Sapphire

When it is any color other than red, the mineral corundum is a sapphire. While most people think of sapphires as blue stones, they actually come in a full rainbow of hues, including pink, orange, purple, yellow, blue and green. Sapphires are second only to diamonds in hardness, and can be absolutely stunning in their variety, clarity and fire.

The September birthstone is mined throughout the world, but the most famous sources are at Burma and Kashmir. Montana in the United States is famous for fancy colored sapphires. While clarity is a mark of value in most stones, sapphires with fine inclusions that are evenly distributed throughout the stone produce star sapphires, which are highly sought after.

While sapphires had been in short supply a few years ago, the discovery that heat treating cloudy stones can deepen their color and clarify the gem has increased the availability of gem-quality sapphire in the past twenty years.

Learn more about the September birthstone

Sapphire buying guide

Like diamonds, sapphires are graded on color, cut, clarity and carat weight. The ideal color for sapphire is a rich, medium tone of its primary shade – for example, blue with no hint of green or red. Pale blue sapphires that have no overtones of other colors also rate high on the grading scale for gems. Yellow, pink, purple and other colored sapphires vary in value depending on the purity of the color and the clarity of the stone.

Because of the wide variety of sapphires available, describing the grading process would take nearly a book. The most important factor in choosing a quality sapphire is in finding one that is attractive to your eye.

Caring for sapphires

Sapphires are among the hardest gemstones used for jewelry, but they are still subject to splitting and chipping. It’s important to take care when handling and wearing sapphires to avoid damaging the stone with a hard knock. Sapphires should be cleaned regularly to keep their fire bright, since the quality of the sparkle is determined by the refraction of light through the transparent gem’s facets.

Everyday caution

Remove your sapphire jewelry before engaging in strenuous physical activities, or doing household cleaning or gardening chores. Take care not to expose the jewelry to chlorine bleach which can damage the setting. Avoid sudden transitions in temperature which could cause the stone to crack.

Cleaning sapphire jewelry

Sapphires can be cleaned at home with a soft cloth and warm water with dish detergent. For deeper cleaning, soak the piece of jewelry in a dish detergent and warm water solution for 10 to 20 minutes, then scrub gently but firmly with a soft toothbrush or makeup brush to remove any residues and dirt that may be interfering with refraction. Dry carefully with a soft cloth before wearing or storing.

If sapphires and diamonds are the only stones in the piece of jewelry, it’s safe to use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner to clean the piece.

Storing sapphires

Because of the hardness factor of sapphires, it’s important to protect other gems from being scratched by the stones. Store your sapphire jewelry in a soft pouch or cloth inside a jewelry case, or store it in its own case to keep it safe.