Pink Sapphire

Place of Birth

Pink representatives of the sapphire family are rare. For centuries, only Myanmar supplied it, so the gem was incredibly expensive.

In the 1990s, gigantic deposits were discovered in Madagascar, pink gems temporarily became cheaper and more accessible. They are also mined in Sri Lanka and Australia.

Today, a pink sapphire is comparable in price to a pink diamond. Madagascar deposits do not affect the cost of the stone, since experts suspect that most local gems are processed.

Who is it suitable for?

The ideal owner of a pink sapphire is a spring woman.
Gray, green or blue eyes. Fair-haired, with delicate fair skin. All delicate shades of stone suit them. These can be decorations in the form of delicate flowers with sophisticated weaves and ornate patterns. It is known that the most common type among Slavic women is light brown hair, steely eye shades from gray to brown. For them, the best color solution is bright pink gems or with a purple tint. The form is usually classic and strict.

In turn, astrologers say that sapphire is suitable for all zodiac signs except Capricorn. But it is especially designed for Aquarius and Sagittarius.

Romantic story in pink colors

Sapphire is the number one stone for engagement or wedding rings. He owes this to Princess Diana, who received a white gold ring from her future husband, Prince Charles, for her wedding. It features an oval 18-carat sapphire framed with 12-carat diamonds (14 pieces).

In 1981, the gem cost less than $50 thousand, for which snobs scornfully dubbed it “the common people’s sapphire.” After the death of the People's Princess, the ring was kept in the royal treasury.

29 years later, the eldest son of Diana and Charles, Crown Prince William, presented it to his bride Kate Middleton. Today, the ring belonging to the Duchess of Cambridge is estimated to be much more expensive, about $500 thousand.

The favor of crowned persons towards the gem provoked a worldwide sapphire fever. A white-pink duet of stones with platinum or white gold is considered ideal for wedding rings.

Unlike a ruby ​​- a symbol of jealousy or unbridled passion, a soft gem embodies tender affection, trust, and sincerity. The gift of jewelry with it is considered a marriage proposal. This is most often done on Valentine's Day.

Favorable period for purchase and price

It is recommended to purchase a stone in April or September, on the 8th or 14th lunar day. Do not put it on immediately, but wait until 22 lunar days.

April and September are favorable periods for buying stone.

The price of sapphire products depends on the intensity of the color. It costs from 120 to 170 dollars per carat. A gem exceeding 5 carats is highly collectible, and its price reaches $10,000–$30,000 per carat.

In Russia, the cost of jewelry is from 5,000 to 2,000,000 thousand rubles. The price depends on the cost of the metal, the number of pink crystals in the product, the cutting method, the presence of impurities, and additional precious stones.

Quality criteria for a pink gem

The value of a sapphire is determined by the characteristics applicable to diamonds - the size of the stone, clarity, cut, and the presence of defects. Additionally, color is taken into account.

Cut

The gem is formed in the form of a circle, oval, pear, square. This is a classic that maximizes the beauty of the stone. They are cut in steps, tabular or trilliant; large or cloudy specimens are polished with cabochons.

Frame

The color of the mineral looks best in a white frame. White gold or platinum enhances the shine, emphasizing the delicacy of the gem. Silver is almost never used - jewelers consider a rustic silver setting for a precious stone to be blasphemy.

Purity

It is better to evaluate the stone under a jewelry loupe. Internal inclusions—“tubes”—are a signal that the pebble will split upon impact. The larger they are, the worse. It's easier to evaluate quality without a frame. It often hides the flaws of a gem.

In natural stone, flaws are inevitable. But if there are a lot of them or they are too noticeable, you should refuse the purchase.

Color

The color range of pink sapphire ranges from tea rose to shades of purple and violet. The deeper, more saturated the color, the more expensive the stone. The most fashionable purple-pink.

Specimens that are too dark or light are valued lower, as are those that are cloudy. The cost of pastel light pink specimens is influenced by purity and transparency.

Processing and Applications

Corundum processing includes cleaning, grinding, cutting and polishing. Sapphires are often given the shape of an oval, circle or cabochon. The frame is gold, platinum, and less often silver.

Some dull-colored specimens undergo heat treatment for refinement, but those that are not subjected to it are more expensive.

Pink crystal jewelry is suitable for women and men. They are often combined with a diamond. Jewelers use a combination of pink stone and white gold. The most popular among them are rings, rings, brooches, tiaras, and pendants.

The gem is used in dentistry to create braces.

The gem is also used in:

• dentistry for creating braces;
• ophthalmology for artificial eye lenses;
• traumatology for joint implants.

The mineral is needed in aviation to create protective glass for aircraft and in the manufacture of microcircuits.

Sapphire or ruby?

Ruby and sapphire are often confused. No wonder:

• both are varieties of corundum;
• the chemical composition and structure of the crystal lattice are identical;
• Both are colored by chrome and titanium.

Traditionally they were called corundums; since the 19th century, red corundums became rubies. Today, debates about the nature of pink corundums have divided experts.

Some consider the stones to be fancy sapphires, while others consider them to be a type of ruby. Transparent pink sapphires are more expensive than rubies.

Physico-chemical characteristics

The stone has a regular structure, uniaxial, and has birefringence. Its purity depends on the number of foreign inclusions. It has the same physical properties as other sapphires:

1. Hardness – 9 units. according to the Mohs scale.
2. Density – 4 g/cm.
3. Refractive index – 1.762–1.778 units.
4. The shine is glassy.
5. Melting point – 2050 °C.
6. The color intensifies when exposed to x-rays.

The mineral consists of aluminum oxide, with an admixture of titanium, vanadium, and chromium. When exposed to high heat, gems become discolored.

Padparadscha - a stone timeless

Sapphire, in which yellow and pink are mixed into one shade, is called padparadscha in the East - “lotus color”. The colors symbolize the heart and the Sun.

In Ceylon they claim that the gem was found in their country for the first time. According to local jewelers, a gem with equal shares of both colors has the right to be called this. Not all of their colleagues agree with this, but there are no clear criteria.

Padparadschas larger than two carats are rare. There are only a few five-carat copies; they end up at auctions and end up in private collections. The royal houses of Great Britain, Spain, and Norway are proud of their stones. Eastern mentality considers it blasphemous to estimate the cost of a stone - such creations of nature are priceless.

Padparadscha is not only a treasure of the East. The legendary King Arthur owned the gem. In the Western world, pink-yellow corundums are called Arthurian sapphires.

What it is?

It is no coincidence that this jewelry king, as sapphire is sometimes called, was awarded such a name. It is known that it adorned the crown of the Russian Empire, and it also appears on the crown of British monarchs. It’s not for nothing that royals prefer sapphires to many stones: for example, in photographs you can often see Princess Kate Middleton with a large gem on her finger (though also surrounded by diamonds). This ring was once worn by Lady Di, known for her exquisite taste.

Sapphires are stones worthy of becoming heroes of TV series and books, because famous people who wore them often called the stones by their proper names. They were often stolen, but, surprisingly, the jewelry, the value of which is impressive, was returned by its owner. They say that the mineral, even after being sold, does not stop communicating with its former owners.

The sapphire looks so that there are no questions left: it deserves to stand on the same level as diamonds. And in terms of price too. It is believed that Cleopatra's crown also contained sapphires. It is all the more interesting that their veneration goes back many centuries.

Here are some interesting stories about him that have survived to this day.

• In India, this gem is considered a sign of selfless friendship and good deeds; a blue gem is a guide to eternity. It was not for nothing that they tried to inlay cups and other drinking containers with sapphire: it was believed that it could purify any water.
• Ancient people thought that cloudy sapphires with defects were cursed because they were not used in amulets.
• Jews consider the mineral a symbol of justice - the last step of the staircase leading to heaven is made from this stone.
• In Egypt and Rome, the theme of justice associated with sapphire was also visible - it was not for nothing that the stones were considered symbols of justice. Anyone seeking justice had to wear jewelry with this stone. It is interesting that the tradition of giving sapphires to lawyers has not yet completely disappeared into history: many representatives of this profession know about this association and try to wear sapphires for professional success.

For several centuries, these stones were also worn by clergy. They considered sapphire a symbol of peace, hope, good thoughts and the same highest justice. This description gives the stone positive energy, which many want to feed on.

Ennoblement

The rarity and high cost of natural sapphire encourages jewelers to obtain the stone in the laboratory. The raw material is inexpensive, deep purple sapphires. To become pink, they are refined, that is, they undergo heat treatment or irradiation. The longer the procedure, the brighter the result.

Refined and natural specimens look the same; only a specialist using high-tech equipment will find the differences.

1. They knew how to transform ordinary-looking stones into precious beauty back in Ancient Rome.
2. Today the residents of Madagascar make a living from this. Local technologies were developed before our era, but are not available to European jewelers. It is only known that the processing of pink minerals is shorter and requires lower temperatures than blue ones. When buying ethnic jewelry or a souvenir with sapphires, you can be sure of the quality and naturalness, but not the original color.

Untreated pink stone is a rarity; to confirm its naturalness, each one is supplied with a special certificate.

The country of extraction speaks about the quality; the best crystals come from Sri Lanka or Kashmir. Processing raises the price of low-grade specimens. High quality pristine sapphires are more expensive than artificially improved ones.

How to identify a fake?

Simple methods will help you find out the origin of a pebble:

1. Scratch the sample with something sharp. The natural gem will not be harmed.
2. Evaluate the structure in bright light. For a natural stone it is not uniform, but for a fake it is flawless.
3. Natural sapphire looks the same in any light, unlike imitation.
4. Hold the sample in your hands. If it heats up quickly, it's glass.
5. They are trying to replace expensive pink corundum with less valuable minerals, such as tourmaline. A specialist can figure it out.

Under a magnifying glass, you can recognize artificially created stones, including pink synthetic sapphire. Their internal air bubbles are round, which rarely happens in nature.

Magic properties

The energetic stone pink sapphire is a soft version of ruby. Astrologers say that Jupiter, Neptune and Venus give him magical powers. This is due to the magical properties:

1. The gift of loving and being loved. This is a gem of tenderness, maternal love.
2. Protection. Protects the owner from envy, deception, and ill-wishers. “Removes” emotional blockages, nullifies the negativity caused by them, restoring mental balance.
3. Stone of Truth. Encourages the owner to impartially evaluate friends, enemies and himself, and make the right decisions in problematic situations.

The stone enhances spiritual qualities, so it is not suitable as a gift for people overwhelmed by anger, resentment and similar passions. The consequences will be negative for the donor and the recipient.

A restless baby calms down when a gentle mineral is placed in his cradle. Theosophists claim that cosmic vibrations connect pink corundum with the saints Faith, Hope and Love.

A special case is padparadscha. It teaches a person to listen to his inner voice, harmonizes his spiritual mood, and inspires love for himself and others. Forces you to measure your actions with the laws of the Universe. Brings good luck to people who devote themselves to one thing. The owner of pink sapphire jewelry begins to have compassion, forgive, and rejoice in every day he lives.

A sapphire purchased or given as a gift does not help immediately. Having recognized the owner, he will serve him, even if he is lost or kidnapped. He will “go away” from the unworthy, that is, he will get lost.

Therapeutic effect

Wearing jewelry with pink corundum helps heal several organs:

• Vision. Contemplating the pebble daily for 15 minutes relieves eye fatigue and restores visual acuity.
• Leather. To treat dermatitis, leprosy, eczema, the mineral is applied to the affected areas or massaged with a stone. In problematic cases (good or malignant formations, including cancer), the sore spot is sprinkled with sapphire powder.
• Heart, blood vessels. To even out the work of the heart, a ring, ring or bracelet is worn on the right hand.
• Psyche. The shade of the stone calms, brings harmony, neutralizes depression and aggression, relieves neuroses or anxiety.
• Oncology. Constant contact with pink sapphire facilitates chemotherapy and speeds up recovery.

The mineral is used as a therapeutic agent or a complement to medicine.

Features of storage and care

Gemstones require careful and careful care. To clean your jewelry from dirt, you should brush it with a toothbrush in a container with warm, soapy water or a salt-soda mixture. Then dry on a napkin. It is not recommended to keep the mineral in sunlight for a long time - it will fade.

There is no need to allow interaction of precious stones with medications and cosmetics. When doing homework, it is better to remove the product.

Jewelry should be stored in a closed soft box separately from other stones.