3 Reasons Why Sapphire is Queen Among Gemstones

As the last entry may have suggested, this author humbly admits to having a bias towards sapphire; one that is as flowery as it is scientific. However, it occurs to us that while focusing on the true beauty of blue sapphire, we have neglected to bring up crucial points, which in our opinion make sapphire arguably unbeatable among the rest of the world's gemstones. Here are three factors which plead this case:  

A collage of colored sapphire. Photos courtesy of Bergamot Gems, F. Barlocher, www.tradeindia.com, www.gemselect.com & www.sndgems.com

1) VARIETY!!

While sapphire is best known and coveted for its blue variety, it is in fact a type of corundum that comes in a plethora of colors, each with their distinct beauty: tangy oranges, cool greens, bright yellows; every hue exists but red, which is reserved only for ruby. Simply put, regardless of personal preference for color, sapphire has got you covered. Just in case you thought that fancy-colored sapphires were common-place, consider Padparadsha: an orangey-pink variety of sapphire which is commonly described as a cross between a lotus flower and a sunset. Few people can properly distinguish a true Padparadsha and even fewer are found, making it arguably as rare as the blue variety.

A fantastic example of ''Padparadsha'' sapphire. Photo courtesy of www.lotusgemology.com

2) Durability

Bergamot Gems is often called on to provide guidance when buying stones meant for everyday wear (engagement rings for instance). We love recommending sapphire for this, since it's a highly durable material. What do we mean by this? For starters, it's incredibly hard, used for example as the crystal on watches and even industrially for the windows of aircrafts. Even further, this material has no cleavage; something that even diamond cannot boast. As mentioned in an earlier article, a diamond can easily break into two pieces if pressured on a cleavage plane, whereas sapphire does not. Therefore, it is much more likely to withstand the wear and tear of everyday life than most gemstones. 

An example of a color-change sapphire left (incandescent light) and right (daylight). Photo courtesy of www.professionaljeweler.com

A diagram illustrating the reflection effect of rutile in sapphire. Photo courtesy of www.gemologyproject.com

A large blue star-sapphire. Photo courtesy of www.gemselect.com

3) Optical Phenomenon

Up until now, we've described tangible factors that make sapphire a very practical choice for a gemstone. But aside from that very responsible stuff, sapphire is also pretty cool because of the different optical phenomenons that it can display. For instance, sapphire has the capacity to display the color-change effect. As with alexandrite, sapphire can in certain cases display more than one color depending on the kind of light that is used to illuminate it. Though more subtle than with alexandrite, it is enough to distinguish it. Also, sapphire can also display asterisms, which are the result of reflections of the rutile needle inclusions inside the stone. As seen in the diagram above, the needles are long, numerous and fine; when intersecting with one another, their reflection appears to us as a star. Neat huh?

These are just a few simple reasons why we enjoy sapphire so much. Hold one in your hand and you'll see for yourself :-)