Sapphire History
Sapphires have been worn in jewelry for centuries, with the oldest sapphires having been discovered in Ceylon, in what is now Sri Lanka. Today, important sapphire mining takes place in Australia, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and the United States.
Sapphire Colors
Sapphires occur in a virtual rainbow of colors, including blue, pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, and even white and black, and our collection includes sapphire jewelry in every color available. Sapphires which are any color but blue are referred to as "fancy sapphires". Sapphires are part of the gemstone family corundum, which includes ruby.
Sapphire Characteristics
Sapphires are both hard and durable which makes them an outstanding choice for a lifetime of wear. Our sapphires are completely eye clean. Sapphires may have inclusions which can be seen with a microscope or under a jewelers' loupe with 10X magnification. These inclusions which are not visible to the naked eye do not affect the beauty of sapphires.
Sapphire Birthstone
What is the birthstone for September?...Sapphire in all colors are worn and cherished as the traditional September birthstone!
Sapphire Wedding Anniversary
Sapphire is a traditional gemstone gift for celebrating a 5th, 10th or 45th wedding anniversary - a sapphire anniversary ring makes the perfect gift.
Sapphire History and Sapphire Symbolism
Dating back to around 800 BC, sapphires have been highly prized and long associated with the sky and the heavens. Sapphire has symbolized faithfulness, truth, good health, loyalty, honesty, clear-thinking, and spiritual enlightenment. Ancient kings wore sapphires to protect them from harm, as sapphire was believed to be a preventative against poisoning and for its ability to influence spirits. Sapphire engagement rings date back thousands of years, and are a perfect traditional engagement ring choice in the present day.
Sapphire Properties
Sapphires have a Mohs Hardness of 9 out of 10 (diamond is the hardest at 10), which gives them excellent wearability. This hardness and the durable nature of sapphire makes a sapphire engagement ring perfect for a lifetime of wear.
Sapphire Grades and Sapphire Grading
There is not a standardized system for grading sapphires as there is for diamonds. This means that you will find grading of sapphires which varies widely among jewelers and throughout the internet. With regard to genuine sapphires and all colored gemstones, in order to communicate sapphire quality, some gem vendors and gemological laboratories use letter grades, some use number grades, and some use a system close to the GIA diamond grading system.
Bottom line, when shopping for a sapphire engagement ring or any other sapphire jewelry, you will want to note that the criteria for grading sapphires and other colored gemstones does not correspond to anything a customer can use for exact sapphire quality comparison between different companies.
As we are GIA graduate gemologists, we choose to use the GIA grading system for sapphires and colored stones. According to the GIA colored stone grading system, our natural blue sapphire rings, white sapphire rings, and yellow sapphire rings all feature TYPE II - eye clean sapphires, with some inclusions under 10x magnification which can NOT be seen with the naked eye. Pink sapphires typically have small light colored inclusions present which may be may be somewhat hard to see with the naked eye, and which may be obvious under 10x microscope magnification.
Sapphire Value
The value of a sapphire is determined by the size, cut, shape, and intensity of the color. The majority of natural sapphires are heat treated while still a rough crystal at very high temperatures before gem cutting to permanently enhance the color and clarity of the sapphire stone. As American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) members we guarantee our sapphires to be as described, and you are assured of the high quality and value of the sapphire engagement ring stones in our rings.
Sapphire Cleaning and Care
Normal - sapphires do not require any special care to preserve their beauty for a lifetime. To keep your sapphire gemstone looking as clean as the first day you received it, your sapphire jewelry can be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, or with a home jewelry steamer.
Notable Celebrity Sapphire Engagement Rings
The following royalty and celebrities are among the many who have received and worn sapphire engagement rings -
- Princess Diana of Wales
- Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Penelope Cruz
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