Fancy Sapphire - Fancy As Can Be

Just when you thought you have seen all of the colours fancy sapphires come in, pop appears another one that you have to have! This 5.52 Carat Sapphire is Lilac! (A little dusty in the photo but it is loupe clean... ) How amazing is that!

It is times like this that one has just got to go with the flow of what nature brings into our lives! Sometimes, it comes all set with pretty diamonds that accompany it but other times, it comes alone, unset but beautiful. It was acquired on one of the lazy weekend afternoons at a friend's shop when this came in a shipment... so when life presents you a gift of nature on a sliver platter right at your face, all you need to do is accept graciously and say thanks!

Don't be surprised to see a bubble gum pink sapphire or a light yellowish green sapphire or a even teal colour sapphire. Even white sapphires have colour hints or tinges in them while others have more than one zone of colours residing in one gem... I have a friend now in Beijing who owns an old ring with an amazing teal sapphire. She loves it to death!

I am still toying with ideas on how this one should be finished finally and how much diamonds or other stones i should set it with which is really fun and I am very sure that many out there have just about the same amount of fun if not more, deciding how their jewelry should look!

Have fun!

Life-Of-Circle: Rooted in the Ancient East

Founded by Dickson Yewn at the turn of the millennium, this line of chic contemporary jewelry entitled "Life of Circle" is deeply rooted in the fine symbology of the ancient Chinese Culture and inspired by the profound philosophy of chinese ancestry. Under the creativity stewardship of Dickson, Life of Circle's several collections of jewelry successfully fuses modern wearability with iconic symbols of the ancient East, making his jewelry wearable reminders of time tested wisdom.

I was introduced to Dickson online through a fellow Tai Tai who had a piece customized for a dear friend's wedding. A black diamond studded floral ring with movable sides. Merely hearing the description made my heart skip a beat! Her friend is so fortunate to receive such a blessing! Thanks to the virtual world, I am happy to be able to share the fruits of Dickson's creativity!

Flowers have always been perceived by the Chinese to be symbols of prosperity, happiness and joy. Associated with the season "Spring", the ring features 2 blooms of diamonds and pink sapphire in white gold. The pendant sprouts Pink Peach Blossoms which symbolize love and joy immortalized in pink sapphires, diamonds, white and contrasting yellow gold. This collection is entitled "Blossom"

Zhu or "Bamboo" is also called "The Gentleman" in chinese botany. Associated with the qualities of great strength, resilience and also great flexibility, this plant is widely used in chinese cultures for items like calligraphy pens, furniture and even chopsticks, hence also symbolizing adaptability and contribution to greater good. Tsavorite has been used to symbolize the leaves of Bamboo. A gentle reminder of qualities we should possess in this modern world.

To "Yum Cha" or literally "Drink Tea" is an integral part of the lives of the Chinese, especially in Hong Kong. Food is innately woven into the fabric of the Chinese culture. The Chinese spend extended amounts of time at tea houses "Yum Cha-ing" or having brunch on off days or on weekends. At these tea houses, they meet friends, neighbours and relatives, catch up on the latest news, exchange opinions of the latest happenings in town, learn about the latest trends and get contacts from one another.

The Pistachio is also known as the "fruit of happiness" in the chinese culture. Dickson Yewn has cleverly immortalized this icon of the chinese culture in a silver pendant in a semi-opened form revealing a pink sliver of happiness and joy!

Please visit Life of Circle!

Pink Sapphires: Fancy Colour Sapphires

I have always loved sapphires more than other precious gems because it is the most fancy stone in the family of precious gems! This stone comes in different blues (cornflower blue, kashmir blue, midnight blue, royal blue and the list goes one) yellow, pink, orange, green, lavender, lilac, white and a whole spectrum of off-whites on top of colour-change sapphires. Now, how fancy is that?!

This one in the photograph is a 6 stone pink sapphire ring set in white gold, shaped in a laurel. Pink Sapphires come a host of different shades of pink. From light, off white-pink to deep reddish pinks... I have even seen some that are peach in colour.

Treatment of Sapphires:

You have to know that almost 95% of Sapphires that you now see are heated and this form of treatment is internationally accepted. Of course if you have a certified natural, untreated sapphire, it only means that the value if much greater because of its rarity. But having said that, even reputable labs have made mistakes during identification. Horrors of Horror!

Technically, Sapphires are Aluminium Oxide, though I personally prefer the former name. It is a rather tough stone (9 on the moh scale) but please do not try knocking on glass table tops and on stone walls with a sapphire ring on. Not even with Diamonds!

Diffusion: Cosmetic Surgery of Gems!

Diffusion of sapphires is a treatment that is rather common. In fact, the technique was patented in the mid 1970s. Diffusion is a treatment during which a colour causing chemical is used to coat a colourless or a light blue sapphire to give it great colour. Much like a coat of permanent concealer or painting blue on a white or light blue wall.

One can, and should only find out if diffusion has been done on a sapphire through tests at a reputable lab. You can always re-cut a sapphire and if it has been diffused, the inside will be a different colour. But who in the right mind will re-cut a sapphire just to find out if it has been diffused?

Now there are also techniques known as deep surface diffusion techniques and super deep surface diffusion techniques which only means that you have to dig deeper for the truth! Literally!

Back to Pink Sapphires:

In the many hues of Pink Sapphires, I personally feel that fuscia pink sapphires should be the colour that one goes for, though some out there tend to go for the deeper pinks close to red.

My rationale is, if you want such a deep pink Sapphire then one should go for a Ruby. Technically Rubies and Sapphires are both Corundum. At the end of the day, I think what is most important is how the stone makes you feel. If it is a light pink that turns you on, then who is to say that it is less precious or valuable? This ring just makes my heart glow with a smile when I wear it.

Color:

Colour in Gems are brokendown to hue, saturation and tone. Hue is most commonly understood as the colour of the gem while Saturation refers to the brightness or how vivid the stone is. Hue indicates the lightness to darkness of the stone and it is not uncommon for one stone to have a mixture of colours, the primary colour, the secondary colours, various tones, shades and different levels of saturation.

For different colours of Sapphires, different colours are coveted and conisdered premium. That I will leave to a later post.

(Credits: Info: http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/)