Sapphire -
September Bithstone
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. .Sapphire is the usual name for transparent corundum. On
this page, we will often use the word corundum to include sapphire and
Ruby, because of their shared characteristics.Corundum can be
colourless, red, pink, blue, black, brown, orange, yellow, green,
indigo, violet, or mauve. Red corundum and most pink corundum is called
ruby, blue corundum is called sapphire, and other colours are also
called sapphire, usually with the colour specified as a prefix to the
word sapphire, for example, yellow sapphire.
Sources for
this gemstone
Australia, Thailand,
Colombia, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Kenya, ,Srilanka, Tanzania and Montana
USA.
Treatments
Almost all (99%) Sapphire is
routinely treated with "heat" to enhance and stabilize the
color.
The typical heat enhancement
procedure performed on Sapphire 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.
NOTE: WE OFFER NON HEATED
RUBY
Healing
Powers
Sapphire has been credited
with profound powers such as the ability to protect the wearer against
poisons and evil spirits.
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.
Technical Data
