The attractiveness of sapphire, this most beautiful noble stone, is so great that in ancient times it was called heavenly, endowed with magical properties, and jewelry with it was considered worthy of royalty. Nowadays, interest in jewelry with this amazingly beautiful stone has not faded away - rings with sapphires confidently hold the top spot on the list of the most desired gifts.
Sapphires are worthy competitors of rubies and emeralds, and all these stones are united by belonging to the corundum group. The most famous and sought-after sapphire color on the jewelry fashion market is blue and its shades. In addition to the most popular, there is a group of stones of fancy shades, and the cost of the jewelry will depend on the color.
And the color and other features of sapphire depend on geography, since it is mined almost all over the world, from Australia and Asian countries to the USA, Russia and some African countries.
It is a mistake to believe that jewelry, and especially rings with sapphires, are worn exclusively on significant occasions: depending on the size of the stone and the style of the jewelry, it can perfectly match both a strict office style and a luxurious evening outfit.
The world of gems is amazing and enchanting. Even if you briefly look through jewelry catalogs, rings with sapphires, regardless of the type of precious stone or metal, will attract your attention and be remembered as stylish, exquisite jewelry that you will definitely want to purchase for your family collection, as a gift to someone dear to you.
Sapphire is a royal stone. The photo shows a family jewel of the British royal court. The wedding ring was once presented to Princess Diana by Prince Charles on the occasion of their engagement, and is currently worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, also after her engagement to Prince William, Diana's son.
Content
- Features and Benefits Magical Properties
- What zodiac signs is it suitable for?
- Blue sapphire
- Color
- Rings with sapphire and diamonds
Description of the ring
The decoration is made in a carmesine frame, which was invented and experienced its peak of popularity at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. A large oval sapphire is surrounded by a wreath of 14 small, one and a half millimeter in diameter, diamonds, favorably emphasizing the beauty of the precious blue gem. The weight of the sapphire is 0.36 grams or 1.8 carats. The frame is 18-carat gold (750).
The photo captures the splendor of Princess Diana's sapphire ring.
Features and Benefits
Like any other gemstone, sapphire is evaluated by jewelers and gemologists primarily by color, clarity and weight (carat), but the quality of the cut and the origin of the corundum are also taken into account.
We agree that in addition to dry facts, the stone also has mystical characteristics. You can believe in this, you can deny any existence of magical properties, myths and legends, but over the centuries, rings with sapphires and the stone itself, separately from jewelry, have acquired a rich history, not at all connected with measurements, weighings, carats and boring tables.
Magic properties
Just look at the mention of sapphire in the Bible, among all 12 precious stones! Blue corundum had the honor of being present on the tablets of Moses and decorating the throne of the wisest Solomon, thus earning a brilliant, literally and figuratively, reputation - sapphire is called the stone of wisdom and generosity. This is how the belief was born that everyone who wears a sapphire ring will definitely reveal all their talents, live an interesting, but at the same time prudent life, and will always be protected from bad people.
The stone of Zeus, the decoration of heavenly Jerusalem, royal tiaras, royal orbs, sceptres, the pride of the Russian diamond fund, an indispensable attribute in the teachings of Ayurveda - all this is about the same stone: a mysterious, alluring and delightfully beautiful sapphire.
What zodiac signs is it suitable for?
Of course, there are a lot of astrological theories, according to which rings with sapphire are recommended for the fire signs of the zodiac, Leo, Aries and Sagittarius, and are strictly contraindicated for Scorpios, for example. But you must admit, who would resist accepting such a gift, explaining the refusal to decorate with a horoscope recommendation?
Our team is sure: if you bought a sapphire ring for yourself, you really like it and always evoke only positive emotions, horoscope forecasts are powerless. And a piece of jewelry given to a dear person with love and care will definitely outweigh all astrological theories.
Sapphire colors
Of course, the attitude towards the color of sapphire will differ in different countries - European fashionistas are crazy about light stones, while in Russia jewelry with a more saturated, well-defined dark blue color is extremely revered. And an excursion into the world of these amazing gems will always begin with a well-known statement: blue sapphires are considered the most expensive in the whole world.
| Blue and fancy sapphires |
But to limit the beauty of a stone to just one color would be unworthy of nature itself, and it is worth recognizing that purple, pink sapphires, padparadscha (lotus flower), orange, yellow, black, colorless corundums, and those that change their color under different conditions, look no less impressive in jewelry. lighting. Jewelers summarized all shades of sapphires, except blue, created one group for them, and assigned all its colors a category - fancy.
Blue sapphire
The most beautiful, expensive and in some cases rare gems. Try to guess how many nuances, halftones, subtle and obvious differences there are in just one blue color? Let's answer - about 2000, belonging specifically to this group of gems. Therefore, a system of only three spectrum positions is considered generally accepted: blue, medium and light.
| Blue sapphire | Mid tone | Light shade |
But you shouldn’t rejoice at such simplicity of sorting ahead of time, because even within one group, sapphires have their own hierarchy.
Kashmiri (Hindustan) is a legend, the sweetest dream of collectors, since the deposit lasted only 7 years and gave the world a limited amount of incredible, unique beauty of sapphires. Their difference is a velvety, medium blue color, with a recognizable, subtle milky haze. Only those stones that were mined at the end of the 19th century, during a short, seven-year period of development of the deposit, from 1880 to 1887, are valued: of course, this is an absolute exclusive, such stones are literally worth a single count, and are much less common than any others. All other Kashmir sapphires, although valuable, belong to a new generation, completely different in appearance from the charming stones of the past.
The cost of rings with Kashmir sapphire sometimes exceeds $4 million, and you can buy them at the most bohemian auctions. For example, such lots are extremely rare, but still exhibited by the famous Sotheby's; you can also find these treasures of the East in elite fashion jewelry houses such as Chaumet, Cartier, Harry Winston, BOGH-ART. G-London, etc.
The second most valuable place of honor is firmly occupied by Burmese sapphires, known as midnight stones - these rare, amazingly beautiful corundums received this name because of their dark, rich and deep color, like no other stone. Their field, although not closed, as in the case of Kashmir, is being operated under strict restrictions on production volumes. Rings with sapphires from Mogok, in northern Myanmar (formerly Burma), literally hypnotize with their deep, multifaceted blue, as if they had truly absorbed all the mystery of the night sky of incomprehensible Asia.
And the top three undisputed leaders are closed by Ceylon sapphires - these amazing stones, if they could speak, thanked Lady Diana Spencer for their popularity. It was she who drew the attention of the whole world to the discreet, aristocratic beauty of Ceylon sapphires. Unlike Burmese, their color is more delicate, despite the preserved depth of tone. Attractive, noble, stylish - what is required at the royal court.
Rings with blue sapphire and the highest quality can be incredibly expensive, but if we are talking about blue stones mined in Australia, where about 80% of all blue corundums come to jewelry workshops, the cost of such jewelry will be quite reasonable. It is worth mentioning that the quality of gems with an unknown pedigree will not be ideal, but even if we consider the purity of the most expensive stones, it will not be impeccable either - nature is not ideal and is not so demanding of itself, allowing for small errors in the form of inclusions in the structure of the stone.
| Genuine sapphire under magnification | Faceted synthetic stones |
Important: if on the jewelry market you are offered a sapphire ring that is completely free of defects (internal inclusions), it is a synthetic stone.
Pink and padparadscha (lotus flower)
This is the next most expensive and quality group, pink corundum, deposits have spread to more than 20 countries of the world, but gemology experts will primarily recommend stones from Thailand. The secret is in the continuity of generations - in this country, jewelry making is strictly inherited, and over centuries of processing initially good-quality stones, the art has grown to the right to be called exemplary, standard. In addition to Thailand, pink sapphires are supplied to jewelry workshops from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China, Tanzania and Australia.
But you can find the famous Padparadscha sapphire only in Sri Lanka - it is a beautiful stone of a delicate pinkish-orange hue.
| Padparadscha sapphire, Ceylon island, Sri Lanka | |
Blue, green and black star-shaped
The real hunt, despite the relatively low cost of gems, is organized by jewelry connoisseurs for star sapphires - in these opaque stones, under certain lighting, a six- or even twelve-rayed star is clearly visible.
The undisputed leader in the supply of star sapphires is Thailand; there are also deposits in India, Australia, and the Urals.
Yellow sapphires
This type of stone cannot be called popular, few people know about it in Russia - corundum with a rich amber, straw or delicate, almost transparent yellow tint is unusual for lovers of rings with precious stones. And in vain: such a sapphire, as if echoing the sunlight, reveals all its facets with a beautiful, noble radiance; rings with yellow sapphires are also magnificent in an ensemble with other precious stones or with their counterparts of a different range.
Changing colors
These are Tanzanian sapphires, confidently gaining recognition and popularity throughout the world. Stones from the east of the African continent have all the properties of classic corundum - in density, purity - but at the same time they can instantly change their original purple hue to pink or blue. Does it look like alexandrite? No, nothing in common, neither in density, nor in purity, nor in origin.
It’s a pity that large gems have not yet been found in Tanzania, but even 1-2 carats are highly valued in the jewelry market, and rings with sapphire that changes color always find their audience.
Purple sapphires
It is purple - unlike Tanzanian or semi-precious alexandrite, it does not change color. Such stones are brought from Australia and very little from the American state of Montana. Rings with purple sapphires look more solid than others, but are amazingly beautiful both solo and framed by other gems.
Green sapphires
Despite their rarity, such stones can be purchased at attractive prices, inexpensive - the lack of hype affects them. In fact, among all sapphires, green stones are rather an exception, one might even say a mistake of nature. The highest quality green corundums are once again given to us by beautiful Sri Lanka, a record holder among sapphire countries. Quite a bit comes from Thailand, Madagascar, some are found on the Kola Peninsula and in Australia. It is impossible to confuse them with green emeralds - even without being an expert, the difference in shade and color depth is immediately visible.
Colorless sapphires
Their name is also leucosapphires. After processing, they could vaguely resemble a diamond, if not for one limitation: despite the properties of strength and flexibility in different cuts, colorless corundums cannot refract light, as diamonds do. Unfortunately, when you buy a ring with a clear sapphire, you get the same durability as diamonds, but you deprive yourself of the pleasure of contemplating the thousands of tiny flashes of color that a diamond gives us. See for yourself - the difference is obvious and not even worth explaining.
Sapphire cut shapes
If a century ago the situation with types of cuts was much more modest, modern design solutions have forced jewelers to look for new ways to give the natural shapes of stones the familiar beautiful, original or classic cuts. When choosing processing methods, jewelers most often choose an oval - this is the option that best reveals all the properties of color, depth, and purity of the stone.
But different gems may require different solutions: for example, star-shaped ones require a cabochon cut, the cornflower blue color of a large stone will require processing in the shape of a heart - this will open the largest window of the sapphire and all its wondrous beauty will be visible. There are so many stones - so many opinions, and if you find it difficult to choose a suitable sapphire ring, feel free to ask for advice from the specialists of the online store Key to Success. Jewelers, gemologists from our team and all the information available to the company’s consultants will come to your aid: online or in any of our stores.
How to choose natural stone
Sapphires are of natural and artificial origin. Samples grown in laboratory conditions are not considered counterfeit. Unlike natural sapphires, laboratory stones boast a uniform structure - they have virtually no defects, as well as rich, uniform shades throughout the structure.
Jewelry is inlaid with doublets and triplets - plates of natural sapphire glued to a stone base. Most often, such inserts can be identified if you examine the stone with a magnifying glass: with magnification, the borders of the gluing will be noticeable.
How else to determine the authenticity of a sapphire and choose a ring with a natural stone:
· Sapphire always has sharp and clear edges. It leaves scratches on the glass.
· In ultraviolet light, natural stone casts white highlights.
· Sapphire is tactilely cold. It will take a long time to warm it up to body temperature.
· Sapphires of natural origin do not change color depending on the lighting.
The authenticity of large stones in jewelry is confirmed by quality certificates. A high-quality sapphire always has smooth and symmetrical edges when viewed from any angle.
Both natural and artificially grown sapphire are durable, beautiful, and also very similar in appearance. Stones differ in price: you will have to pay more for natural origin.
Sapphire quality indicators
As with any other precious stone, the delightfulness and incomparable beauty of sapphire has rather strict evaluation criteria. The combination of these directly affects the final cost of corundum and jewelry with it.
Color
Not only does blue have a clear advantage over others, but the price of a sapphire ring will rise or fall depending on the shade available. We already talked about this at the very beginning; there is nothing more expensive than Kashmir sapphires in the world.
Purity
The imperfection of sapphires is what makes them alive, real, gives them character, and writes their history. By the volume of inclusions inside a stone, one can judge its value on the jewelry market. The gradation includes 4 categories of corundum purity, from the first, when only small defects can be seen that do not affect the level of transparency, to the fourth. If group 1 is absolutely expensive, up to several tens of thousands of dollars per carat, then the price of sapphires from group 4 is the lowest - these are cloudy stones, in which inclusions are very visible, and their number directly affects the degree of transparency of the stone. The score consists of two indicators: color and purity (second digit).
| Cleanliness 2/1 | Cleanliness 2/2 | Cleanliness 3/3 | Cleanliness 4/5 |
Cut
One wrong move and the precious, beautiful micro-universe inside the sapphire will go out. On the contrary, even the most beautiful stone can be made even more beautiful if you choose the right cut and use the skillful hands of a jeweler.
Classic cut is the right solution for clean sapphires without massive inclusions. But a cabochon will help save the situation: this method of stone processing is chosen for star-shaped corundums and for those that have more inclusions than desired. Choosing the right cut is also extremely important because when polishing it is necessary to preserve as much of the original mass of the sapphire as possible. And this brings us to the final criterion for assessing the value of a gem.
Carat
Let us remember that this parameter refers to the weight of the stone and, when converted to the metric system, the ratio is 0.2 grams for each carat. Of course, there is professional jewelry equipment for measuring this indicator, but if you suddenly don’t have one at hand, you can always arm yourself with a ruler, take measurements and compare them using this simple table. Be careful, the ratio of millimeters to carats depends on the type of cut.
And everything seems to be in its place: purity, color, weight, cut, origin of the sapphire. But jewelry making is also an art. Sometimes it literally breaks out of the narrow framework of gem evaluation and shows unimaginable miracles.
Sapphires as objects of art
Auction sales unceremoniously over and over again upset the delicate balance in the world of gem valuation. One day the hammer struck the third blow after the sum of 17 million and $305,996.
The Ceylon sapphire “Blue Beauty of Asia”, which adorns the most expensive necklace in the world, was sold for this amount. Despite its external elegance, the stone weighs a respectable 392.5 carats, but this is literally a speck of dust compared to the largest corundum in the world.
This is the famous “Millennium Sapphire”, originally from Madagascar, weighing 61,500 carats, and physical mass – 12.3 kg. Its cutting is purely an artistic decision: the most important stages in the development of civilization are carved on the surface of the sapphire and 134 celebrities who influenced the course of history are depicted. $180 million is the valuation of a work of art made from a solid sapphire. Not for sale.
But it also happens that gems have to be rescued from their owners - this is what happened with the “luckiest” stone, “Black Star of Queensland”. Before getting from Australia to Washington, its owner propped up the door with this then unprocessed corundum. Only a lucky chance helped to recognize a supposedly 733-carat star-shaped jewel in a cobblestone and place it first in a frame, and then in its proper place, in the Smithsen Institution, to the delight of everyone who admires the fantastic beauty of sapphires.
| Blue beauty of Asia | Millennium Sapphire | Black Star of Queensland |
Of course, rare sapphires do not go on mass sale, but the understanding that there seems to be no limit to the value of precious stones only fuels interest in celestial corundums. You can make sure that this is a truly high-quality sapphire with a noble origin, if you are able to see the inner world of the stone without a magnifying glass and determine its weight in carats by eye.
In all other cases, you should contact gemologists: The Key to Success, if necessary, always conducts a professional examination of a sapphire ring or any other piece of jewelry. At the end of the study - a certificate with a detailed description of the properties, quality of the product in general and the stone in particular.
Interesting facts about the stone
· During the times of Kievan Rus, sapphires were called “azure yachts”.
· The most expensive example is the opaque star sapphire. Its peculiarity is that when processed as a cabochon, on the outer part you can see a star with 6 or 12 rays. When turned over, the star seems to glide along the smooth surface of the stone.
· A brooch with a huge Ceylon sapphire is kept in the Kremlin Diamond Fund. The stone is interesting due to its stunning processing - it has more than 100 facets.
How to wear a sapphire: on which finger and on which hand
It all depends on what kind of sapphire ring you have in front of you - an everyday decoration or a jewel for an occasion. Prices for jewelry with small stones are not so high, and if you like a gem so much that you are not ready to part with it either in the office or at school, wear the ring in the way that is most convenient.
Engagement and wedding options are worn on the ring finger, and which hand depends on cultural traditions, nationality, and religion. For example, in Catholicism, Islam, and Protestant faith it is the left hand, in Orthodoxy and traditionally in Russia it is the right hand.
A ring for a social party or a grand celebration is chosen so that its owner can, on occasion, demonstrate to others her individual sense of fashion. Larger stones, bold designs, non-standard shapes, and the most unexpected color combinations are recommended. When will another opportunity arise!
How to choose the size
A ring gauge will help determine the size. You can measure the circumference of your finger using a thread, a paper strip, or a thin lace. Connect the thread and mark the intersection points. Trim the excess ends, and then measure the length of the segment. The table will help you find out the size.
| Finger circumference, mm | Ring size, mm |
| 47, 5 | 15,5 |
| 50,8 | 16,0 |
| 52,3 | 16,5 |
| 53,9 | 17,0 |
| 55,5 | 17,5 |
| 58,7 | 18,0 |
| 60,3 | 18,5 |
| 61,9 | 19,0 |
Measurements should be taken on the most active hand. A ring with a large stone should fit tightly on your finger. If the fit is too loose, the jewelry will turn and cause discomfort.
If you purchase a narrow ring up to 5 mm wide, round the size down, and when purchasing wide models from 6 mm, round up.
What to wear with
Women's love for rings with sapphires, in addition to the beauty of the stone itself and the decoration, is also based on the versatility of the jewelry. Classic cut and shape - feel free to wear jeans and your favorite soft sweatshirt, and if office work is ahead, the jewel will favorably emphasize the severity of a trouser suit or blouse with a skirt.
And how can we not remember Duchess Kate and Lady Di again, the famous sapphire ring from their design elegantly combines with any wardrobe items, and it always looks stylish and appropriate.
Every woman's delight is rings with sapphires of any color, not just blue, because they can be combined with both a plain and colored wardrobe. In the first case, pink, green or, for example, star sapphire will moderately dilute the monochrome of the clothes, and if you are wearing bright shades and their combinations, a colored ring will harmoniously fit into the image.
But what you definitely shouldn’t do is wear sapphire jewelry with rings, earrings, bracelets, brooches inlaid with other stones - this is too much for your style. It must be remembered that sapphire is good on its own and does not need additional enhancement.
Imitation rings on the market
The royal jewelry, now called the “Diana-Kate Middleton ring,” is so popular that it is imitated almost more often than any other jewelry. The market is filled with cheap Chinese fakes, but there are also many high-quality replicas made by venerable jewelers. Hence the range of prices for the product from 10 to 10 thousand $.
The famous jewelry company Natural Sapphire released a ring identical in shape and filling worth $1.5 million. The weight of the sapphire used is twice that of the original, the diamonds are not 14, but 16, and each of them is also significantly larger than on Lady Di's ring.
Today, at the request of the Royal Family, replicas of the Duchess of Cambridge's engagement ring are prohibited from being reproduced.
Princess Diana's ring - Kate Middleton is truly excellent. But its popularity in the world is clearly exaggerated thanks to its extraordinary owners. There are a lot of jewelry that are superior to the jewelry being discussed in all respects.
