhat higher premium, depending
on the gem. Buyers Beware: There is a new treatment process being performed
in Thailand that changes a lower quality Sapphires into beautiful color Blue,
Padparadscha, Orange, Pink, and Yellow Sapphire. AGTA and GIA gem labs, after examination of this
'bulk diffused' heat treatment
process reveals that the color does not go all the way through the gem,
but is only in the outer layer, so if the stone is ever scratched or recut the
outer color layer would be removed and the original
color would then be visible underneath the outer layer of the gemstone.
Since Asian gem suppliers (and there are many online now)
are now disclosing the process, but they are also misrepresenting it as a good
thing to happen to the gem industry. Nothing could be further from the
truth, so Buyers please
Beware. For example, you may see a premium Ceylon Padparadscha Sapphire
advertised on one of those websites for what appears to be pennies on the
dollar, be assured that the stone was most likely altered by one of these
Asian factories. Some of these gem suppliers even go to great lengths to
try to convince the public that there is no difference in the value of their artifically colored and/or
treated gem, and the value of a natural gem, but any experienced
jeweler will verify that a statement like that is totally untrue.

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