The narrative of the September stone
Sapphires traditionally mean nobility, trust, sincerity and fidelity. They have decorated the garments of emperors and important Church members for centuries.
In 1881, a Sapphire was found at 4500 meters of altitude in the Kashmir region, in an inhospitable area marked by ongoing fighting between Pakistani Indians and local separatists. This discovery gave rise to intense excavations carried out with methods that were primitive to say the least, but which nonetheless brought to light the legendary Kashmir Sapphires.
Sapphire is the Gem of September and the 5th wedding anniversary.
The unforgettable Lady Diana
In February 1981, Prince Charles gave Lady Diana the jewel that is considered by all to be the most famous in history: a ring with a central Sapphire of indescribable beauty, surrounded by Diamonds and mounted on yellow gold. The jewel was chosen by Lady Diana herself because it strongly reminded her of a ring her mother had.
But the story of this ring does not end here, because in 2010 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, gave his mother’s ring to an intimidated Kate Middleton and asked to marry her.
This gift, so imbued with meaning, symbolically still keeps beloved Lady Diana alive.
2010 was indeed the year when Sapphire sales reached their historical peak, driven by this gift so symbolic and so very romantic.
Sapphires? Fancy Sapphires? Let us clear things up
When the word Sapphire is used alone, it indicates the blue variety of Corundum; when it is used with other terms such as yellow, pink, orange and so on, it indicates Fancy Sapphires, that is, fancy-colored sapphires.
So if you find yourself holding a pink-colored corundum, you can certainly call it a Pink Sapphire – hoping it is natural and as large as possible!
Americans are crazy about Sapphires!
Almost half of the Sapphires sold in the world are imported by the U.S.A.
The largest exporters of Sapphires are the Thais, with an average selling price of $30/ct., followed by the Indians at $8/ct.
The Indians, although exporting 8 times as much as the Sri Lankans, earn much less because the prices of Sapphires sold from Ceylon average over $100/ct.
In 2010, Americans imported 1.73 million carats from Thailand at an average of about $30/ct. In the same year, Americans imported only 13,700 carats from Switzerland, but at a stellar average of €1400/ct.
But how many trade names are there to describe it?
In addition to Fancy Sapphires, which can appear in a wide range of colors, we can list a variety of terms used to describe Sapphires. In addition to the mythical Kashmir, we recall the Burmese Sapphire, the Ceylon Sapphire, the Pailin or Cambodian Sapphire, the Kanchanaburi Sapphire, the Thai Sapphire, the Australian Sapphire and we cannot fail to mention the much-debated Geuda and Dhum.
Setting a Sapphire with knowledge of cause
The hardness of Sapphire is one of the strengths of this Gem. It can withstand considerable pressure and high temperatures without fracturing, given that it has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs Scale. Exploiting this extremely positive peculiarity, Sapphires are often mounted in rings, which are worn in an area exposed to knocks. But the superior resistance of Corundum allows the ring’s owner to wear it daily, without any worry.
Among the recommended settings we list solitaires with prong setting, trilogy rings and the Cluster setting.
