All about Sapphires
There are a lot of gemstones in the world today. Many gem stones to choose from. We have the emeralds, ambers, rubies, sapphires among others. Let’s focus on one gem stone at a time shall we. For this article, we’ll tackle about sapphires.
Sapphires are the most known blue variety from the mineral corundum which is formed from aluminum oxide. These gem stones are durable stones. On the Moh’s scale of hardness, Sapphires ranks number 9 on the list. So they are safe to wear on a daily basis. Aside from that, sapphires come in a variety of shades and colors. There are also lots of variations to choose from. There are star shaped sapphires that are distinguished by a six ray star shaped pattern on the sapphire’s surface when a ray of light beams on it. This kind of visual art is deemed as asterism. Star sapphires are now very scarce and very rare in the market today.
Sapphires were mined in Burma over the last few years. Burmese sapphires are considered very valuable since the sapphires mined from Burma exudes a shade of color that is full or royal blue. Sri Lanka is another country where sapphires are mined during the pre historic times. Sapphires obtained from Sri Lanka are distinguished from its light to mid blue colors. Sapphires from Kashmir were found by accident. These sapphires were found after a landslide. Sapphires from Kashmir have a deep blue shade of color and exude an undertone color shade of violet and its surface exhibits a sleek shine. It is said that sapphires should look like that coming from Kashmir.
Today, sapphires are also mined in the United Sates, Australia and India. These countries contribute to the sapphire supply in the market. Sapphires mined from Australia exude that of a dark blue color. Sapphires mined from Tanzania exude shades of colors that range from yellow, blue and orange. Brazil has recently entered the sapphire production market and with it, they bring in sapphires that exude shades of blue, purple and of pink qualities.
Aside from jewelries, Sapphires are also used for its magical properties. Sapphires are believed to give a person powerful defenses against spells. Sapphires are also believed to give the wearer the ability to see the future and to sense if a person is telling the truth or is lying. Star sapphires are also believed to amplify a wizard or sorcerer’s magical capabilities.
In the Eastern and Western Astrology, sapphires are also mentioned in both ways. In the Eastern Astrology, sapphires are the important gemstones for a person that is of Aquarius and Pisces. In the Western Astrology, sapphires are associated with the god Saturn and the sign Capricorn.
The sapphire is believed to have magical properties that healers use sapphire to clear the person of unwanted thoughts and will also bring wealth, peace and joy to them.
Since this gem stone ranks number 9 on the Moh’s scale of hardness, you do not need to worry if you will use the jewelry almost everyday. You need not to worry about the sapphire chipping, having cracks or being scratched. Sapphires are very durable but do not test its durability. Everything has its breaking point. For sapphires, you do not need excessive cleaning for the maintenance. Just go to your jewelry store and have it cleaned. They may blast it off with a steamer or drop it in an ultra sonic cleaner. You do not need to worry. You can even clean the sapphire at home if you want to. All you have to do is soak the sapphire in warm soapy water.
Since Sapphires come in a variety of colors, it is up to you to choose what you like. Some people prefer lighter shade of blues while others choose the most famous color of sapphires which has a deep blue shade of color. You may also want to choose fancy colored sapphires. Sapphires that emit a color other than blue is called a fancy sapphire. You may want a pink sapphire which is mined all the way from Brazil and Madagascar.
These gem stones may seem to be out of your reach but a take a look at your local jewelry store or better yet on jewelry auctions as well as online jewelry auctions. There may be a piece of jewelry that is waiting for you.
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