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Mogok Sapphires – The Blue Aristocrat
The blue coloured gem stone in the Corundum family is referred to as Sapphire, the second hardest mineral known to man, only surpassed by diamond. Sapphires are admired for their splendid colours, transparency and durability. The most beautiful and valuable come from India and Burma.
The Corundum family of gemstones consists of pure aluminium oxide, crystallized Millenniums ago under immense heat and pressure deep within the crust of the Earth. In its pure form Corundum is white. However, presence of small elements of other minerals turn the white into varieties of red, blue, yellow, pink and green. The red corundum, coloured by chrome, is always referred to as Ruby, while all Corundums that are not red are called Sapphire.
Like rubies sapphires can be heat treated. While this may enhance the colour it also makes them dull and less valuable. We do not enhance our gemstones.
Color
Most commonly, when reference is made to a Mogok Sapphire, the colour is blue. Depending on geographical origin colour may range from a velvety, deep blue, over a mid royal colour, to a light ice blue. In bright day light most blue sapphires come to life. The most cherished blue sapphires however should be full blue, intense and rich in colour even in artificial evening light.
Blue sapphires from Kashmir in India and Mogok in Burma are regarded as the most beautiful and valuable. A typical blue sapphire from Kashmir has an intense pure blue colour with a subtle purple undertone, while the Mogok sapphire ranges in colour from a rich, vibrant royal blue to the deep blue colour of cornflower.
Bringing the true colour out in a blue sapphire also depends on the cut of the raw crystal. Due to the hardness of Corundum only expert cutting skills will know how to orientate the raw crystal in such a way that light refraction brings maximum colour to the eye while enhancing different tints and intensities of colour.
The exceptional sapphire…..
is very rare and therefore valuable. Colour, transparency and – certainly – the size of the stone determine the value. As colour plays a decisive role, and the coveted colour is linked to origin sapphires certified as natural, without heat treatment from Kashmir or Burma can attract very high prices.
Sapphire is the birthstone of September – it is the contemplation of the sky and it stands for wisdom and self discipline.
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