SAPPHIRE

This is a natural stone mined in Tanzania Africa. The colour change in this gem is pink to purple. There is a nice change to a purple colour under incandescent light.

Grading VVS

Weight 3.34 cts app

Size 9.60 x 6.92 x 5.12 mm app

While many sapphires may exhibit faint color changes upon exposure to incandescent or fluorescent lights occasional stones may display dramatic changes. Most color change sapphires belong to one of two groups depending on their color change; the green to red (alex type), and the blue to purple kind. Most alex type color change sapphires are from Songea, Tanzania while the blue-purple types occur in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Burma, and other parts of East Africa and Tanzania. In all color change stones, the strength of the change is probabably the most important factor affecting the value of the stones.

Some people prefer the green to red change while others prefer the blue to violet change. The blue to violet change is probably worth more but there are exceptions and a stone with a strong green to red change would also be quite valuable.

Sapphire is one of the two gem varieties of the species corundum. Although blue is the best known hue, the gem occurs in virtually every spectral hue excepting red. Red corundum is a ruby. Sapphire may also be colorless, and it also occurs in the non-spectral shades, gray and black. Yellow and green sapphires have traces of iron that gives them their color. Pink sapphires have a trace of the element chromium and the deeper the color pink the higher their monetary value as long as the color is going toward the red of rubies. Sapphires also occur in shades of orange and brown, and colorless sapphires are sometimes used as diamond substitutes in jewelry. Salmon-color padparadscha sapphires often fetch higher prices than many of even the finest blue sapphires.

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Type 1 Gemstones

The following gemstones are typically inclusion free, even minor inclusions detract from their value.

Diamond, Amethyst, Beryls(Aquamarine,Morganite), Citrine, Smoky Quartz, topaz, Chrysoberyl, Kunzite, Tanzanite, green Tourmaline, and Blue Zircon

IF     Internally flawless under extreme magnification (Very rare)

F     Flawless

VVS   Minute inclusions under 10x; invisible to the unaided eye

VS     Minor inclusions under 10x; usually invisible to the unaided eye

SI1   Noticeable inclusions under 10x; usually visible to the unaided eye

SI2   Noticeable inclusions under 10x; usually quite visible to the unaided eye

I1     prominent- moderate affect on appearance or durability

I2     prominent - severe affect on appearance or durability

I3     prominent- severe affect on beauty, transparency or durability

Type 2 Gemstones

Gemstones that normally have small inclusions that do not detract from value.

Alexandrite, Andalusite, Iolite, Peridot, Rhodolite, Ruby, Sapphire, Spinel, Tourmaline, Garnet, Amethyst, Red Zircon, Tsavorite; Blue, Orange, Purple, Fluorite.Yellow and Parti-colored Tourmaline

F     Flawless

VVS   Minor inclusions under 10x; usually invisible to the unaided eye

VS     Noticeable inclusions under 10x; often invisible to the unaided eye

SI1   Obvious inclusions under 10x; visible to the unaided eye

SI2   Obvious inclusions under 10x; very apparent to the unaided eye

I1     prominent - moderate affect on appearance or durability

I2     prominent - severe affect on appearance or durability

I3     prominent - severe affect on beauty, transparency or durability