Sapphire is the birthstone for September! They are a perfect every-day stone, the next best thing to diamond, because of their sturdiness, and they come in a rainbow of colors!
One important way sapphires have a leg-up on diamonds is that they can sometimes be mined in a more environmentally respectful way. My main sources for sapphires are from an artisinal miner whose sapphires primarily come from Montana, Australia, Madagascar, or from vintage estate collections. The Madagascar operation is special; a 1000 acre defunct orchard that is being very, very slowly surface-mined using a back-ho. After the surface digging, the area is restored with newly planted trees. The sapphires that are found here come in a wide range of colors, many with color-change properties without any heating. The gems mined in Madagascar are then cut in Sri Lanka by an ethical cutting house.
When considering a sapphire for your collection, decide what cut you might like, what color, and about how large you would like the stone to be. Color, cut and carat-weight are the main concern with sapphires. When purchasing a diamond, it is also important to consider clarity. Sapphires have a different specific gravity and are heavier than diamond so a 1 carat sapphire will be slightly smaller than a 1 carat diamond. Sapphires have less brilliance than diamond but are available in a wider range of naturally-occuring colors, usually at a relatively lower price. Sapphires can also display asterism, creating a natural star that appears to move within the gem. I have a selection of sapphires with and without asterism, round, oval, pear, marquise, cushion-cut, round brilliant and round flower cut gems. Email info@peggyskemp.com to find out more about the sapphires available and discuss custom ordering.
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