Sapphire

Are Sapphire Jewellery Items Expensive?

Sapphire is the rarest and most valuable blue-coloured natural gem. It’s a very desirable gemstone because of its hardness–second only to diamonds, and thanks to its beautiful natural blue colour, lustre, and durability. Sapphire jewellery can be set in silver or gold necklaces, pendants, chains, bracelets, earrings, and more.

Sapphires vary in sale price depending on the quality. The price of sapphires ranges from $25 per carat to $15,000 per carat. In fact, the most expensive sapphire ever sold cost $135,000 per carat. The price of sapphires depends mainly on quality, so a small but high-quality sapphire would fetch a higher price, while a large but low-quality stone would be cheaper. Costs can also vary based on what type of jewellery you set the stone in. For example if you set the stone in gold, the sale price will be higher.

Is Sapphire Worth More Than Diamond Jewellery?

Budget often plays a crucial role when buying jewellery, and as you may have guessed, sapphire jewellery is less expensive than diamond jewellery. For example, if you are considering sapphire and diamond earrings, you would save more if you bought the sapphire earrings. And if you are looking at engagement rings, a sapphire ring will be cheaper than a diamond ring.

Of course, sapphires and diamonds both come at varying prices, depending on their shape, size, colour, cut, quality, and much more. However, a one-carat sapphire costs less than a one-carat diamond. If you are purchasing jewellery, the type of metal, gold or silver, the sapphire is set in can also impact the cost. 

How Can You Tell if a Sapphire Is Natural and Real?

To determine the authenticity of sapphire you can perform a variety of jewellery tests:

• Scratch test: Because sapphires are highly resistant to scratches, a gemstone with scratches is probably not a real sapphire.
• Flaw test: Natural sapphires should have tiny inclusions and impurities.
• Air bubbles or lines: These inclusions usually mean the stone is either a composite or glass. When examining the stone be sure to look at the front and back.
• Breath test: Breathe on a sapphire stone to determine how long the fog remains. Naturally occurring sapphire evaporates fog within one to two seconds, while fake sapphire takes longer.

Jewellers can also help you determine if your sapphire jewellery is real. The jeweller will view your sapphire jewellery, perform some of the authenticity tests, and determine if your items are real.

How Can You Tell a Good Quality Sapphire?

To choose high-quality sapphire gifts and jewellery:

• Check colour purity: Opt for sapphires saturated with a single vivid colour throughout. Avoid jewellery that has grey or brown spots.
• Choose dark or medium sapphires for your jewellery: Dark and medium sapphires are usually considered to be of higher quality than lighter ones.
• Choose clear sapphires: The more imperfections and inclusions a sapphire has, the cheaper the jewellery will be. To buy a quality sapphire, look for one with few or no flaws that allow you to see through it.
• Choose sapphires with symmetrical cuts: If you’re shopping for a heat-treated sapphire in a necklace, bracelet, ring, or earrings, it should be cut symmetrically. This means the gem should be visually balanced, with one side mirroring the other, such as with a sapphire round cut stone.

What Colours Do Sapphires Come In?

Sapphire is often referred to as a blue gemstone, but surprisingly, it’s available in a wide range of colours and quality variations. Typically, the more uniform and intense the colour is, the more valuable sapphire is.

Sapphires that aren’t blue are considered fancy sapphires and come in many colours–except red. The fancy sapphire colours include yellow, pink, orange, violet, green, black, and purple, so there is a different sapphire colour to match everyone’s taste in jewellery.

What Metals Are Used for Sapphire Jewellery?

Sapphire is a valuable gemstone made up of a variety of mineral corundum that comprises aluminium oxide–corundum is one of the hardest known substances after diamond. Sapphires also contain traces of nickel, iron, titanium, magnesium, vanadium, and chromium, giving them a range of colours like yellow, green, blue, black, orange, and pink. The dark blue of a sapphire stone contrasts a white gold setting beautifully.  A yellow gold ring band or setting can be used and exudes sophistication. Sapphires can also be set in jewellery pieces of silver earrings, bracelets, pendants, and necklaces.

You can view our sapphire collection online and shop for pieces of jewellery in-store. Whether you are looking for perfect gifts, stunning bracelets, or a unique engagement ring, you can find the perfect piece of sapphire jewellery.

Also read more about types of sapphire.

How Many Years Is a Sapphire Anniversary?

If you have reached your sapphire anniversary with your spouse, you have cherished nearly half a century of love and devotion. A sapphire anniversary takes place when you embark on your forty-fifth year of marriage, and it’s the perfect time to explore your options for sapphire jewellery for gifts.

Natural sapphire necklaces and stud earrings are sure to make your significant other swoon. Sapphires used to be reserved exclusively for royals and it was rumoured that they attracted wealth. Now, anyone can shop for the perfect sapphire statement piece or adornment.

The significance of the sapphire in marriage is in what it symbolises. Sapphires have shifted from meaning wealth and abundance to signifying harmony between lovers and faithfulness. Your loved one will be stunned by this vibrant gemstone and the connection between you both will continue to blossom.

What Birthstone Month Is Sapphire?

What better way to open the door to spring than with a sapphire? Sapphires are the birthstone for the month of September and are said to symbolise romance, royalty, and harmony between lovers. This jewellery piece is a beautiful way to tie in the romance of spring as you shake off the chilly winter months.

If your special someone is sentimental and loves the history behind gemstones, sapphire jewellery and engagement rings may be the perfect gift. Throughout history and across cultures, sapphires have been considered mystical and other-wordly. Many consider this precious gemstone in jewellery to ward off negativity and promote truth and good health. In recent times, this stone symbolises fidelity and peace.

Purchasing a sapphire necklace as a gift is an incredible way to customise a gift for someone born in September. We recommend you add a matching set of sapphire and diamond earrings to really dazzle your significant other. These jewellery pieces make the perfect gifts!

How Are Sapphires Formed?

The story of the sapphire is similar to that of all gemstones used in jewellery. Millions of years ago, rocks beneath the earth’s crust were impacted by intense pressure and high temperatures. This resulted in new metamorphic rocks and among them were sapphires and rubies.

Where your sapphire was sourced will impact how it was formed. Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and nations in East Africa source sapphires from high-grade metamorphic rocks and igneous rocks. In most cases, they are formed between six and eighteen miles into the earth’s crust under intense temperatures above 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The process of sapphire formation is not very fast. They take millions of years to naturally grow.

The colour and quality of a sapphire can be impacted by the rocks they are found in. A natural sapphire can be found in granite, schist, gneiss, and a variety of other rocks. A created sapphire is formed in a lab, but high-quality lab sapphires have the exact same composition and optical properties as natural sapphires that are used in jewellery pieces.

Where Are Sapphires Found in Australia?

Australia has been one of the top resources for the world’s sapphires for many years and continues to be one of the top sources of natural sapphires. In the 1980s, Australia accounted for roughly 70% of the world’s sapphires. As sapphires were found in other countries over the past few decades, Australia now accounts for about 30%.

The majority of Australian sapphires are sourced from New South Wales, but they have also been found in Tasmania, Inverell, Glenn Innes, and near Oberon. Locally sourced natural sapphires are the perfect gifts for that special someone in your life. You can shop our collection of jewellery pieces or create your own custom jewellery piece.