Sapphire Gemstone: Characteristics and Markets
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Questions and Answers

What is the most common sapphire treatment?

  • Cavity and fracture filling with oil
  • Dyeing
  • Heating to improve color and clarity (correct)
  • Coating with various substances
  • What is the characteristic of 'Kashmir' sapphires?

  • Velvety luster (correct)
  • More intense blue hue than 'Burmese' sapphires
  • Dark, inky color
  • Lighter hue and violetish blue color
  • What is the characteristic of 'Ceylon' sapphires?

  • Dark, inky color
  • More intense blue hue than 'Burmese' sapphires
  • Lighter hue and violetish blue color (correct)
  • Velvety luster
  • What is the characteristic of 'Pailin' sapphires?

    <p>Basalt-related sources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the most common method of synthetic sapphire production?

    <p>Flame fusion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common imitation material for sapphires?

    <p>Synthetic spinel</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where are most of the world's sapphires cut?

    <p>Thailand and India</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the Mohs scale rating of sapphire?

    <p>9</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of 'Australian' sapphires?

    <p>Dark, inky color that sometimes appears silky or cloudy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary source of the blue color in sapphire?

    <p>Presence of iron and titanium</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of 'Burmese' sapphires?

    <p>More intense blue hue than 'Kashmir' sapphires</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for sapphires from Yogo Gulch, Montana?

    <p>Xenocrysts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the phenomenon where the sapphire appears to have different colors in different crystal directions?

    <p>Pleochroism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the most common treatment for sapphire?

    <p>Heating</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the shape of the crystal structure of sapphire?

    <p>Barrel- or spindle-shaped hexagonal pyramid or bipyramid</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the chemical composition of sapphire?

    <p>Aluminum and oxygen</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the inclusions that appear as a fingerprint pattern in sapphire?

    <p>Fingerprint inclusions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the market that consumes the most sapphire?

    <p>The US</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the color variation in sapphire that appears as bands or zones?

    <p>Color zoning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the type of environment in which non-basaltic sapphires form?

    <p>Metamorphic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Sapphire Treatments

    • Rare treatments include cavity and fracture filling with oil, epoxy resin, glass-like materials, or polymers, coating with various substances, and dyeing.
    • Heating to improve color and clarity is the most common sapphire treatment.

    Sapphire Shapes and Cuts

    • Common cuts include deep pavilions, cushion, oval, mixed cut, Trillion, emerald, pear, and marquise shapes.

    Sapphire Trade Names

    • "Royal blue" and "cornflower blue" are trade names for sapphires.
    • "Kashmir" is widely regarded as the finest quality blue sapphire.
    • "Burmese" has a more intense blue hue than Kashmir but lacks velvety luster.
    • "Ceylon" and "Sri Lankan" have a lighter hue, ranging from violetish blue to blue, with slightly grayish to strong saturation.
    • "Pailin" stones from Pailin, Cambodia, have a distinct characteristic.

    Sapphire Origins

    • Non-basaltic Metamorphic sources include Myanmar, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, and most Madagascar deposits.
    • Australia, China, Nigeria, and Madagascar have basalt-related high iron (darker blue) sapphire deposits.

    Sapphire Synthetic Process

    • The most common method is flame fusion, while others include flux, pulling, floating zone, and hydrothermal.

    Sapphire Imitations

    • Common imitations include glass and synthetic spinel, Tanzanite.

    Sapphire World Market

    • The US is the largest consumer of sapphires, followed by Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Taiwan.
    • Cutters in Thailand and India fashion most of the world's sapphires.

    Sapphire Characteristics

    • Sapphire has a Mohs hardness of 9.
    • Its species is Corundum.

    Sapphire Color and Clarity

    • Color range: very light to very dark violetish blue to greenish blue.
    • Highly valued sapphires have a velvety blue to violetish blue color with medium to medium-dark tone and strong to vivid saturation.
    • Commercial grade sapphires have a greenish blue body color or strong greenish blue pleochroism, color zoning, a grayish look, and very light or very dark tone.

    Sapphire Chemical Composition

    • Sapphire is composed only of aluminum and oxygen.
    • It can grow in low concentrations of silicon.

    Sapphire Formation

    • Sapphire grows in basaltic or non-basaltic environments.
    • Trace elements of iron and titanium create the blue color, with more iron resulting in a darker blue.

    Sapphire Crystal Structure

    • Sapphire has a barrel- or spindle-shaped hexagonal pyramid or bipyramid crystal structure.

    Sapphire Phenomena

    • Sapphire exhibits pleochroism, displaying slightly greenish blue and slightly violetish blue colors in different crystal directions.
    • When cut correctly, the finished stone's face-up color displays more of the preferred violetish blue and less of the greenish blue hue.

    Sapphire Clarity Characteristics

    • Color zoning is very common in sapphires.
    • Other common inclusions include silk (rutile needles), boehmite needles, included crystals, fingerprint inclusions, growth zoning, and color zoning and banding.

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    Test your knowledge of blue sapphire, including its largest consumers, Mohs scale rating, and color range. Learn about the characteristics and commercial grades of this highly valued gemstone.

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