#6439 Man's ring from a Maharaja.
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 1 colors September's birthstone.
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 2 origins, colors, qualities.
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 3 cuts, settings, frauds and prices. (next week).
Sapphires are a part of the Big Three when it comes to top gems following diamonds. The others are of course, rubies and emeralds. Many people regard sapphires as the most beautiful of all gemstones.
Sapphires have been set in antique jewelry for millenia and a brief visit to Wikipedia will give us a list of attributes and amuletic powers starting with wisdom, insight, serenity, the powers of prophesy and various protections against enemies, jealousy and the evil eye. The natural link to the color of the sky is clear. In Indian tradition, sapphires are very powerful and are worn in very specific ways to prevent harm. Yellow Sapphires are one of the essential gems in navaratna jewelry. If you are superstitious, you will find any and all attributes of gems to suit your beliefs, but we will move on to more objective topics.
#6204. Brooch with various colored sapphires. 
Sapphires come in a variety of colors as we discussed for the September Birthstone post.
We just mentioned that in Navaratna jewely, the sapphires are yellow. They may be orange, pink or purple or any other color, including the traditional glorious shades of blue from sky blue Ceylon or Sri Lankan sapphires, to deep, dark Kashmir sapphires. 
#6808 yellow sapphire and diamond unisex ring.
Sapphires are related to rubies, both part of the corundum family. We all know that rubies are red and pink, but curiously, there are sapphires that are pink too. So when is a gem a ruby and when is it a sapphire? I have asked this question repeatedly and learned that it is a somewhat arbitrary difference based on the redness of the red. This means that to some a gem might be a ruby and to some a pink sapphire. Clearly, there is some subjectivity to the matter. It seems that a deep, very red red is considered ruby and pink may go either way. Some might call it a ruby and some a sapphire.
#6794 Art Deco Ring with cabochon sapphire. 
Long ago, most sapphires found in European jewelry came from Egypt. Since then, there have been multiple finds of sapphires around the world. We have all heard the term Kashmir sapphires (more of that later) as well as Burmese and Ceylon sapphires - now called Sri Lankan. In more recent times, sapphires have been found in many other geographical locations including Brazil, Thailand, Australia and east Africa (Tanzania and Madagascar). American sapphires are highly sought after.
While Burmese sapphires are considered the best, Kashmir are even better. Both of these are dark blue - somewhere between royal and navy. Ceylon sapphires are a lighter shade of blue, more like the sky and what has often been called 'cornflower blue' - quite unmistakable. It is similar to the desireable sapphires found in the USA, called Montana sapphires for obvious reasons.
#6995 Color Change Sapphire Ring. 
The mystique of Kashmir sapphires makes them many, many times more expensive than most other gems of the same type. They were mined in the Himalayas during the 1880's and after about 10 years, the mines were depleted. It's interesting to see how often so-called Kashmir sapphires come onto the market. Could there really be so many Kashmiri sapphires after such a short mining period? What is sure is that you should only buy a "Kashmir sapphire" if it is accompanied by a certificate from a very highly qualified laboratory, like the GIA, with a statement of origin confirming that the stone is of Kashmiri origin.
While the quality of the stone and personal preference are the first and foremost factors when choosing a gem, there is a general concensus amongst connoiseurs and gem dealers that Kashmir gems are the top of the line in sapphires. Their price is accordingly high and can reach double a comparable gem of a different origin. I recently saw a Kashmir diamond ring (5ct stone), sell for almost $300000.00 about 3 times the auction estimate (and prices are rising. Today, that might be considered cheap). By the same token, it's possible to get a great 'deal' on a great stone from Africa. If you own a sapphire, do you know where it originated and what its value is?
Logically, I'd say that since the mines in Kashmir dried up in around 1890, genuine Kashmir sapphires will be found in antique jewelry. Did you inherit a beautiful jewel from an ancestor? Check out the origin. You might be richer than you realised.
#5778. Bracelet with sapphire accents.
What is the best color in a sapphire? Gemologists talk about various factors such as hue - primary and secondary hues; transparency, tones, crystal, crispness, sleepy quality, flour, and so on. What on earth is 'crispy sleepiness'? For the non-specialist, we can understand dark/light; dull and bright and I think that we will base our choice on those factors. There are many tones of blue, but whichever you prefer, avoid dull stones with a grey, heavy appearance. In his book, Secrets of the Gem Trade, Richard Wise also tells us that while all sapphires have a greenish component, it is the cutter's job to show the stone as though it does not exist when viewed from above. Visible green is the kiss of death to a sapphire, according to Mr. Wise. He also advises that dark blue sapphires are considered the most desireable (without evidence of grey of course). Another point regarding color is that some sapphires might lose color when seen in artificial light at night. This is known as 'bleeding' and might be more or less extreme. In order to maintain an even color, a cutter might intentionally cut the sapphire with some assymmetry, which is considered acceptable in sapphires (unlike diamonds). A few more words about price towards the end of this post.
Many sapphires of different shades exhibit Stars and Cat's Eyes. These are usually more dull, less brilliant stones and they are always cut en cabochon - rounded on top as opposed to faceted.
#7431 jewelry set: ring and earrings with GIA certified sapphires.
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