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Sapphires: Although
sapphire means
blue in Latin, sapphires can be found in a
rainbow of
colors. Kings once believed these stones offered protection form harm and envy. Sapphires are
thought to be calm and
relaxing. Until the incredible discovery of extraordinary stones in Kashmir in 1880, Sri Lanka (formerly known as
Ceylon) was the
standard bearer of sapphire. The Kashmir supply was essentially exhausted by 1930, leaving
Sri Lanka as the location of the most beautiful sapphires. In the 1990's Southern Madagascar became one of the top sources of good to fine quality sapphires. Sapphires are also mined in the US (Montana), Australia, Thailand, Cambodia and Northern Madagascar, however these locations don't produce as fine a sapphire and are mainly used to supply "commercial grade" sapphires to the industry. They come other colors such as red,
orange,
yellow, green,
blue, purple and
pink. Colors other than blue are referred to as "fancy
sapphires". Sapphires are the traditional gift for the fifth and forty-fifth wedding anniversaries and the
birthstone for September.
Enhancements: Cutting is the most basic enhancement method necessary to
showcase the beauty of
a
gemstone, there are many fascinating methods by which man has demonstrated his ability to draw maximum color,
luster, clarity and brilliance from natures earthbound treasures. With a basic understanding of these enhancement
techniques, you will better appreciate the beauty, durability and value of the
gemstone
jewelry you already own, or plan to purchase in the future. Most sapphires are treated with heat after being
mined. This treatment of sapphires is a permanent, industry accepted treatment requiring no additional care over
that of unheated sapphires. There are other treatments used to enhance the color of sapphires which are not
industry accepted, may not be permanent, and therefore not sold by our company. Approximately, 99% of sapphires
used in jewelry are heated, leaving 1% which are unheated and considered very rare.
You should assume that the sapphires sold at MyJewelrySource are heated unless stated otherwise.
Buying a Sapphire: All in all,
sapphires can be
considered the ideal colored gemstone. Besides excelling in color selection,
sapphires excel in
durability with a rating of 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Sapphires in sizes of 1 carat and over are considered to be important. Some inclusions are accepted although
certainly not as many as with
ruby or
emerald. Nearly
all of the sapphires at MyJewelrySource.com are eye clean and most important, all are pleasing to the eye. We
offer a wide range of pink sapphire colors from baby pink, pink diamond
pink, bubble gum pink, hot pink and many more. We also offer other colors
such as a traditional
Ceylon blue, to rich lustrous
royal blue, to orange and
yellow sapphires and even all of the colors of the rainbow in our
rainbow
sapphire jewelry.
Care of Sapphires: Be sure to clean your jewelry regularly and
it will stay looking as beautiful in ten and even twenty years from now as
it does when you first receive it. We recommend that your sapphire
jewelry be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush or a cloth with plain or
soapy water. Since sapphires are tough and durable, they can withstand most cleaning methods.
While steaming and ultrasonic cleaning will not damage the gemstone, these methods are not recommended by MJS
as they may loosen the setting, and subsequently, stones may fall out. Do
not put sapphires in
boiling hot water. Avoid exposure to hairspray, perfume and chlorine, which can dull gemstones.
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