Sapphires are tough, but buying them shouldn’t be
Whether you're searching for a stone to give to someone you love, or even just to spoil yourself, sometimes just finding where to start is harder than the gems themselves. We are here to help, and we reckon there’s not even a need to look abroad as right here in Oz we have some of the world’s best gemstones.
Even though Marilyn Monroe reckoned they were a "Girl’s Best Friend", and Shirley Bassey sang ‘Diamonds are forever’, nowadays more people are looking for a stone that shines differently. Sapphires are now more popular than ever before with Gwenyth Paltrow, Kate Middleton, Penelope Cruz and Liz Hurley all sporting (massive) sapphires on their ring fingers.
Source: Marie Clare; Kate Middleton wearing Diana’s 12-carat Ceylon sapphire ring
Second only to the diamond in hardness, sapphires are loved the world over for not just their durability, but also a kaleidoscope of beautiful colours, not just the Blue they are most popularised for. You can get a sapphire in almost any shade of colour, our Aussie sapphires, in particular, are well known for unique Blue, Yellow & Teal colours due to our iron-rich stone. To get the popular blue, often the gems have to go through a heat treatment to pull that colour forward.
Stunning Australian Yellow Sapphire
When you are buying your sapphire, understanding the terminology when it comes to heat-treated or untreated gems will not only help your decision-making, but may also help your hip pocket. Recently there has been a real trend in engagement rings, to go for untreated “Parti-colour” sapphires, which feature multiple colours within a single stone. While this sounds stunning, what does it mean?
An untreated sapphire is much rarer (just 1% of sapphires found) and more valuable. Untreated means that nothing was done to the stone itself other than being dug up out of the ground, and then cut into the final shape; it has not undergone any heat or chemical treatment to enhance its appearance. Heat-treating widely occurs and the process does not affect the quality or durability of the stone, and enhances the colours beyond what they would appear naturally. Untreated sapphires are in their natural form, each one often unique from the next, and displaying a real personality of their own.
Source: CreditDonkey.com; A side-by-side comparison of a treated & untreated blue sapphire
Untreated sapphires often have more visible inclusions within the stone itself, these inclusions are caused during the actual gem forming over millions of years and are loved by many as they feel that you get to see the story of the gem and the natural beauty intended by nature.
Australian parti-coloured sapphires from Inverill
One of the most famous natural sapphires ever unearthed was in fact, used as a doorstop for many years in country QLD, before anyone realised what exactly they had! Named the Black Star of Queensland, this 733-carat gem is now rumoured to be worth a whopping $100million dollars in today's money and even featured on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
Source: CBS Television/ABC News; Cher holding the incredible Black Star of Queensland sapphire on a necklace in 1971 for the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
While we don’t recommend using your sapphire as a doorstop, we do recommend these home-grown beauties for anyone considering a gem that is unique and bubbling with personality.
Contact us now to see how we can assist you in finding your dream sapphire.
