Sapphire Appreciation Guide

The mineral name of sapphire (referred to as sapphire) is corundum. Its hardness is 9 grade. It is the mineral that is now found in nature and second only to diamonds. It is also listed as the world's top five with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and opals. gem". In the world of gem culture, sapphire is called "the stone of destiny". It is endowed with wisdom and auspicious meaning in a mysterious and dreamy color, and it also symbolizes kindness, loyalty and firmness.

What are the synthetic stones?

Synthetic gemstones are used on the market to act as natural high-grade sapphires. These synthetic gems similar to sapphire are roughly composed of synthetic sapphire, synthetic spinel, synthetic blue tourmaline, synthetic blue zircon and cobalt-containing blue glass.

Synthetic sapphire: uniform color, clean, rare inclusions, generally round bubbles;

Synthetic blue spinel: uniform color, micro-striped gray, crystal octahedron, homogeneous, no dichroism;

Synthetic blue tourmaline: green and blue color, complex trigonal columnar crystal, hardness, density, refractive index are lower than sapphire, dichroism is very obvious, birefringence is large;

Synthetic blue zircon: bright color, strong dispersion and high birefringence;

Cobalt-containing blue glass: The color is red under the color filter, and the refractive index is single refraction, and the refractive index is significantly different.

In addition, there are other low-end, cheap blue gems that pretend to be natural high-grade sapphires. These blue gems include blue spinel, blue tourmaline, blue zircon, blue cone, kyanite, cordierite. , zoisite, etc., generally distinguished by the characteristics of their respective mineral crystals. The gem-quality blue cone mine has only one origin in the United States, but has a lower hardness than sapphire (Mohs hardness 6 to 6.5). Also, it is distinguished by the high hardness, high density, and high refractive index of sapphire.

How to choose sapphire?

The main factors to consider when evaluating and purchasing sapphire include color, weight, transparency and clarity. In order to be wary of synthetics, processed products and imitations, an accreditation certificate for a qualified institution is necessary.

Color category: Put the sapphire on one arm and carefully observe whether it is blue, gold, green, black or other colors, because the price of sapphire is different. It is also possible to observe gems in different environments, such as natural daylight and artificial light sources, because gems appear to be lighter under strong light, but are more black in normal daylight.

Color uniformity: The sapphire color distribution is usually uneven, but the fine sapphire with appropriate cutting ratio should ensure uniform color distribution on the countertop or pavilion.

Transparency: The fine sapphire requires high transparency and gives a feeling of blue and bright. On the contrary, the sapphire with poor transparency cannot exert the effect of bright color.

Clarity: Internal cracks and inclusions can affect the aesthetics and durability of the gemstone.

Cut: The cutting and proportion of the gemstone is very important, which is very similar to the cut of the diamond.

Weight: If you buy sapphire for collection, it is naturally the heavier the above. But if you use it as a jewelry, it is best to choose the sapphire that suits you.