Fancy Sapphire
"Hail the jewel in the heart of the lotus."
Buddhist Mantra
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Nelumbo
Nucifera Speciosa, the
pinkish-orange lotus flower from
which the famed Padparadscha
Sapphire
is named |
The above nicely introduces the most prized of
all Fancy Sapphires, the mighty Padparadscha
Sapphire, the pinkish-orange to orange-pink
princess of gemstones. But back to her shortly,
first let's get our heads around how Sapphires
aren't always blue.
As mentioned earlier, Ruby and Sapphire are
essentially the same deal, being colour
varieties of the mineral Corundum (crystalline
aluminium oxide). Corundum is derived from the
Sanskrit word for Rubies and Sapphires, 'kuruvinda'.
Corundum produces 'other coloured' gemstones
(click here for more), meaning that trace
amounts of elements such as chromium, iron and
titanium are responsible for producing its
rainbow of blues, greens, oranges, reds,
violets, yellows, and combinations
thereof. There are even Colour Change Sapphires
(click here for more). Corundum's reds are of course
called 'Ruby', while 'Sapphire' alone typically
refers to its blues. All its other hues are
collectively described as 'Fancy Sapphires',
with prefixes used to denote specific colours.
'Fancy' is often defined as 'fantastical
imagination', and with respect to these
Sapphires, it is extremely apt; their colours
truly are fantastic and uniquely beautiful,
firing the imagination. I favour adding 'blue'
to the front of Sapphire not only to avoid
confusion, but to also indicate that other colours exist. Now some puritans will say this
is akin to saying "green Granny Smith apple",
but we'd all do well to remember that not every
gem owner has the time or inclination to delve
into nomenclature complexities. The key thing is
that September's birthstone offers a lot more
than just blue. For more on the history and
mythology of Sapphires,
click here.
These Sapphires certainly tickle my fancy, but
how do you choose the right one for you? In his
book, 'Gemstones: Quality and Value, Volume 1',
Yasukazu Suwa states, "When choosing fancy-coloured
Sapphires, it is important to look at the stone
for yourself and select one you find truly
beautiful, concentrating on quality without
being influenced by name". Arguably good
advice for any gemstone, for Fancy Sapphires
he's definitely right on the money. Called
the 'gem of the heavens' or the 'celestial gem'
because their colours can mirror the sky's many
moods, Sapphire's kaleidoscopic spectrum of
colours is truly mind-blowing. While colour
preferences are subjective, especially for
diversely colourful gemstones like Fancy
Sapphires, the reliable Goldilocks maxim is good
advice; not too dark or too light, just right,
with the intense 'middle' colours being the
happy medium. Nevertheless, it's more affordable
pastel and over-coloured examples, can be as
equally enticing. Looking at the colour, an
attractive brilliance should sparkle
(scintillate) throughout the gem, but this will
be affected by colour distribution, colour
saturation, faceting quality and transparency.
Simply be guided by your preferences and pocket,
bearing in mind that top quality Sapphires can
be some of the world's most pricey gems.
While both Ruby and Sapphires are classed as
Type II gemstones, meaning they typically grow
with some minor inclusions in nature that may be
eye-visible, Sapphires are usually cleaner (and
larger) than Ruby, with an eye-clean clarity (no
visible inclusions when the gem is examined six
inches from the naked eye) being the typical
standard. Once you've settled on a colour you like, look for a good shape
and overall appearance. While ovals are the most
common, Fancy Sapphires are available in a huge
array of shapes and cuts, almost as diverse as
its colours. Just note that because the alluvial
nature of Sapphire rough is well suited to oval
and pears, rounds are sometimes a little more
expensive. Typical Fancy Sapphire origins
include Australia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania and Thailand.
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Black Star Sapphire
Back in black, these beauties are a personal
favourite. Why? Apart from the sheer 'rock n'
roll' coolness of a black gem with a white or
golden star that mysteriously glides across its
surface, the world's only Black Star Sapphire
deposit is the Ban Kha Ja district of my adopted
hometown of Chanthaburi, Thailand. In fact, the
mines are about five minutes' drive from my
house, on the way to an awesome seafood
restaurant. Due to an optical special effect
called 'asterism' or the 'star effect', parallel
needle-like inclusions within the gemstone
creates a reflected luminous star of light that
moves and dances across the gemstone. Black Star
Sapphires differ from other Rubies and Sapphires
in that its inclusions not only produce the star
effect, but also mechanically colour a blue,
green or yellow Sapphire, deep black chocolate.
When present in an otherwise blue or green
Sapphire, the Star's rays are white, while in
yellow Sapphires it makes the star golden. All
star gems are dependent on the gem being cut 'en
cabochon' (cut in convex form and highly
polished, but not faceted). Assessing cabochons
is straightforward, just look at their finish,
shape and proportion. While Asterism is most
visible in a direct, single beam of light, a
well-cut star gemstone has a distinct star whose
rays are straight and equidistant. Stars are
typically positioned in the centre of the gem
and one of the best things about Black Star
Sapphire is the marked contrast of a sharp white
or golden star against the intensity of a black
body colour. Currently, there is little mining
occurring in Chanthaburi, with most Black Star
Sapphires traded locally probably from earlier
production. Because its sole deposit is
depleting, this gem is a real geological rarity
that will most likely become unavailable in the
future.
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Green Sapphire
Once called 'Oriental Emerald', Green Sapphire
colours include bluish-green, green, green-blue,
and yellowish-green.
Orange Sapphire
Rich juicy fruits abound with Orange
Sapphire whose hues run the gambit from orange
to reddish-orange and yellowish-orange.
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Padparadscha Colour Sapphire |
Padparadscha Sapphire |
Padparadscha Sapphire
Along with fine blues, Padparadscha are
Sapphire's rarest and most coveted colours.
"That which spreads its rays like the sun, is
glossy, soft to the touch, resembling the fire,
like molten gold and not worn off is padma raga"
is how a medieval Indian text on gemmology (Thakkura
Pheru's Rayanaparikkha) describes Padparadscha
Sapphire. Yet, despite its fame, seductive
beauty and extreme scarcity, this colour prefix
has been both confused and misused. When I first
started in the gem business, I was perplexed as
to what was and wasn't 'Padparadscha' as its
exact definition seemed to vary from book to
book and person to person. Writing in 2001,
gemstone author Yasukazu Suwa echoes this
confusion with, "there is no universally
accepted definition of Padparadscha Sapphire"
and this isn't surprising considering its
history. While its name is derived from the
gem's semblance to a pinkish-orange lotus flower
(Nelumbo Nucifera Speciosa), our modern word
'Padparadscha' is in fact an English corruption
of a German corruption of the Sinhalese 'padma'
(lotus) and 'raga' (colour). Thankfully, since
2006 the name's exact meaning has been
clarified. Members of the Laboratory Manual
Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) have standardised
the nomenclature they use to describe a
Padparadscha Sapphire, defining the gem as "a
variety of Corundum from any geographical origin
whose colour is a subtle mixture of
pinkish-orange to orangey pink with pastel tones
and low to medium saturations". Even though this
description provides clear boundaries, it has
enough room for clever buyers to explore the
sublime intricacies of this impossibly rare gem.
While yellow flashes from its facets are
acceptable, Padparadscha Sapphire should not
have any secondary browns. Just as attractive
yet more affordable, Padparadscha Colour
Sapphire's colour is identical (and sometimes
even superior) to Padparadscha Sapphires, owing
their hues to recent gemstone enhancement
innovations (click here for more). Sources for
these gems include Madagascar, Sri Lanka,
Tanzania and Vietnam.
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Pink Sapphire
Ranging in colour from pink to
purplish-pink, Pink Sapphires are differentiated
from Rubies by tone (lightness or darkness of a
colour) and saturation (strength of a colour).
Ranging from the pastel to intense hues
approaching Ruby, Pink Sapphire's more intense colours are often identified by prefixes such as
'fuchsia', 'hot' or 'magenta'. While Pink
Corundum is historically considered to be 'Ruby'
in Asia, due to the immense
popularity Pink
Sapphire has garnered over the last decade this
name is now recognised globally. As red and pink
are technically the same colour, and because
Rubies are worth more than Pink Sapphires,
arguments over where pink stops and red begins
were once common. To resolve these disputes, in
1989 the ICA (International Coloured Gemstone
Association) sensibly stated: "Pink is really
just light red. The ICA has passed a resolution
that the light shades of the red hue should be
included in the Ruby category since it was too
difficult to legislate where red ended and pink
began. In practice, pink shades are now known
either as Pink Ruby or Pink Sapphire".
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Purple Sapphire
In all honesty, this gemstone's historic
name, 'Oriental Amethyst', doesn't do it
justice. The brilliance and 'look' of Purple
Sapphires are markedly different to Amethyst and
like all tentative comparisons, no gem wins.
Purple Sapphires come in various shades of
bluish-purple, purple, purple-red and
reddish-purple.
Sunset Sapphire
Too orange to be Ruby and lacking the
pinks to make it Padparadscha, Sunset Sapphire
is a relatively new Sapphire in a class of its
own. Also known as Songea Sapphire, these gems
hail exclusively from a deposit just outside the
town of Songea in Tanzania that was only
discovered in 1992. Sunset Sapphire was named in
tribute to the unique beauty of the African
sunset, and looking at the picture here, I'm
sure you'll agree its name says it all.
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White Sapphire
Reportedly finding White Sapphires on the
island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea, the ancient
Greeks associated them with Apollo, the god of
light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery;
medicine and healing; and music, poetry and the
arts. As the god of prophecy, Apollo was also
the patron deity of the Delphic Oracle (Oracle
of Apollo). This is why White Sapphires are
rumoured to have been used as an offering to the
'pythia', the priestess who touted prophecies
allegedly inspired by Apollo (although
hallucinogenic ethylene gas found in the
temple's local geology was probably the real
source of her inspiration). Once valued in their
own right, White Sapphires are sometimes only
viewed as Diamond alternatives. This is a shame
given their classical history. The best White
Sapphires are colourless, with gems with
discernable tints of blue or yellow priced
accordingly.
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Yellow Sapphire
Arguably the most prized of all yellow
gemstones, Yellow Sapphires colour ranges from
pleasing lemon pastels through to intense
yellowish-oranges. Madagascar and Sri Lanka are
Yellow Sapphire's main sources.
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