When it comes to jewellery, there are several gemstones that are used to make it. Some of the most popular ones diamonds, ruby, emerald and sapphire. Sapphire is among the most elite gemstones known to mankind today. It has been the preferred gemstone of choice since its discovery and continues to enjoy a certain popularity even today. People who are looking for something unique and unconventional in their jewellery often opt for sapphires as the gemstone.
Sapphire belongs to the mineral family of corundum which contains aluminium oxide along with traces of other minerals such as titanium, iron, vanadium, chromium and magnesium. Although, sapphires are popularly known for their brilliant blue colour, they are also available in various different shades except red. The trace elements found in corundum are responsible for the different shades of sapphire. Let’s have a look at the different types of sapphires based on their shades.
Blue sapphire
The most common type of sapphire is the blue coloured sapphire that is most often used as a part of sapphire engagement rings Hatton garden. They are one of the most values gemstones and because of this they are more expensive, especially the ones that are more vivid having a high colour saturation. The Duchess of Cambridge has a brilliant blue sapphire as the centre stone of her engagement ring.
Purple sapphire
The purple colour of the sapphire stone is due to the presence of the trace element vanadium. The percentage of vanadium in the composition of the stone determines whether the stone appears light purple or deep purple. A purple sapphire stands for spiritual awakening, calm and peace and also make great additions as gemstones in a jewellery item.
Padparadscha sapphire
A padparadscha sapphire is a sapphire that is usually orangish pink in colour. It is an extremely rare variety of sapphire and one of the most coveted stones of the present times. Most people say that its colour is indescribable with some referring to it as salmon coloured or sunset hued. Because of its rarity, the padparadscha sapphire is very expensive but looks extremely pleasing to the eyes.
Colour changing sapphires
Another rare variety of sapphire is the colour changing sapphire. These sapphires have a blue violet colour in natural light and exhibit a reddish purple colour when exposed to incandescent light. The colour change can be mild or strong depending upon the composition of the sapphire stone. Some sapphires may appear green in natural daylight and reddish brown when exposed to incandescent light. Because of this property, these sapphires are often referred to as corundum chameleons.
Green sapphires
The presence of trace element iron makes a sapphire stone appear green in colour. The green sapphires have become increasingly popular because of their rare colour and most people choose this stone to make it a part of their synthetic diamond rings. A rare variety of the green sapphire is the teal montana sapphire which has an attractive teal colour which makes it a favourable choice for jewellery.