Sapphire
Corundum
When many people think of sapphire, they envision a rich blue gemstone. When the term sapphire is used alone it does refer to the blue variety of corundum. All other colors of sapphires must be described with its color modifier, for example pink sapphire. The other colors of sapphire are often called fancy sapphire and they come in every color of the rainbow except red. Red corundum is known as ruby. Sapphire is the September birthstone. Sapphire is a 9 on the mohs hardness scale and its beauty, strength and durability are perfect mixture for use in jewelry.
General Information
Tolerance:(+0.009/-0.005)
LWUV: Inert to weak red to orange
Sapphire Colors
-
Bi-color -
Black -
Blue -
Blue -
Brown -
Colorless -
Gray -
Green -
Multi-color -
Orange -
Pink -
Purple -
Red -
White -
Yellow
Sapphire Spectra
Color due to chromium. Fluorescing emission doublet in the red at 693/694nm. And general absorption in the yellow green. There is no evidence of any lines in the blue.
Color due to chromium. Broad absorption in the yellow and most of the green. A very faint emission line at 693/694nm. Dark lines in the blue at 468nm. and 476nm.
Color due to chromium. Using a polarizing filter to isolate the ordinary ray strengthens the absorption band in the green. Broad strong absorption in the yellow and most of the green. A strong emission line at 693/694nm. Very faint lines detected in the blue at 468nm. and 476nm
Color due to chromium. Weak broad absorption in the yellow and most of the green. A very faint emission doublet in the red. No lines are seen in the blue, making it difficult to ID.
Color due to chromium The initial appearance of body color and spectrum are not unlike those of fire opal However careful observation in the deep red usually reveals the fluorescing doublet at 693/694nm. indicating the presence of chromium. Green is partially absorbed and the remainder totally
By allowing the minimum of scattered internal specular reflections from a brightly lit gemstone to enter the spectroscope, only the brighter parts in the long wave area are visible as a fluorescence spectrum. Here the dominant doublet is resolved as two lines at 693 and 694nm. The two lines at 659nm. and 668nm. are also captured in fluorescent mode
Color due to chromium. The initial appearance of body color and spectrum are not unlike those of fire opal However careful observation in the deep red usually reveals the fluorescing doublet at 693/694nm. indicating the presence of chromium. Green is partially absorbed and the remainder totally. Using a polarizing filter to isolate the o- ray will enhance the fluorescence of the doublet in the deep red and confirm the evidence. Now the broad absorption band in the green has strengthened and transmission below 580nm. is weak in accordance with the o-ray.
Color due to chromium. The initial appearance of body color and spectrum are not unlike those of fire opal However careful observation in the deep red usually reveals the fluorescing doublet at 693/694nm. indicating the presence of chromium. Green is partially absorbed and the remainder totally. In the e ray the absorption band in the green is much weaker and so is the fluorescence of the doublet in the red .
Color mainly due to iron and chromium. The low iron content together with the presence of a little chromium is usually associated with Sri-Lankan yellow sapphires and results in an almost continuous spectrum. A very faint line at 450nm. may be detected if the o-ray is polarized as it is in this direction that is seen to strengthen if present.
Color due to iron. As the iron content increases three lines in the blue are seen. As they strengthen and widen the line at 450nm. has merged with the one at 460nm. while the one at 470nm. can just be separated.
Color due to iron. Wide absorption band seen where all three lines in the blue, typically 450nm, 460nm and 470nm. have merged to form a solid block between 440nm. and 475nm
Color due to vanadium. Chromium may also be present. This spectrum is from the color change corundum marketed as a simulant to alexandrite. In daylight. It is distinguishable by its lavender blue color which changes to a bright purplish red in tungsten light. The mechanism for this change in color can be seen in the spectrum where the broad absorption band centered at 570nm. controls the balance between blue and red. Short wave transmission here starts at about 465 nm. and alongside this at 475nm. can be seen the sharp narrow line diagnostic for this material.
Dichroism in this color change sapphire is strong and when the o-ray is isolated using a polarizing filter this is evident in the color of the stone and the spectrum. In daylight the stone is more blue and the broad absorption band in the center of the spectrum widens and shifts more towards the long wave side.
When a strong narrow beam is scattered from within the stone fluorescence is activated when chromium is present. We now have the bright chromium fluorescing doublet at 693/694nm. in the deep red.
Rotating the polarizing filer through 90º will locate the e-ray and the stone becomes more green in daylight. The spectrum reacts accordingly, and the center absorption band becomes narrower and weaker, shifting back to the short wave side centering about 560nm. There is also a little more transmission on the short-wave side of the line at 475nm.
Color due to iron. This spectrum, from a deeply colored synthetic blue sapphire, transmits little light and shows no evidence of any lines in the blue around 450nm., which would be expected in a natural sapphire of this color. The broad absorption from 550nm to 600nm., with very little transmission after 620nm., illustrates the saturation of color in this stone.
Colour due to chromium and iorn.In corundum this hue is difficult to describe it neither red, pink or purple. Based on the chromium and iron balance, some may regard it as an intense deep Padparadscha color. The spectrum at first inspection shows little apart from a faint absorption in the yellow - green and a strong but obscure line in the deep blue at 450nm. as we find in blue sapphire due to iron. The absorption in the red beyond 675nm. obscures any indication of absorption lines in this area
Color due to chromium and iron. In corundum this hue is difficult to describe it neither red, pink or purple. Based on the chromium and iron balance, some may regard it as an intense deep Padparadscha color. Adjusting the positions of both stone and light source can suddenly indicate the presence of chromium by revealing the strongly fluorescing doublet in the red at 693/694nm. which is seen here along with the iron line at 450nm. and the absorption in the green. This gives an indication of the balance between these two transition elements in this particular gem corundum.
Color due to chromium and iron. In corundum this hue is difficult to describe it neither red, pink or purple. Based on the chromium and iron balance, some may regard it as an intense deep Padparadscha color. Using a polarizing filter, the o ray is seen to widen and strengthen the absorption band further into the green and the line at 450nm. is stronger. The absorption in the red beyond 675nm. obscures any indication of absorption lines in this area
Using light scattering technique reveals the full extent of the fluorescence. The main doublet at 693/694nm. is much stronger than would normally be seen and the two other weaker fluorescence lines can be seen at 659nm. and 668nm. Absorption is considerably diminished.
By using tungsten light, scattered internal reflections in a pale blue sapphire can produce a bright fluorescent line in the deep red indicating the chromium doublet at 693/694nm.
Color mainly due to cobalt in the glass filling. Here a very faint indication of the line 450nm. can be seen but on close inspection other features come to view. The broad absorption band in the yellow would not be so intense in this medium blue sapphire and is due to the additional cobalt band at 590nm. Also the band in the red at 655nm.would not normally be present. The positions of these two bands, which are due to cobalt in the glass fracture, are similar to those in other cobalt glass spectra except here, the one in the green is extremely faint and difficult to resolve.
Color due to iron. When the scattered internal reflection from the tungsten light enters the spectroscope a weak fluorescence line can be detected in the deep red about 693nm. indicating the possible prescience of chromium.
Color due to iron. Very little is seen in this Chatham synthetic sapphire spectrum, with an almost continuous spectrum apart from a weak absorption in the yellow and at the extreme long and short wave ends. There is no evidence of the line at 450nm. usually detected in natural blue sapphire.
Color due to chromium and iron. In corundum this hue is difficult to describe it neither red, pink or purple. Based on the chromium and iron balance, some may regard it as an intense deep Padparadscha color. In the lighter colored e – ray, absorption in the green has almost gone and more transmission beyond the line at 450nm.on the short wave side makes it easier to see. The absorption in the red beyond 675nm. obscures any indication of absorption lines in this area.
Color due to chemical diffusion. The diffusion process is often attributed to addition of iron and titanium. A narrow faint line is seen at 450nm. and a broad band centered at 570nm. These and the strong absorption beyond 650nm. are due to the transfer charge between the two elements. Cobalt has also been used and evidence of this can be seen here with faint bands present at 550nm., 590n.and 630nm. Seen through a Chelsea filter the stone appears a weak purplish red.
Color from synthetic sapphire pavilion. The blue synthetic sapphire pavilion in this stone is the cause of the broad absorption from 550nm to 600nm., with very little transmission after 620nm. There is a single line at 450nm. in the deep blue. This is due to the natural green sapphire which forms the crown part of this composite stone and would be expected to be absent in a purely synthetic sapphire.
Color due to iron. In the spectrum of this dark brown stone, we have a strong band in the deep blue centered at 460nm. On close inspection this band is seen to consist of three strong lines at 450/460/470nm. merged as one broad band which is indicative of sapphire with a very high iron content.
Color due to iron and chromium. Observing the spectrum of this natural color change sapphire, the central absorption band is placed strategically to trigger a color shift according to the energy source. The iron content here is very low with no sign of the usual absorption features in the blue area. Here there are however faint indications of the lines due to chromium at 468nm. and 475/476nm. and with scrutiny a faint fluorescence line can be detected at 693/694nm. in the deep red.
Color due to iron-titanium transfer charge and Fe3+-Fe3+ With increase in ferric iron content the color of sapphire darkens and the band at 450nm is stronger and merges with another at 460nm; with a weaker one appearing at 471nm. Absorption in the yellow and red areas is strong due to the iron-titanium transfer charge. This is typical of many dark untreated Australian sapphires.
Color due to chromium and iron. Pale blue Sri-Lankan sapphire seldom shows any evidence of absorption lines in the blue with almost a continuous spectrum apart from a weak absorption in the yellow. However chromium is often present and this can be detected by viewing the spectrum in scattered tungsten light.
Color mainly due to Fe2+-Ti4+ This spectrum os from a fine blue untreated sapphire and shows that the red is absorbed down to about 620nm. and there is broad absorption centered at 580nm. This is due to the iron - titanium transfer charge and the cause of the fine blue color. A weak narrow line seen at 450nm. is due to ferric iron.
Color is due to iron in the spectrum of the pale greenish blue sapphire used for this spectrum. A strong broad line showing at 450nm. combined with transmission in the remainder of the spectrum up to 690nm. indicates color is due to Fe3 rather than an Fe2-Ti4 transfer charge. However, the absence of prominent lines at 460nm. and 471nm. suggest the iron content is not high.
Color due to iron-titanium transfer charge and Fe3+-Fe3+ A dark blue sapphire shows a spectrum in which the three lines at 450nm; 460nm; and 471nm; have darkened and widened to merge as a single band. This plus the strong absorption due to the iron-titanium transfer charge produces a very dark blue which in some stones have a greenish overtone This is often seen in blue sapphire from Thailand.
Color due to chromium. This orangy-pink variety of sapphire, referred to by many as "Padparadscha", may show a weak chromium spectrum in which the usual absorption band in the green and lines in the blue maybe seen but can be weak and indistinct. However, by adjusting the lighting the emission lines at 693/694nm. can be seen to fluoresce strongly to indicate a presence of chromium
We acknowledge the significant scientific contributions of John S Harris, FGA to the study of gemstone spectra and with deep appreciation to him, acknowledges the use of his images and related notes about gemstones and their spectra in the educational materials on this website.
Countries of Origin
Tanzania, United Republic Of; Myanmar; Afghanistan; Russian Federation; Viet Nam; Cambodia; United States of America; Madagascar; Thailand; Mozambique; Pakistan; Unknown; Malawi; China; Brazil; Nigeria; Sri Lanka; Belize; Zambia; Kenya; Switzerland; French Polynesia; India; Norway; Namibia; South Africa; Australia; Ethiopia
History
Sister stone to the ruby, most people think blue when they think sapphire. Blue is sapphire's best-known color. When sapphire is blue, it reminds us of the sky, the sea and eternity. But sapphire isn't always blue - we find sapphire in every color in, and under, the rainbow. One of the world's most prized stones is the orange sapphire known as padparadscha. It's lotus-flower color offers up fiery beauty. There are cool green sapphires, warm golden sapphires, pretty pink sapphires... in the world of the sapphire there's a color that's right for you. There is also a sapphire that changes color when moved from natural to incandescent light. It's color-change sapphire and it can be glorious! It can be a brilliant color change from blue to a rich purple or it may be a subtler change. Whether brilliant or subtle, the color-change of sapphire is compelling. Sapphire is corundum and a 9 on the hardness scale. It's wearable and wonderful. Sapphire is September's birthstone.
Care
Untreated and heated sapphires just need normal care. Avoid recutting or chipping beryllium lattice or surface diffused stones. Avoid common household chemicals, steam cleaners, ultrasonic cleaners and a jeweler’s torch with lead glass filled, dyed or oiled/resin filled stones.
More About Sapphire
Sapphire is steeped in history and lore. It was believed that sapphire could protect kings from harm and envy; it is a symbol of trust, faithfulness, nobility, and royalty. The ancient Persians believed sapphire to be a chip off the pedestal on which the earth balances. Our favorite is the belief that sapphire can make a stupid man wise and transform a bad-tempered man into a good-tempered one. Why not follow the trend of some well-known royals and choose an engagement ring of sapphire? The colors are appealing, the folklore delightful and you'll be in very fine company!
Creation Method
Lab Created Hydrothermal
Hydrothermally grown synthetic sapphires crystallize slowly out of a solution (a mix of water and dissolved elements) that has been exposed to heat and pressure similar to the conditions on Earth under which the natural gem mineral grows. Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: Inert
Lab Created Color-change
The flame fusion process for creating gems, also called the Verneuil process, is the most affordable and common synthesis method for producing corundum (ruby and sapphire) and spinel. Powdered chemicals (the building blocks of the gem) are dropped through a high-temperature flame. The molten powder repeatedly falls from the flame onto a rotating pedestal, creating a synthetic crystal,called a boule, which can later be faceted into a gemstone. Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: moderate orange to red
Lab Created Floating Zone
One method of creating synthetic sapphire is called floating zone. In this method of gem synthesis, originally developed by engineers to create super pure silicon, a sintered rod of powdered material, comprised of elements necessary for the gem to grow, is heated with infrared radiation in a vacuum while the ends of the rod are rotated in opposite directions. Since all impurities including air are removed during crystallization, very clean crystals can form.
LWUV: strong red
Lab Created Czochralski
Synthetic sapphire can be created in many ways, one of which is called the Czochralski method. During this process, the various elements that make up sapphire are melted in a platinum crucible. A small gem crystal (called a seed) attached to a rod is then dipped into the melt and slowly pulled away as the crystal grows around the seed. For this reason, the Czochralski method is also known as crystal pulling. Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: Variable
Lab Created Flame Fusion
The flame fusion process for creating gems, also called the Verneuil process, is the most affordable and common synthesis method for producing corundum (ruby and sapphire) and spinel. Powdered chemicals (the building blocks of the gem) are dropped through a high-temperature flame. The molten powder repeatedly falls from the flame onto a rotating pedestal, creating a synthetic crystal, called a boule, which can later be faceted into a gemstone. Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: inert
Lab Created Flux
Synthetic sapphire can be created in many ways, one of which is called flux growth. During the flux growth process, flux, a substance that reduces the melting point of surrounding material, is combined, in a metal-lined crucible, with the elements that make up a specific gem mineral. The crucible is heated until its contents are liquid and then it is allowed to cool very slowly. As cooling continues, the gem mineral crystallizes from the solution. Flux grown synthetic gems can take up to a year to grow to a facetable size, but the exceptional clarity of these gems is well worth the wait! Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: inert
Optical Phenomena
Color Change
While color change sapphires come from a variety of locations, the gem gravels of Tanzania are the main source. Color change sapphires present gem lovers with an opportunity to own the rare and stunning color change effect in a gem other than alexandrite, garnet, spinel, tourmaline or diaspore. While the colors tend to vary depending on locale, in general they change from blue to purple. You can observe color change in this gem by viewing it interchangeably in natural and incandescent light.
LWUV: Inert
Lab Created Star
Synthetic star sapphire exhibits the optical phenomenon called asterism, a star-like pattern created on the surface of a gemstone when light encounters parallel fibrous, or needle-like, inclusions within its crystal structure. Light that strikes the inclusions within the gem reflects off of the inclusions, creating a narrow band of light. When two or more intersecting bands appear, a star pattern is formed. The flame fusion process for creating gems, also called the Verneuil process, is the most affordable and common synthesis method for producing corundum (ruby and sapphire) and spinel. Powdered chemicals (the building blocks of the gem) are dropped through a high-temperature flame. The molten powder repeatedly falls from the flame onto a rotating pedestal, creating a synthetic crystal, called a boule, which can later be faceted into a gemstone. Synthetic gems have the same chemical, optical, and physical properties of their natural counterparts, but are a more cost-effective alternative to a natural gem.
LWUV: Inert
Star
Star sapphire exhibits the optical phenomenon called asterism, a star-like pattern created on the surface of a gemstone when light encounters parallel fibrous, or needle-like, inclusions within its crystal structure. Light that strikes the inclusions within the gem reflects off of the inclusions, creating a narrow band of light. When two or more intersecting bands appear, a star pattern is formed. Depending on the crystal, the star typically has six rays, but on occasion, twelve rays.
LWUV: Inert to strong red
Cat's-Eye
The term cat's eye, or chatoyancy, is used to describe a phenomenal optical property in gemstones, in this case sapphire. The effect, when present, appears as a bright, narrow slit similar to the pupils in the eyes of your favorite feline. This phenomenon is caused by parallel fibrous or needle-like inclusions that interfere with the passage of light through the crystal, scattering and reflecting light back to the viewer as a thin line.
LWUV: Blue: Inert; possibly red to orange Pink: strong orange-red Orange: maybe strong orange red Yellow: inert to moderate orange red to orange-yellow Green: inert Violet: inert to moderate to strong red Colorless: inert to moderate red to orange Brown: usually inert, maybe weak red Black: inert
Enhancement
Cobalt-Lead Glass Filled
Cobalt-lead glass filled sapphire has been filled through a process similar to "infilling" using lead glass. Performed at low heat, this is a less durable treatment and should be treated gently, avoiding household and professional chemicals. This treatment, which uses cobalt-colored lead glass, improves clarity, color, and may add weight through the filling of voids and fissures.
LWUV: inert
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